Peace Uzebek
I think you are once again not understanding the difference between religion and relationship. Maybe I am wrong, but you are still not seeming to understand that ANYONE who is hungering for a relationship with God, will first of all go looking at religion. It's a necessary and important starting point, for how else do we make contact with the supernatural.
For some that search takes them to Christianity, for others to Islam, for still others to Hinduism, to Psionics, to humanism.... anything at all that they feel gives them a way to God.
This happens because in every single one of us, there is a vacuum, a place that is empty unless filled by the satisfaction that comes from a relationship with God. We didn't form that hunger.. God Himself placed it in us.
If you try to "do" religious things within that religion, you will for a period of time be satisfied, but soon the commitment wears off. Why? because what started as a search for true relationship, now becomes an obligation. It becomes something where you seem to give, give and give, and receive nothing in return, and that empty spot just keeps getting better.
you meet someone who says they are fulfilled and you go chasing for what they have. For some, this may be with the religion they are following but another way of "doing" it. (eg those who change from one denomination to another within Christianity, or who change from one Muslim ideology to another (Shi'ite - to Sunni for example)
After a while though, when there is still no relationship with God, and the religious obligations still mount up.. you eventually burn out. You decide faith is not for you. You might even change religions all together.
Religion is NOT relationship. Please read this. It is from a Jewish congregation in Canada and I think it explains what the relationship between religion and relationship truly is.
In Parasha Ha'azinu Moshe taught Israel a song that was a prophetic look into their future. Although this song was sung to Israel about four thousands of years ago, we can glean some excellent insight from it; we can learn how G-d operates. When we understand the character of G-d from the word of G-d, we can understand how He works in our lives and what He expects from us, because the way G-d dealt with Israel is the way He deals with us.
The song begins by reminding us of what a good G-d we serve, He is trustworthy, perfect, just, righteous and straight. It emphasizes that if there is corruption it is not in G-d but rather in us. The song points out that G-d reacts to us according to how we react to Him. As the song unfolds, we learn that the benchmark G-d uses to determine the health of our relationship with Him is our obedience to His Torah.
Keep in mind as we study Parasha Ha'azinu that Israel was a redeemed nation and they maintained their relationship with G-d through Torah obedience. Torah was and still is not a vehicle of redemption, nor was it or is it a way to maintain redemption. Torah is and has always been a measuring stick of our relationship with G-d, that is, the level from which our relationship with Him is measured. Torah teaches a redeem
Please note this insight into the Torah.. the religious requirements of the jewish community. Following those requirements WAS NOT/nor is it now the vehicle of redemption or the way to maintain redemption. the Jews were a redeemed nation and their part of the relationship was to obey the requirements of the Torah. It did not form that relationship, for that came from God alone.
So, how was Israel redeemed if not by following the law of the Torah?
It was wholly by the covenant relationship God put in place with them and which he confirmed in Genesis 17 through sacrifice whilst Abraham slept.
Over the course of centuries fence laws were added and expanded to the point where today, from the original 613 laws there are well in excess of 300,000-500,000 fence laws. With all these laws, it didn't take long for people to fall into the trap of serving the law instead of serving G-d.
The original intent of G-d, to have a personal relationship with his covenant people, developed into a burdensome, works oriented religion. G-d first took a man named Abram, an idol worshiper from the Chaldeans and made a covenant with him. This was an unconditional covenant, Abram didn't have any obligations. G-d in His infinite wisdom arbitrarily chose Abram, changed his name to Abraham and promised him a land, a nation, blessings and being a blessing. Over the course of history and under divine guidance and circumstances G-d began accomplishing His promise.
The promise wasn't that Abraham's descendants would be a great religion, but that they should be a great nation. Now in order to keep this nation separate form the pagan idol worship of the other nations, G-d gave His nation peculiar customs, laws and traditions which He outlined in the Torah. These customs, Mosaic laws and traditions were designed to keep the Children of Israel distinct from all the other nations, as a nation and not as a religion.
As soon as a man realises he doesn't have the presence of God in his life, he turns to religion to try and satisfy it.
You see, being Jewish is a nationality, it was never, ever meant to be an organized religion. "Jews - Praisers of G-d," were meant to have a personal relationship with their creator, who desired to dwell in their midst continually. Religion is not from G-d, relationship is! So considering the above, does a Jew who believes in Yeshua as the Messiah become a Christian? Do they convert? Well we know that being a Christian is not a religion either.
The term Christian means "follower of the teachings of Christ." Christ means "Anointed One" or "Messiah." G-d in His infinite wisdom foreknew that Israel would go astray and that eventually they would develop a religion to replace His departed presence, His "Shechinah." Yechezekiel / Ezekiel 11:22-23.
"Then did the cherubim's lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the G-d of Israel was over them above. And the glory of the L-RD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city." Ezekiel was describing the glory of the L-rd leaving the Temple, leaving the presence of His apostate people. That is what Phariseeism is all about. It's replacing the shekinah glory of G-d with rules, regulations and man made laws.
The biggest joy a follower of God through Jesus has, is not the assurance of their salvation, but the knowledge of an unbreakable relationship with Almighty God, which He Himself put into action. Assurance of salvation is a wonderful by product of that relationship.
God bless
Carol