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The Bible Project Daily Podcast is an in-depth, daily study of the entire Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse.

Episode Notes: The Counterfeit Version of Real Religion. (2 Kings 17: 1-41)

We use the word religion all the time; we say someone is “religious.”

When we talk about “world religions", we usually refer to beliefs, rituals, and practices connected to a deity. Usually, when we use the word, we’re thinking of the major systems of belief: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

But interestingly, the Bible doesn’t use the word religion very often. The word, when translated in this way, appears only three or four times in the New Testament, and when it does appear, it’s used in two very different ways:

Sometimes negatively describes an empty, external ritual. Sometimes, positively, describing what James calls “pure and undefiled religion.” And if Scripture speaks of pure religion, then by implication, there must also be impure religion. Religion that looks spiritual… sounds spiritual… feels spiritual… but is actually defiled.

So, what does impure religion look like and how does it affect us today?

There is a story in the Old Testament that helps answer those questions with remarkable clarity and it’s found in 2 Kings 17, I would say one of the most important chapters in the entire book, and a chapter that helps explain events in the New Testament, especially in the Gospel of John.

So, let’s walk through it together…..

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