True Religion. The vanity of a religious identity that doesn’t translate into righteous living

True Religion

There's one true and godly religion: To be just, kind, and humble. As it has been said: “Turn away from Evil! Do Good! Then you will Live in the Land Forever (Life everlasting! )”- Psalm 37: 27 (Common English Bible). And elsewhere says: “He [God] has told you, human one, what is good, and what the Lord requires from you- to do justice, [to] embrace faithful love, and [to] walk humbly with your God”- Micah 6: 8.
What then is the role played by normative religion (Judaism, Samaritanism, Christianity, Islam, etc. )? Simply to try and be faithful messengers of God's true religion. And all is well and good, as long as we keep in mind the unavoidable distinction that will always exist between the perfect message of true religion, and the imperfect role played by it's appointed messengers

«Ben Zoma said: “Who is wise? He who learns from everyone, as is said, ‘Because everyone has been my teacher, I have gained understanding’- Psalm 119: 99”»- Pirke Avot (Wisdom of the Fathers) 4: 1. And from whence do know God’s Law teaches the same? We know it from Moses, who learned from Jethro [his father in Law, who also happened to be a non Hebrew sage]. As is written: “So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said”- Exodus 18: 24, Jewish Publication Society Bible, 1917 Edition

The vanity of a religious identity that doesn’t translate into righteous living

Reformed Samaritanism advises all men to avoid placing an excessive amount of trust unto “having the right theology”, or “having the right religious identity”. Why? Because Scripture compares men with trees (“ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life … The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven… whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much… It is thou, O king [Nebuchadnezzar]…. ”- Proverbs 11: 30, & Daniel 4: 17-19, JPS 1917 Edition).
Why is man compared to a tree? In order to teach that God’s own religion is “performance based”. In other words, that just as a tree is valued by it’s fruit, so does God value men by their fruits (“It hath been told thee, O man, what is good, and what the Lord doth require of thee?: only to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God ”- Micah 6: 8, JPS 1917 Edition).
What does it mean? It means that, while knowing Torah (God’s Law) is indeed an awesome thing, it can't be an end unto itself. Why? Because you can know Torah [God’s Law] and yet still be a “rasha” (a wicked person). In fact, being the wisest man of all, King Solomon knew far more Torah than any of us will ever do, yet he ended up worshiping idols. Not only that, but he went on to oppress his own people; so that [after his death] Israelites had to ask his son for some kind of relief from their burdens (“ Thy father made our yoke grievous; now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee”- 1 Kings 12: 4, JPS 1917 Edition).
And the fact that the Holy One is far more pleased with the person’s actions than with such person’s self serving theology (or religious identity) is also attested by the verses that go on to say: « When I say to the righteous [Hebrew believer], that he shall surely live; if he trust to his righteousness, and commit iniquity, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, for it shall he die. Again, when I say unto the wicked [Pagan Gentile]: “Thou shalt surely die”; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; if the wicked restore the pledge, give back that which he had taken by robbery, walk in the statutes of life, committing no iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of his sins that he hath committed shall be remembered against him; he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live … ”- Ezekiel 33: 13-16, Jewish Publication Society, 1917 Edition.
The phrase, “If he trust to his righteousness, and commit iniquity, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered” refers to people like the Jewish prophet who went to speak unto king Jeroboam. The former ended up rebelling against God’s word, and was therefore destroyed. As is written: “… It is the man of God, who rebelled against the word of י ה ו ה; therefore י ה ו ה hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him. .. ”- 1 Kings 13: 26, JPS 1917 Edition.
Conversely, the phrase, “if the wicked restore the pledge, give back that which he had taken… he shall surely live”, refers to Pagan Gentiles like king Abimelech, who paid heed to the word of God, returning Sarah back unto Abraham (a deed for which God granted him health and life). As is written: “Now therefore restore the man's wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live… And Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and men-servants and women-servants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife… and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maid-servants; and they bore children. For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech... ”- Genesis 20: 7, 14, 17& 18.
Finally. Jewish tradition also seems to assert that it is “our fruit” (in other words, the result of our “fear of sin”) what makes our Torah knowledge worthwhile (and not the other way around). As is written:
«Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa said: “ He in whom the fear of sin takes precedence of wisdom, his wisdom will endure; but he in whom wisdom takes precedence of his fear of sin, his wisdom will not endure ”... He used to say: “ He whose works exceed his wisdom, his wisdom endures; but he whose wisdom exceeds his works, his wisdom will not endure ”»- Pirke Avot (Wisdom of the Fathers).