How can we know that we are attending the right church/ religion?

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on April 7, 2010 at 2:53pm

Works follow faith. They do not preceed it. Ephesians 2:8-10

The next key is to define works as defined under the New Covenant in Christ.

Lord Bless,
LT

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Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on April 9, 2010 at 6:28am

I have been thinking of what is being said in here, from all sides, and wish to add this:

Different churches teach on different levels. What I mean is...One might attend chuch A and the preaching will surround the particular level that the pastor has knowledge on. If the pastor or church A preaches EVERY sermon from the "milk" level, after a time a person will realize that they will need to go to another church, in this case church B to get closer to the "meat" that they are desiring to partake in. Now, it may be that the two churches are teaching the same doctrine but on different levels, in this case church B being the more advanced teaching. Church C might preach on a combination of both.

What we need to do, is listen to what is being preached. Is it truth or half truth? But also is the preacher speaking of something that is actually truth, but we aren't advanced that far into the Word of God to be able to recognize it?

This is one of the things we need to consider when we see different churches teaching different things. Do we actually understand what is being preached. If we are dealing with a Bible believing church, we are in the right church, but possibly not on a level to receive what is being offered.

In my case, with my church, my pastor tends to preach on the milk, but also on only the good parts of the Bible. I have been considering for awhile about leaving and find a church where the preaching is more advanced. But...I haven't made a move as of yet.

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Permalink Reply by Carla on April 9, 2010 at 7:35am

Hi Stanley,

Here is a great article which may help you:

Question: "With all of the different religions, how can I know which one is correct?"

Answer: There is no doubt that the number of different religions in the world makes it a challenge to know which one is correct. First, let’s consider some thoughts on the overall subject and then look at how one might approach the topic in a manner that can actually get to a right conclusion about God. The challenge of different answers to a particular issue is not unique to the topic of religion. For example, you can sit 100 math students down, give them a complex problem to solve, and it is likely that many will get the answer wrong. But does this mean that a correct answer does not exist? Not at all. Those who get the answer wrong simply need to be shown their error and know the techniques necessary to arrive at the correct answer.

How do we arrive at the truth about God? We use a systematic methodology that is designed to separate truth from error by using various tests for truth, with the end result being a set of right conclusions. Can you imagine the end results a scientist would arrive at if he went into the lab and just started mixing things together with no rhyme or reason? Or if a physician just started treating a patient with random medicines in the hope of making him well? Neither the scientist nor the physician takes this approach; instead, they use systematic methods that are methodical, logical, evidential, and proven to yield the right end result.

This being the case, why think theology—the study of God—should be any different? Why believe it can be approached in a haphazard and undisciplined way and still yield right conclusions? Unfortunately, this is the approach many take, and this is one of the reasons why so many religions exist. That said, we now return to the question of how to reach truthful conclusions about God. What systematic approach should be used? First, we need to establish a framework for testing various truth claims, and then we need a roadmap to follow to reach a right conclusion. Here is a good framework to use:

1. Logical consistency—the claims of a belief system must logically cohere to each other and not contradict in any way. As an example, the end goal of Buddhism is to rid oneself of all desires. Yet, one must have a desire to rid oneself of all desires, which is a contradictory and illogical principle.

2. Empirical adequacy—is there evidence to support the belief system (whether the evidence is rational, externally evidential, etc.)? Naturally, it is only right to want proof for important claims being made so the assertions can be verified. For example, Mormons teach that Jesus lived in North America. Yet there is absolutely no proof, archaeological or otherwise, to support such a claim.

3. Existential relevancy—the belief system must conform to reality as we know it, and it must make a meaningful difference in the life of the adherent. Deism, for example, claims that God just threw the spinning world into the universe and does not interact with those who live on it. How does such a belief impact someone in a day-to-day manner? In short, it does not.

