I have talked with many representatives of religions. Some of them come to my door and many others are on Internet forums. Although I placed my faith in Jesus at the early age of 9, talking with these representatives caused me to examine what I really believe about God and my relationship with him.
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These representatives keep telling me that their religious organization has gleaned the truths in the Bible text and have the correct interpretation of Bible teachings. They believe that they are the true people of God in the world based upon their teaching. I emphasize that they are trusting that their interpretation of Bible scripture has placed them on the right path to salvation. Jesus said, in JOHN 5:39-40, "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to ""come to me”” to have life".
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These representatives say that I must trust and believe in their religious organization and work within their organization in order to be saved. Living a good lifestyle and doing religious works are something that must be done in order to earn and/or keep salvation or to show you have faith.
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What kind of work? Read JOHN 6:28-29 "Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent," (trust in the one He sent). For me, I have found that this work of God is that you place your trust in him when all the world is telling you that you are lost and you must belong to their organization, believe their scripture interpretations, live a good lifestyle, and do more than just trust God. For me, this is what is meant by the "trying of my faith." Read the story of Job in the Bible. Weren’t Job’s religious friends telling him the same things most all religious people say? I feel that they were.
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Paul said that salvation is the gift of God (See Ephesians, 2, verses 8 -10). If it is a gift that I have received (accepted) in my heart then must I now earn it? Then where is the Gift? Did God create a plan of salvation in which he starts it and it is up to me to keep and finish it? Does salvation depends upon my power, to understand all the scriptures and keep my salvation by righteous perfect living, or does it depend on God's power? If salvation depends upon my understanding of scripture and my ability to earn it and keep it by what I do then I am lost, and for me, Christ died in vain. But it is not true. It is written in ECCLESIASTES 7:20 "There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins" and again in PSALM 143:2 and ROMANS 3:10.
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I find it interesting that when someone is completely trusting in God for their salvation, and witness that their trust in God is what saves them, not their attempts at good works, the religious people of this world always say that faith in what Jesus did on the cross is not enough, it is just a starting point, you must have works (see James). When they say this they are not trusting in God's love and power in His plan of salvation. For it is God that forgives sin and it is God that has provided Jesus Christ as a sin offering. If you can't go to heaven if you sin! Then no one is going to heaven. But it is written, "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit" (deceit = dishonesty) (Psalm 32: 1 and 2). It is also written, "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand." (Romans 14:4), "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5), "Blessed are those that trust in the Lord", and again, "He that comes to me I will in no wise cast him out". As for TRUST in God look at what the scriptures say about it. Do a word search in the Bible for all the references listed under "TRUST", "FAITH", and "BELIEVE". There are hundreds.
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I cannot see how people can place their trust in religious organizations that are based upon that religious organization's interpretation of Bible scripture. Think about the time of Jesus Christ. There were all kinds of different beliefs. The Pharisees believed salvation was in the promises made to Abraham and by keeping the law. The Sadducees believed they had the truth and it denied the resurrection. Look at what Jesus said about them. They were blind, leading the blind, and the truth was not in them. The Catholic Church has religious leaders and they fleeced and tormented the illiterate people in the middle ages and seem to worship idols. The Muslims believe in the Islamic religion. The Jehovah Witness people have their interpretation of the Bible. The protestant denominations have their interpretation of the Bible. The point is that they disagreed in the meaning of religious writings.
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Am I really supposed to place my trust (faith) in a Religious organization's leadership and wisdom? Where I spend eternity depends upon where I place my faith (trust).
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. . . . . . . . . . Which one should I choose????
. . . . . . . . . . I will choose none of them.
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John 5:39-40
39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
NKJV
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I do not believe that Jesus Christ came to set up just another new and improved physical organized religion run by men who can deceive themselves? I, personally, don't think so since he said that the time will come, after his death, when man will not say, let us go here, or there, to worship God, for man will worship God from within his/her heart, in other words, a personal worship of God whose spirit will be living within the hearts of those who love him. The following scriptures support my conclusions. Notice, in verse 28 below, how the verse acknowledges that men are weak and that the Son has been perfected forever. He did not leave us in the hands of weak human (leaders and priests). He has become our "high priest" and we need no other.
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Heb 7:25-28
25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;
27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.
(NKJ)
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Men use human wisdom interpreting the Bible, or other religious books, to build up an organized system in which he can place the responsibility for his salvation. They usually include things that men/women have to do. Most people feel that if they, belong to the "right church or religious organization", go to the meetings, spend some time there, and try to live a good lifestyle they are okay with God. Their only relationship with God is through their religious organization and what they do. But God looks into the heart and he knows those that have faith (trust) in Him.
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As for man's wisdom I quote 1 Corinthians 2, verses 1 through 5 from the Living Bible to see what Paul said about man's wisdom.
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" Dear Brothers, even when I first came to you I didn't use lofty words and brilliant ideas to tell you God's message. For I decided that I would speak only of Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. I came to you in weakness - timid and trembling. And my preaching was very plain, not with a lot of oratory and human wisdom, but the Holy Spirit's power was in my words, proving to those who heard them that the message was from God. I did this because I wanted your faith to stand firmly upon God, not on man's great ideas."
