Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Do you ever ask yourself why certain passages are written in this manner? We see first that the contrite and humble are connected together with spirit and then as He speaks to revival they are separated. First He revives the spirit of the humble and then revives the heart of contrition. Do you ask yourself why? Perhaps you come up with an idea as to why. Perhaps not. Do you ask the Lord why? I did.

Consider the first state or condition of the spirit and heart to be equal and alike. Both are dead and in need of being born again. Dead in our sins, we have exhausted every human effort to attain to righteousness, so we turn to God. We place our faith in Jesus Christ and we become a new creation. Now we are quickened in spirit and obtain a new heart, one after God.

The spirit and the heart are not the same. One is spirit, the other flesh. They both have access to the truth but only one is subject to infection, the heart. The spirit is subject only to the Holy Spirit, the heart, because it is flesh is subject to fleshly influences. The heart can be filled with Godly influences and constantly needs to be revived as it is spent. We sin and repent over and over again. Not so the spirit.

Hebrews 6 clearly states that it is impossible to renew one who has tasted of the Holy Spirit to renew itself by repentance, because the spirit is not subject to corruption, and needs not repent. But not so the heart which is influenced by the world in which it resides and has to subject itself to continued repentance.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Hebrews 10:20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, (NASB)

An inauguration is the beginning of a new system, policy or period. What Jesus Christ did on the cross was to inaugurate the beginning of the church age. Mind you, the church age, not the religious age. True and false religions have been around far longer than the church.

Religions are worship practices to God and gods. There are many and none of them are the church. The church consists of many parts which belong to a whole who is the Bride. The bride is betrothed to Christ and as such belongs to Him in unity. His bond to her is unbreakable.

Now religions try and exercise control over its members in like fashion except they are not God, they are not Jesus Christ and they have no real power to bind except that which is given by their members. When asked what they are, they will often state they are this religion rather than state their relationship with Christ.

Now I do not have a problem with people saying I am Buddhist, Islamist, Hindu, Baptist, Methodist, or even non-denominational. I do however have a problem with a religion that says “If you are not one of us, you are lost and going to hell.” That is wrong, false teaching and binding people to an administration rather than to Christ himself.

1 Corinthians 12:5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

You are free to move from administration to administration as is deemed fit until the Lord has placed you where He can use you. I do not have a problem with that. In doing so however, I would warn you against joining yourself to any which says if you leave them you are in danger of losing your soul, salvation, or doomed to damnation.

That’s religion at its worst.