The above framework, when applied to the topic of religion, will help lead one to a right view of God and will answer the four big questions of life:

1. Origin – where did we come from?
2. Ethics – how should we live?
3. Meaning – what is the purpose for life?
4. Destiny – where is mankind heading?

But how does one go about applying this framework in the pursuit of God? A step-by-step question/answer approach is one of the best tactics to employ. Narrowing the list of possible questions down produces the following:

1. Does absolute truth exist?
2. Do reason and religion mix?
3. Does God exist?
4. Can God be known?
5. Is Jesus God?
6. Does God care about me?

First we need to know if absolute truth exists. If it does not, then we really cannot be sure of anything (spiritual or not), and we end up either an agnostic, unsure if we can really know anything, or a pluralist, accepting every position because we are not sure which, if any, is right.

Absolute truth is defined as that which matches reality, that which corresponds to its object, telling it like it is. Some say there is no such thing as absolute truth, but taking such a position becomes self-defeating. For example, the relativist says, “All truth is relative,” yet one must ask: is that statement absolutely true? If so, then absolute truth exists; if not, then why consider it? Postmodernism affirms no truth, yet it affirms at least one absolute truth: postmodernism is true. In the end, absolute truth becomes undeniable.

Further, absolute truth is naturally narrow and excludes its opposite. Two plus two equals four, with no other answer being possible. This point becomes critical as different belief systems and worldviews are compared. If one belief system has components that are proven true, then any competing belief system with contrary claims must be false. Also, we must keep in mind that absolute truth is not impacted by sincerity and desire. No matter how sincerely someone embraces a lie, it is still a lie. And no desire in the world can make something true that is false.

The answer of question one is that absolute truth exists. This being the case, agnosticism, postmodernism, relativism, and skepticism are all false positions.

This leads us to the next question of whether reason/logic can be used in matters of religion. Some say this is not possible, but—why not? The truth is, logic is vital when examining spiritual claims because it helps us understand why some claims should be excluded and others embraced. Logic is absolutely critical in dismantling pluralism (which says that all truth claims, even those that oppose each other, are equal and valid).

For example, Islam and Judaism claim that Jesus is not God, whereas Christianity claims He is. One of the core laws of logic is the law of non-contradiction, which says something cannot be both “A” and “non-A” at the same time and in the same sense. Applying this law to the claims Judaism, Islam, and Christianity means that one is right and the other two are wrong. Jesus cannot be both God and not God. Used properly, logic is a potent weapon against pluralism because it clearly demonstrates that contrary truth claims cannot both be true. This understanding topples the whole “true for you but not for me” mindset.

Logic also dispels the whole “all roads lead to the top of the mountain” analogy that pluralists use. Logic shows that each belief system has its own set of signs that point to radically different locations in the end. Logic shows that the proper illustration of a search for spiritual truth is more like a maze—one path makes it through to truth, while all others arrive at dead ends. All faiths may have some surface similarities, but they differ in major ways in their core doctrines.

The conclusion is that you can use reason and logic in matters of religion. That being the case, pluralism (the belief that all truth claims are equally true and valid) is ruled out because it is illogical and contradictory to believe that diametrically opposing truth claims can both be right.

Next comes the big question: does God exist? Atheists and naturalists (who do not accept anything beyond this physical world and universe) say “no.” While volumes have been written and debates have raged throughout history on this question, it is actually not difficult to answer. To give it proper attention, you must first ask this question: Why do we have something rather than nothing at all? In other words, how did you and everything around you get here? The argument for God can be presented very simply:

Something exists.
You do not get something from nothing.
Therefore, a necessary and eternal Being exists.

You cannot deny you exist because you have to exist in order to deny your own existence (which is self-defeating), so the first premise above is true. No one believes you can get something from nothing (i.e., that ”nothing” produced the universe), so the second premise is true. Therefore, the third premise must be true—an eternal Being responsible for everything must exist.