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What should I trust in? Is it to be man's great ideas or my great works? No, it is not. I trust God's promise of salvation through Jesus Christ. It is God's gift to me. He holds me in his hands and nothing can pluck me out of His hands. He is my Father and I am his child. Because of His love, someday I will be with Him. I will love Him and he will love me throughout eternity. All praise and glory go to my Father in heaven and to His Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to pay for my sins. Salvation is by faith (trust). Read Hebrews, chapter 11, verses 1 through 40 in the Bible.
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Matthew 11, verses 25 and 26
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"And Jesus prayed this prayer: "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise, and for revealing it to little children. Yes, Father, for it pleased you to do it that way!"
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Please note that in this testimony I have not exalted any religion or myself. As for my part I have only said I trust in God's love for me. But I have used this testimony to glorify God and to witness to "His power" in the salvation of all those who place their faith, trust, confidence, and hope in Him. God is the "author and finisher" of salvation. Because of this all glory, honor and praise belong to HIM.
-
For the purpose of clarity, let me define what I feel is the relationship between the words Religion, Christian, and Church.
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Religion = Organized groups of people professing certain religious beliefs and having a hierarchy of leadership. The leadership determines their religious beliefs based upon their interpretation of their reference book writings (the Bible or similar book) and doctrine studies.
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Christian = A person who is personally trusting that God loves him and sent his son, Jesus Christ, into the world to die on a cross for his/her sins. A person that trusts God to save and keep him/her just as Abraham did. (Read Romans 4:1-8) A Christian is a person that has been reborn (filled) with God's Holy Spirit by God Himself. --- Jesus describes a true Christian in John 3:7 & 8; 7: Do not marvel that I said to you, 'you must be born again.' 8. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit
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Church = The Church is a "Spiritual Church" (spiritual house 1 Peter 2:4-5) (Mark 14:58) (Acts 17:23-25) (2 Cor. 5:1) (Heb 9:11 and 24) made up of Christians. Since it consists of 'born again Christians' (see above) the true Church is as Jesus described a born again Christian in John 3:8.
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John 3:8 NKJV
8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
-
Therefore, the Church is a spiritual entity, made by the will of God and built without human hands of flesh, and the head of the Church is Jesus Christ who gave his life for it. I, personally feel that no man is to be considered as head of the Church. The Church's visibility in the world is shown through Christians that profess that faith in Jesus‘ work on the cross has saved them, individually and as groups. It is not a religious organization, or building, or certain place. Read LUKE, 17:20 "The Kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, here it is, or there it is, because the kingdom of God "is" within you.
-
These representatives keep telling me that their religious organization has gleaned the truths in the Bible text and have the correct interpretation of Bible teachings. They believe that they are the true people of God in the world based upon their teaching. I emphasize that they are trusting that their interpretation of Bible scripture has placed them on the right path to salvation. Jesus said, in JOHN 5:39-40, "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to ""come to me”” to have life".
-
These representatives say that I must trust and believe in their religious organization and work within their organization in order to be saved. Living a good lifestyle and doing religious works are something that must be done in order to earn and/or keep salvation or to show you have faith.
-
What kind of work? Read JOHN 6:28-29 "Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent," (trust in the one He sent). For me, I have found that this work of God is that you place your trust in him when all the world is telling you that you are lost and you must belong to their organization, believe their scripture interpretations, live a good lifestyle, and do more than just trust God. For me, this is what is meant by the "trying of my faith." Read the story of Job in the Bible. Weren’t Job’s religious friends telling him the same things most all religious people say? I feel that they were.
-
Paul said that salvation is the gift of God (See Ephesians, 2, verses 8 -10). If it is a gift that I have received (accepted) in my heart then must I now earn it? Then where is the Gift? Did God create a plan of salvation in which he starts it and it is up to me to keep and finish it? Does salvation depends upon my power, to understand all the scriptures and keep my salvation by righteous perfect living, or does it depend on God's power? If salvation depends upon my understanding of scripture and my ability to earn it and keep it by what I do then I am lost, and for me, Christ died in vain. But it is not true. It is written in ECCLESIASTES 7:20 "There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins" and again in PSALM 143:2 and ROMANS 3:10.
-
I find it interesting that when someone is completely trusting in God for their salvation, and witness that their trust in God is what saves them, not their attempts at good works, the religious people of this world always say that faith in what Jesus did on the cross is not enough, it is just a starting point, you must have works (see James). When they say this they are not trusting in God's love and power in His plan of salvation. For it is God that forgives sin and it is God that has provided Jesus Christ as a sin offering. If you can't go to heaven if you sin! Then no one is going to heaven. But it is written, "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit" (deceit = dishonesty) (Psalm 32: 1 and 2). It is also written, "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand." (Romans 14:4), "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5), "Blessed are those that trust in the Lord", and again, "He that comes to me I will in no wise cast him out". As for TRUST in God look at what the scriptures say about it. Do a word search in the Bible for all the references listed under "TRUST", "FAITH", and "BELIEVE". There are hundreds.
