One of the popular catchphrases the world uses when someone is asked their faith is,
"I'm not religious, I'm spiritual."
It sounds good, right?.
"Religion" we associate with gullibility, conformity, tradition, ritual, and mental enslavement.
Being "spiritual" on the other hand has all of the positive connotations as if you are some kind of enlightened being who can communicate with God and angels as well as levitate on command.
Now to be spiritual is certainly a good thing, but we may have a fantasy of what this means.
What does the Bible say about the spiritual man?
Its all about discipline. The war of the spirit vs the flesh as Paul taught in Romans 8. It is also found in other places, such as the below verse.
Galatians 5:16-17 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish
To be spiritual does not mean you get to go your own way and do whatever. It means discipline, sacrifice; enduring hardship like a good soldier. The foundational step in becoming spiritual is the crucifixion of the flesh. So for those who claim to be "spiritual, not religious," what have you done recently to crucify the flesh? When is the last time you fasted (if ever)?
Being spiritual is evidenced by the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially the fruit.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
For those who claim to be "spiritual," how does your fruit measure up?
There is another similar Christian saying, "it's not a religion, it's a relationship," which is used to justify an "anything goes" and "rules do not matter" mindset. This is the same mind frame that calls any kind of obedience to God “works” and thus dismisses it as optional. The truth is the religion is a major part of the relationship just as works are a major part of faith.
Christ said, "if you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15)
You cannot have a relationship with God without making effort to follow his rules.
Christianity is a religion based on helping others. To try to twist it into some completely solo mission is to rewrite its foundation entirely. The "spiritual, not religious" phrase is just a way to avoid accountability and having to be part of a group.
This phrase creates an ‘a la carte' religion where you can pick and choose all the easy parts while leaving out anything difficult involving sacrifice or serving others. You get to create your own god like build-a-bear, using and ignoring the Bible verses of your choice as needed. The Apostle Paul taught that if anyone considers himself to be spiritual, he should acknowledge the foundational authority of his biblical words. You do not just get to do your own thing independantly:
1 Corinthians 14:37-38 If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant.
People who call themselves spiritual, tend to pride themselves in not being judgmental. The Bible itself however says, "but he who is spiritual judges all things, but he himself is judged of no one" (1 Cor 2:15). A spiritual person cannot just sit by passively as the world stumbles into sin, but must release the judgement of God to awaken fallen humanity.
Romans 1:32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
From the above verse we learn that seeing sin being performed and approving of it is the equivalent of you yourself doing the sin.
Now let’s cast out these unneccessary catchphrases that are just cheap excuses to avoid doing things God’s way.