DOES IT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN MATTERS RELIGIOUS?
VISIT THE CHURCH OF YOUR CHOICE - How many times have you heard this statement made by people urging increased participation in organized religion? Or how many times have you heard people say "It doesn't make any difference what you believe as long as you're sincere." What these people are saying and what many people think is that everyone should be religious, but that they should not take it too seriously. This brings us to the reason why this article is presented. We at the Southwest church of Christ think that religion should be more than `the thing to do' in our lives and should be what guides us in all that we say and do. If you are reading this and have no pretenses or prospects of ever being religious, you might pass this information on to someone who would be more interested. If you claim to be religious in some way or another, let us ask you to examine within yourself the reasons why you are religious.
Some of the reasons given by people for attending church are (1) My parents were religious, so I should be too, (2) I go to church to be with my friends, (3) it's the thing to do, (4) The people at church are friendly, or (5) I enjoy their social activities. We could go on with a long list of such reasons people give for being religious, but none of these are the proper reason. The only legitimate reason that one should give for being religious is "I want to go to heaven when I die." Many people will give this reason for being religious, but when asked why they pick one church to join over another will again give a variety of reasons.
Some of these reasons are (1) I was raised in that church, (2) My best friend goes there, (3) I like what they teach, (4) it's convenient to where I live, (5) or any of the many other reasons listed previously. Very seldom do you hear someone give, "because they teach the true word of God as found in the New Testament", as their reason for joining a certain church. But again, this should be the only legitimate reason for joining a specific church. However, you might ask, "There are so many churches all claiming to follow Christ, how can I know if one is teaching the true word of God?" This is a good question that everyone desiring to go to heaven should ask himself or herself. There are hundreds of so-called ‘Christian’ denominations claiming to teach Christ while contradicting the teachings of the New Testament or many of the other denominations. We can learn from the New Testament in Matthew 7:21-23 that one can be religious and still lose his or her soul.
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Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.We can also learn from 1 Corinthians 14:33 that the confusion in the religious world did not come from God, so we must deduce that it came from man.
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For God is not [the author] of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.Even though man has created religious confusion by developing contradicting doctrines and claiming that they all are approved by God; God does not allow man to use these conflicting dogmas as a reason to avoid finding out what the truth of God really is.
2 Peter 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
1 Timothy 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
God did not authorize the apostles to teach many different doctrines; only one, and God did not establish many different churches; only one, as we can see from Ephesians 4:4-6.
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[There is] one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who [is] above all, and through all, and in you all.God in Galatians 1:6-9 also condemns those who will follow after false doctrines, regardless of how well intentioned or sincere they are.
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I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any [man] preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.Since our salvation is completely dependent upon our learning what the truth of God is and obeying that truth, we should be willing to do as those in Berea did in Acts 17:11;
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These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.Many denominations, however, will take their doctrine from the minds of men and then search the scriptures to find verses that they can twist to support their own pre-conceived ideas. God will not allow men to decide the terms of salvation, but, rather expects man to accept His will as we see in 2 Corinthians 11:3-4;
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But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or [if] ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with [him].In this article, we have presented words which we hope will inspire you to examine the scriptures to see if a particular doctrine being taught is from man or if it is from God.
At the Southwest church of Christ we purpose to teach nothing except the pure Word of God as found within the pages of the Bible. We have no human organizations which decide what our doctrine will be from year to year. We follow no pattern of belief which has been historically established over a long period of time unless it can be traced back to Jesus Christ and His apostles. Any doctrines established after the time of the first century New Testament are too new and come solely from the mind of man and not from God.