-
I cannot see how people can place their trust in religious organizations that are based upon that religious organization's interpretation of Bible scripture. Think about the time of Jesus Christ. There were all kinds of different beliefs. The Pharisees believed salvation was in the promises made to Abraham and by keeping the law. The Sadducees believed they had the truth and it denied the resurrection. Look at what Jesus said about them. They were blind, leading the blind, and the truth was not in them. The Catholic Church has religious leaders and they fleeced and tormented the illiterate people in the middle ages and seem to worship idols. The Muslims believe in the Islamic religion. The Jehovah Witness people have their interpretation of the Bible. The protestant denominations have their interpretation of the Bible. The point is that they disagreed in the meaning of religious writings.
-
Am I really supposed to place my trust (faith) in a Religious organization's leadership and wisdom? Where I spend eternity depends upon where I place my faith (trust).
-
. . . . . . . . . . Which one should I choose????
. . . . . . . . . . I will choose none of them.
-
John 5:39-40
39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
NKJV
-
I do not believe that Jesus Christ came to set up just another new and improved physical organized religion run by men who can deceive themselves? I, personally, don't think so since he said that the time will come, after his death, when man will not say, let us go here, or there, to worship God, for man will worship God from within his/her heart, in other words, a personal worship of God whose spirit will be living within the hearts of those who love him. The following scriptures support my conclusions. Notice, in verse 28 below, how the verse acknowledges that men are weak and that the Son has been perfected forever. He did not leave us in the hands of weak human (leaders and priests). He has become our "high priest" and we need no other.
-
Heb 7:25-28
25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;
27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.
(NKJ)
-
Men use human wisdom interpreting the Bible, or other religious books, to build up an organized system in which he can place the responsibility for his salvation. They usually include things that men/women have to do. Most people feel that if they, belong to the "right church or religious organization", go to the meetings, spend some time there, and try to live a good lifestyle they are okay with God. Their only relationship with God is through their religious organization and what they do. But God looks into the heart and he knows those that have faith (trust) in Him.
-
As for man's wisdom I quote 1 Corinthians 2, verses 1 through 5 from the Living Bible to see what Paul said about man's wisdom.
-
" Dear Brothers, even when I first came to you I didn't use lofty words and brilliant ideas to tell you God's message. For I decided that I would speak only of Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. I came to you in weakness - timid and trembling. And my preaching was very plain, not with a lot of oratory and human wisdom, but the Holy Spirit's power was in my words, proving to those who heard them that the message was from God. I did this because I wanted your faith to stand firmly upon God, not on man's great ideas."
-
What should I trust in? Is it to be man's great ideas or my great works? No, it is not. I trust God's promise of salvation through Jesus Christ. It is God's gift to me. He holds me in his hands and nothing can pluck me out of His hands. He is my Father and I am his child. Because of His love, someday I will be with Him. I will love Him and he will love me throughout eternity. All praise and glory go to my Father in heaven and to His Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to pay for my sins. Salvation is by faith (trust). Read Hebrews, chapter 11, verses 1 through 40 in the Bible.
-
Matthew 11, verses 25 and 26
-
"And Jesus prayed this prayer: "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise, and for revealing it to little children. Yes, Father, for it pleased you to do it that way!"
-
Please note that in this testimony I have not exalted any religion or myself. As for my part I have only said I trust in God's love for me. But I have used this testimony to glorify God and to witness to "His power" in the salvation of all those who place their faith, trust, confidence, and hope in Him. God is the "author and finisher" of salvation. Because of this all glory, honor and praise belong to HIM.
-
For the purpose of clarity, let me define what I feel is the relationship between the words Religion, Christian, and Church.
-
Religion = Organized groups of people professing certain religious beliefs and having a hierarchy of leadership. The leadership determines their religious beliefs based upon their interpretation of their reference book writings (the Bible or similar book) and doctrine studies.
-
Christian = A person who is personally trusting that God loves him and sent his son, Jesus Christ, into the world to die on a cross for his/her sins. A person that trusts God to save and keep him/her just as Abraham did. (Read Romans 4:1-8) A Christian is a person that has been reborn (filled) with God's Holy Spirit by God Himself. --- Jesus describes a true Christian in John 3:7 & 8; 7: Do not marvel that I said to you, 'you must be born again.' 8. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit
-
Church = The Church is a "Spiritual Church" (spiritual house 1 Peter 2:4-5) (Mark 14:58) (Acts 17:23-25) (2 Cor. 5:1) (Heb 9:11 and 24) made up of Christians. Since it consists of 'born again Christians' (see above) the true Church is as Jesus described a born again Christian in John 3:8.
-
John 3:8 NKJV
8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
-
Therefore, the Church is a spiritual entity, made by the will of God and built without human hands of flesh, and the head of the Church is Jesus Christ who gave his life for it. I, personally feel that no man is to be considered as head of the Church. The Church's visibility in the world is shown through Christians that profess that faith in Jesus‘ work on the cross has saved them, individually and as groups. It is not a religious organization, or building, or certain place. Read LUKE, 17:20 "The Kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, here it is, or there it is, because the kingdom of God "is" within you.