This is a position no thinking atheist denies; they just claim that the universe is that eternal being. However, the problem with that stance is that all scientific evidence points to the fact that the universe had a beginning (the ‘big bang’). And everything that has a beginning must have a cause; therefore, the universe had a cause and is not eternal. Because the only two sources of eternality are an eternal universe (proven to be untrue) or an eternal Creator, the only logical conclusion is that God exists. Answering the question of God’s existence in the affirmative rules out atheism as a valid belief system.

Now, this conclusion says nothing about what kind of God exists, but amazingly enough, it does do one sweeping thing—it rules out all pantheistic religions. All pantheistic worldviews say that the universe is God and is eternal. And this assertion is false. So, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and all other pantheistic religions are ruled out as valid belief systems.

Further, we learn some interesting things about this God who created the universe. He is:

• Supernatural in nature (as He exists outside of His creation)
• Incredibly powerful (to have created all that is known)
• Eternal (self-existent, as He exists outside of time and space)
• Omnipresent (He created space and is not limited by it)
• Timeless and changeless (He created time)
• Immaterial (because He transcends space)
• Personal (the impersonal can’t create personality)
• Necessary (as everything else depends on Him)
• Infinite and singular (as you cannot have two infinites)
• Diverse yet has unity (as nature exhibits diversity)
• Intelligent (supremely, to create everything)
• Purposeful (as He deliberately created everything)
• Moral (no moral law can exist without a lawgiver)
• Caring (or no moral laws would have been given)

This Being exhibits characteristics very similar to the God of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, which interestingly enough, are the only core faiths left standing after atheism and pantheism have been eliminated. Note also that one of the big questions in life (origins) is now answered: we know where we came from.

This leads to the next question: can we know God? At this point, the need for religion is replaced by something more important—the need for revelation. If mankind is to know this God well, it is up to God to reveal Himself to His creation. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity all claim to have a book that is God’s revelation to man, but the question is which (if any) is actually true? Pushing aside minor differences, the two core areas of dispute are 1) the New Testament of the Bible 2) the person of Jesus Christ. Islam and Judaism both claim the New Testament of the Bible is untrue in what it claims, and both deny that Jesus is God incarnate, while Christianity affirms both to be true.

There is no faith on the planet that can match the mountains of evidence that exist for Christianity. From the voluminous number of ancient manuscripts, to the very early dating of the documents written during the lifetime of the eyewitnesses (some only 15 years after Christ’s death), to the multiplicity of the accounts (nine authors in 27 books of the New Testament), to the archaeological evidence—none of which has ever contradicted a single claim the New Testament makes—to the fact that the apostles went to their deaths claiming they had seen Jesus in action and that He had come back from the dead, Christianity sets the bar in terms of providing the proof to back up its claims. The New Testament’s historical authenticity—that it conveys a truthful account of the actual events as they occurred—is the only right conclusion to reach once all the evidence has been examined.

When it comes to Jesus, one finds a very curious thing about Him—He claimed to be God in the flesh. Jesus own words (e.g., “Before Abraham was born I AM”), His actions (e.g., forgiving sins, accepting worship), His sinless and miraculous life (which He used to prove His truth claims over opposing claims), and His resurrection all support His claims to be God. The New Testament writers affirm this fact over and over again in their writings.

Now, if Jesus is God, then what He says must be true. And if Jesus said that the Bible is inerrant and true in everything it says (which He did), this must mean that the Bible is true in what it proclaims. As we have already learned, two competing truth claims cannot both be right. So anything in the Islamic Koran or writings of Judaism that contradict the Bible cannot be true. In fact, both Islam and Judaism fail since they both say that Jesus is not God incarnate, while the evidence says otherwise. And because we can indeed know God (because He has revealed Himself in His written Word and in Christ), all forms of agnosticism are refuted. Lastly, another big question of life is answered—that of ethics—as the Bible contains clear instructions on how mankind ought to live.

