ONLY THE SPIRIT OF GOD CAN TEACH ALL THINGS
The elementary features of religion found in historical religion, including Judaism and Christianity, have a form of godliness, but lack real spiritual power. Although they are based loosely on the Bible, and reference God and Jesus as their respective spiritual authorities, God considers these Old/First Covenant religious traditions a covenant of death based on works of the law (i.e. flesh).
To call religion a covenant of death seems a harsh condemnation until we consider that the Old/First Covenant religion always includes human teachers and does not depend on the spirit of God to teach all things as provided in the New Covenant. These human teachers (i.e. false prophets, powers and authorities in heavenly places) take on many forms in Biblical language.
STUDY TIP: See MAGIC, SORCERY, DIVINATION AND WITCHCRAFT for more about these characters.
It is an unfortunate fact that neither Jews nor Christians interpret scripture with understanding that these nefarious characters could be found deceiving anyone in their religions. They are so drunk (i.e. intoxicated with pride) with the wine of religion that they do not understand that their religions have been, and continue to be, based on the lies and deceptive teachings of countless generations of human teachers whom God identifies by many names that are associated with lies, deception, evil and death.
Being wise and righteous in their own eyes, Jews and Christians treat scriptural warnings about these characters and all the warnings of the prophets as historical stories about ancient Israel. They never give a thought to what God says about the application of all scripture to training and righteousness to themselves today. And, totally ignoring what God says about his spirit teaching them all things, they continue to trust human teachers for instruction about salvation instead of trusting that God will write his laws in their hearts and teach them directly by his spirit.
Thoroughly deceived about the truth regarding religion, Jews and Christians refuse to taking seriously what God says about false prophets and other religious people who speak out of their own imaginations to lead his people into vain, futile religion. Therefore, they continue to walk in the stubbornness of their hearts. They do not know that only the spirit of God can teach them about the deep, mysterious things of God and that no man can understand or teach competently about God and his ways. But none of this can happen unless they know how to listen to God’s voice.