Why are people satisfied with religion (orthodox Christianity) rather than the presence of God? Why were the people in the nation of Israel so satisfied to seek after the world, false gods, and anything and all other things rather than God Himself? Why were the Pharisees and the Scribes so content to seek scholarly things and religious things rather than God? Why have men and women since the New Testament times been so willing to seek the things of religion rather than the things of God? Why are people satisfied with evangelism and getting people to pray prayers and walk down aisles rather than true evangelism?
The answer to all the questions above (and more just like them) has to do with the heart of man. Human beings are born dead in sin and trespasses and that involves a love for self and the honor of self, which also includes pride. Flowing from and out of that pride and love for self is an enmity toward God and the things of God. Every sin that man has ever committed has involved two principle things. One, the sin was against God. Two, the sin was out of pride and for self.
A man can be as orthodox as a man can get and still be proud of his orthodoxy and hate the God of that orthodoxy. A man can be a great scholar in the things of Christianity and still be a lover of self and a hater of God. A man can still be as religious as a person can possibly be and still be a hater of God that is as full of self and pride as a man can be. A man can be a great evangelist, perhaps reaching thousands of people with a message that is largely true in content, and still be full of love for self and hatred of God.
Men can be great preachers (or not) and have large churches (in one sense) with great accolades from their peers, yet that person be full of the love of his own glory and hate the glory of God. Men will pride themselves on their expository preaching in exalting self (in all humility of course) while they miss the very glory of God in Christ shining in and through the text. The press can pour out very learned volumes from the pen and/or keyboard of a man while that man’s heart pours out hatred of the true God and love for self. Men can pray long prayers and yet pray out of self love and hatred for the true God.
But of course all of these things (and more) do not really answer the original question, but they do enhance it. People are satisfied with religion rather than God because they are satisfied with what self can do and they hate the doctrines and God of all grace. Men will be their own saviors out of pride and will not have the true God to rule over them. Men will have a way of salvation that honors God in some way, yet they want some control to be in their own hands. Men will even have hard ways of salvation, yet they will not have the God who requires all from them. Men will have a way of salvation that tells them that they cannot do it all, but they will not have the Gospel of grace that demands that they do nothing and look to grace alone.
People are satisfied with religion rather than the presence of God because their unholy pride and unholy self cannot abide with such holiness. They are satisfied with religion because true religion requires that they die to self and they will not die to self. They are satisfied with religion because they hate humility and love their pride. They are satisfied with religion because they can still live to their own religious glory.
Men are satisfied with religion because they can keep their creeds and their deeds without looking to God to change their hearts. Men are satisfied with religion because they retain control of their tongues and lives rather than having Christ as Lord. Men are satisfied with religion because they are lord of self and live as they please rather than live and die as Christ pleases. Men are satisfied with religion because they can be nice to people rather than to love them. Men can be satisfied with religion because it will never require them to do what they cannot do and it will never require them to look to grace alone. As long as religion says man can be orthodox if he believes a creed and moral if he obeys such a law, there will be many that flock to that. But to come in the presence of the living God is to fall on our faces and know that we are full of self and pride and we cannot humble ourselves before Him. Even that is the work of grace in the heart. It is to be before God as one emptied and humbled and to know that we completely and utterly dependent on grace and grace alone for salvation and all things. Oh how the glory of Christ and His grace shines in this.
God Loves... Himself 
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