This same Bible proclaims that God cares deeply for mankind and wishes all to know Him intimately. In fact, He cares so much that He became a man to show His creation exactly what He is like. There are many men who have sought to be God, but only one God who sought to be man so He could save those He deeply loves from an eternity separated from Him. This fact demonstrates the existential relevancy of Christianity and also answers that last two big questions of life—meaning and destiny. Each person has been designed by God for a purpose, and each has a destiny that awaits him—one of eternal life with God or eternal separation from Him. This deduction (and the point of God’s becoming a man in Christ) also refutes Deism, which says God is not interested in the affairs of mankind.

In the end, we see that ultimate truth about God can be found and the worldview maze successfully navigated by testing various truth claims and systematically pushing aside falsehoods so that only the truth remains. Using the tests of logical consistency, empirical adequacy, and existential relevancy, coupled with asking the right questions, yields truthful and reasonable conclusions about religion and God. Everyone should agree that the only reason to believe something is that it is true—nothing more. Sadly, true belief is a matter of the will, and no matter how much logical evidence is presented, some will still choose to deny the God who is there and miss the one true path to harmony with Him.

Recommended Resource: Jesus Among Other gods by Ravi Zacharias.

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Permalink Reply by Carla on April 9, 2010 at 7:39am

Here's another article Stanley...pertaining to the same topic.. :)

Question: "Why are there so many religions? Do all religions lead to God?"

Answer: The existence of so many religions and the claim that all religions lead to God without question confuses many who are earnestly seeking the truth about God, with the end result sometimes being that some despair of ever reaching the absolute truth on the subject. Or they end up embracing the universalist claim that all religions lead to God. Of course, skeptics also point to the existence of so many religions as proof that either you cannot know God or that God simply does not exist.

Romans 1:19-21 contains the biblical explanation for why there are so many religions. The truth of God is seen and known by every human being because God has made it so. Instead of accepting the truth about God and submitting to it, most human beings reject it and seek their own way to understand God. But this leads not to enlightenment regarding God, but to futility of thinking. Here is where we find the basis of the “many religions.”

Many people do not want to believe in a God who demands righteousness and morality, so they invent a God who makes no such requirements. Many people do not want to believe in a God who declares it impossible for people to earn their own way to heaven. So they invent a God who accepts people into heaven if they have completed certain steps, followed certain rules, and/or obeyed certain laws, at least to the best of their ability. Many people do not want a relationship with a God who is sovereign and omnipotent. So they imagine God as being more of a mystical force than a personal and sovereign ruler.

The existence of so many religions is not an argument against God's existence or an argument that truth about God is not clear. Rather, the existence of so many religions is demonstration of humanity's rejection of the one true God. Mankind has replaced Him with gods that are more to their liking. This is a dangerous enterprise. The desire to recreate God in our own image comes from the sin nature within us—a nature that will eventually “reap destruction” (Galatians 6:7-8).

Do all religions lead to God? Actually they do. All but one leads to His judgment. Only one—Christianity—leads to His forgiveness and eternal life. No matter what religion one embraces, everyone will meet God after death (Hebrews 9:27). All religions lead to God, but only one religion will result in God's acceptance, because only through His salvation through faith in Jesus Christ can anyone approach Him with confidence. The decision to embrace the truth about God is important for a simple reason: eternity is an awfully long time to be wrong. This is why right thinking about God is so critical.

Recommended Resource: Jesus Among Other gods by Ravi Zacharias.

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Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on April 9, 2010 at 6:02pm

Hi Tim,
Ihear things often that I don't agree on...however, I haven't changed churches yet because my grandchildren also attend that church and they aren't going to move because the preacher is their grandfather (other side of the family). I try to remind them that what they hear or heard might be slightly different in the Bible and I point them to it. And when I don't do that, I try to explain what the truth of the matter is..in all things.

At any rate, it's hard to explain where someone would see where I am coming from.

