One of the most common phrases heard in churches today is, “God wants a relationship, not religion.” While that statement contains an important truth, it can sometimes create a misunderstanding. After all, God Himself established patterns of worship, prayer, sacrifice, holy days, and spiritual disciplines throughout Scripture. If religion simply means organized expressions of faith, then the Bible is full of them.
The real issue is not religion versus relationship. The issue is whether our religious practices help us draw closer to God or are merely a matter of going through the motions.
Many believers have been taught to think of the Bible as a story about rules and requirements. Yet when we step back and look at the larger biblical narrative, a different picture emerges. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture tells the story of a God who desires a relationship with the people He created. The Bible is not primarily the story of humanity searching for God. It is the story of God pursuing humanity.
Relationship in the Garden
The Bible begins in a garden, not a formal religious building.
Before there was a Tabernacle, a Temple, or a priesthood, there was fellowship between God and humanity. Adam and Eve were created to live in God’s presence and enjoy fellowship with Him. The relationship was personal and direct.
This is an important starting point because it reminds us that the relationship was God’s idea long before detailed commandments and religious structures existed. There’s an important lesson for us here: Humanity was not created simply to obey commands. We were created to walk with God.
Even after sin entered the world and disrupted that relationship, God’s purpose did not change. Throughout Scripture, we see Him pursuing restoration and reconciliation. The story moves from the garden, where humanity enjoyed God’s presence, to a future in which God’s presence will once again dwell fully among His people.
God’s Covenant with Abraham
One of the themes that runs throughout the Bible is covenant.
When God called Abraham, He was not simply choosing a man to follow a set of religious rules. He was entering into a covenant relationship. In the ancient world, a covenant was far more than a contract. It established a lasting bond between the two parties.
The covenant God established with Abraham was deeply personal. God promised to bless him, guide him, protect him, and work through his descendants to bless the nations of the earth. Abraham’s spiritual journey was not built on his perfection. It was built on a sincere trust in God.
Like many of us, Abraham experienced moments of great faith and moments of failure. Yet God remained faithful to His covenant promises.
This pattern continues throughout Scripture. And there is something encouraging here: God is not looking for flawless people. Rather, He is looking for people who are willing to trust Him and walk with Him.
The Purpose of God’s Instructions
Perhaps nowhere is the relationship-versus-religion question more misunderstood than when people read the Torah, also known as the five books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy).
For many believers, the Torah can seem like page after page of commands and regulations. It is easy to come away with the impression that God was primarily interested in rules. Yet when we look more closely at the biblical story, we see that God wasn’t merely establishing rules. He was giving instructions to His people so they could flourish in their relationship with Him and with others.
And here’s something very important to remember in the flow of the Biblical narrative: Before God gave Israel His instructions at Mount Sinai, He first redeemed them from slavery in Egypt. The order here is important.
God did not tell the Israelites to earn their redemption through obedience. Rather, He rescued them first and then taught them how to live as His covenant people. In other words, Mount Sinai was not merely about God giving the Law. More accurately, it was centered on God making a covenant with the people He redeemed.
In many ways, when God gave Israel the Torah at Mount Sinai, He was forming a covenant family. The Torah was given within the context of an already existing relationship. His instructions were never intended to create distance between Him and His people. They were meant to shape a community that reflected His character and remained close to Him.
As a father, I can testify to the importance of establishing boundaries, expectations, and values. When I’m clear about these things with my kids, it doesn’t hinder our relationship. It actually protects and strengthens it. And with my kids who are now adults, I can see how having high, but healthy expectations has paid off. The same is true of God’s instructions.
At the very center of Israel’s faith stood the words of the Shema: “You shall love ADONAI your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5 TLV). Critically, love for God is at the core of a relationship with Him. The goal was never mere compliance. The goal was covenant faithfulness expressed through love for God and love for others.
The Prophets and the Heart
As Israel’s history unfolded, there were times when the people maintained mechanical religious devotion while drifting away from God. They continued offering sacrifices, observing holy days, and even participated in worship. Yet their hearts were often far from Him. This was a big problem, according to the prophets.
Through Isaiah, God declared, “These people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, yet their heart is far from Me” (Isaiah 29:13 TLV).
The issue was never that worship, sacrifice, or religious practice were wrong. The problem was that these outward expressions had become disconnected from genuine love for God and people. In other words, God desired more than ritual observance. He wanted hearts that loved Him, trusted Him, and reflected His character.
The prophets consistently pointed beyond external compliance toward inward transformation. They looked forward to a day when God would write His Torah upon the hearts of His people and give them a new spirit. Their vision was never the abandonment of God’s ways. It was the internalization of them.
Yeshua’s Message
When Yeshua arrived on the scene, He confronted the same issue.
Contrary to popular assumptions, Yeshua did not oppose God’s commandments. In fact, He affirmed their importance. What he challenged was hypocrisy.
Yeshua frequently confronted religious leaders who were meticulous in their observance of the Torah yet neglected justice, mercy, faithfulness, and humility. Like the prophets before Him and many Jewish voices after Him, Yeshua emphasized that keeping the Torah without prioritizing love and mercy misses the heart of what God wants in His people.
When asked about the greatest commandment, Yeshua pointed back to the Shema, which emphasizes love for God and loving one’s neighbor. Everything else flows from those relationships. Without love, even the most impressive acts of religious devotion become hollow.
What This Means for Us Today
If we are honest, most of us tend to drift toward one of two extremes.
Some focus heavily on religious activity while neglecting intimacy with God. They attend services, read their Bible, serve in ministry, and stay busy doing things for God, yet their faith gradually becomes mechanical. Others react against structure altogether. They want a relationship with God but resist the spiritual disciplines and concrete actions that cultivate it over time.
Scripture presents a balanced path.
Prayer, worship, Bible study, fasting, generosity, and fellowship are not substitutes for a relationship with God. They are tools that help nurture it. When approached with the right heart, these practices become opportunities to encounter God’s presence and grow in spiritual maturity.
The goal is not merely checking spiritual boxes. The goal is to know God more deeply and be transformed by that relationship.
A Better Question
Perhaps the better question is not whether we have religion or a relationship. The better question is whether our religious practices are helping us love God more deeply.
Are they drawing us into greater intimacy with Him?
Are they shaping us into the people He created us to be?
From Genesis to Revelation, God’s desire has remained remarkably consistent: He wants people who know Him, love Him, trust Him, and walk with Him. The story of Scripture is ultimately the story of a God who desires to be in relationship with His people.
Religion has value when it serves that purpose. Prayer, worship, Bible study, and other spiritual disciplines can become powerful pathways into God’s presence. But when religious devotion becomes disconnected from genuine love for God, we lose sight of the very reason those practices exist.
God’s invitation today is the same as it has always been: not merely to know about Him, but to truly know Him.