Also I have a son who is rather new in the Lord and I try to keep track of what he is learning as well.
I think my daughter is rather dubious about what she is learning as well, but she also studies her Bible so she is actually getting the truth from it.

Really rather a strange situation.

Thanks for your input.
Rita

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Permalink Reply by Nkebetobong Akpan on April 12, 2010 at 7:26pm

Well, from my point of view, by signing up to this social network you should have been convinced that Christianity is more than a RELIGION. Moreover, the answer to your question could abstracted from Matt. 7:16 & 20.
Simply, compare it with the available fact s from God's word.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Vernon McEntire on April 14, 2010 at 1:10pm

Tim, I'm not sure what you want Diana Rose to prove from Holy Scripture, that it's OK to worship God in different ways, or that God manifests Himself to different people in different ways? It is certainly true that there is one Faith, one Baptism, one Lord, one God and Father of all; but there are also many different manifestations of the one Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). I think Diana Rose proposed a good rule for orthodox unity when she cited three of the most important points of the Apostles' and Necene Creeds above. I have been in, and I have seen on television, some worship services that don't fit my particular religious tastes, but I don't doubt that the one true God was being worshipped there in the Holy Spirit. I prefer the reverent, liturgical form of worship, but I see no reason to impose that on all believers, and I see nothing in Scripture that prohibits other forms of worship.

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on April 15, 2010 at 3:26pm

Tim,

You cannot find it because you are looking for religion. Christianity is developing a living relationship with Jesus. Those who search for religion will always be left unfulfilled and disappointed. Those who seek the living Jesus will find life and in that life experience joy and peace.

Lord Bless,
LT

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on April 16, 2010 at 12:16pm

Tim,

Jesus answers all of your questions/comments in one verse.

JN 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

He is the truth.
He is the path.
He is the life.

When one seeks Jesus they will find truth, be in the path and have life.

I will add:

2CO 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

and

Eph. 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Lord Bless,
LT

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on April 16, 2010 at 12:45pm

What say you?

BTW, I find it interesting that you rarely address a full post, but pick out the part you wish to dabble in. Why is that? Why did you skip John 14:6 and the comments there? Curious.

LT

Permalink Reply by Leonard T on April 16, 2010 at 1:29pm

Tim,

If you reread your own answer above do you not see why the church seems not to be in unity based on externals, but is truly in unity based upon the Spirit that gives life? Man strives or aspires to become like Christ, but we still live in these earthen bodies that war against us. We have the mind of Christ, but are not mature yet and will not fully comprehend all things with clarity, but more is added as we grow. There will be differences, yet unity. This is a mystery of God. We differ on secondary issues, but are unified in the Spirit of God and around primary doctrine. If we are teachable we will grow and adjust along the way and love our neighbor in the process.

If you do not get what I am saying regarding your post let me know and i will illustrate it for you.

LT

Permalink Reply by Sharon Theresa Theil on April 16, 2010 at 10:26am

Tim,

There seems to be some disconnect here.

The statement 'your belief that it's OK to worship God in what ever way fits us" makes it seem as if this is what Dianna Rose stated as her belief. She did not. She never stated that it is her belief that "it's Ok to worship God in what ever way fits us".

Her statement was and is; "God will work in many different way(s) to get you to realize that HE is there." and further, If you have a relationship with GOD the Father, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, OF ALL THAT IS SEEN AND UNSEEN. THE SON JESUS CHRIST, LORD GOD SAVIOUR, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. I am sure you will find a church that you will belong to....NONETHELESS IT IS IMPORTANT TO HEAR SOUND DOCTRINE SO TRY TO DISCERN WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO HEAR IN ANY CHURCH AND ALWAYS TESTING WHAT YOU HEAR AT ALL TIMES. TRUST IN THE LORD THAT WHEREVER HE TAKES YOU, YOU ARE PROTECTED.

I think that conflict between Christians could be limited if we read what our fellow Christians write and stop reading into what our fellow Christians write.

In His Name,

Sharon.

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