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Three Topics All Men Ponder
I find it fascinating that no matter how primitive and isolated aboriginal peoples may be, anthropologists who study them always find that they are “religious.” Within those various cultures is a concept of the supernatural, a code of acceptable behavior, and some form of worship—none of which, by the way, has ever been observed in the highest order of animals. So in no way does the term “missing link” do justice to the chasm between the two.
Throughout recorded history philosophers have wrestled with the idea that there may be more to human existence than can be verified by our five senses. And from all accounts, it appears that most of the great intellectuals of the past found themselves at some point being forced to deal with the subject. But the question remains as relevant and perplexing today as it has ever been, because believers who try to defend their position are usually dismissed with the claim that “matters of faith cannot be proved.”
So is there a Supreme Being Who dwells in a sphere of reality that exists outside our own? If so, has He set forth a code of conduct that must not be violated if we are to please Him? Is there life after death with eternal bliss for the righteous and eternal damnation for the unbeliever? The “Big Three Religions” who are Monotheistic (one Supreme Being)—Judaism, Christianity and Islam—generally agree that these things are true, but disagree about the identity of the God in question. Then there are various Polytheistic religions that hold there are numerous gods and thus muddy the puddle exponentially!
The God of both Judaism and Christianity is Yahweh (transliterated “Jehovah” in English). But they differ sharply in that Judaism refuses to accept Him as a triune Being (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit), with Jesus Christ being God the Son. Whereas the god of Islam is “Allah” (the moon god) and the belief is that Jesus Christ was just a great teacher/prophet, a la (pun intended) the tenets of Gnosticism upon which all false religions are based. Both Judaism and Christianity hold the Old Testament writings to be the Word of God, but Judaism rejects the New Testament with its emphasis upon Jesus Christ and His claim of being their Messiah. And the holy book of Islam—the Koran—is said to contain the words of Allah as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
Some of the Polytheistic religions also have written texts
which they follow, but who is right and who is wrong? How can anyone possibly
unravel all the conflicting claims and know for sure?
There was a saying during World War II that “there are no atheists in fox holes.” When men face the prospect of a violent death and know their very survival depends upon something beyond their capability to control, the vast majority will cry out to a higher power. Innately and instinctively, they will react to what I call “the hole in the heart of humanity”—the title of a previous article (www.cuttingedge.org/articles/p225.html). And that tendency should be of interest to anyone with an open mind as to whether or not God exists. All religions support the belief of a supernatural realm—another sphere of reality, perhaps one of many parallel universes that theoretical physics has recently found to exist—occupied by God or gods/goddesses, so the concept of a supreme being, or beings, is believed by multiplied millions around the world. Therefore, the problem for a serious seeker of truth is how to sort through the conflicting claims and weed out those with no credibility.
It seems reasonable to suggest that the first step should be to ask the question as to who, or what, is the authority behind the various systems of belief? Are they the traditions of men, passed down from generation to generation orally, or in written form? If they were written, who did it? And if traditional, should the word of fallible men be trusted implicitly? Can the system of belief stand up to extreme scrutiny? Does it cause truly dramatic and positive moral changes in the lives of those who embrace it? (Note: By this I do not mean mere zeal and fervency of belief—no matter how great they may be. Unless those changes tend to defy explanation in human terms, should they be attributed to anything less than divine intervention?).Then finally, does it promise eternal life to the genuine believer? And if so, how does one go about obtaining it? Of course these steps could be expanded, but when carefully considered they should prove to be helpful in a process of elimination.
So now that we have established a rudimentary basis by which one can critique the various systems of belief, let us use them to examine Christianity.
Who, or what, is the
authority behind it?
“Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His
inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and
conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in
obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity
to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action)” 2 Tim.3:16 (Amplified Bible,
emphasis mine).
Thus the Christian Bible itself claims to be the plenary verbally inspired Word of God. Everything from Genesis to Revelation was written down by men who were moved by God to write what they did and the information conveyed is nothing less than His personal message to mankind.
Is the Bible merely a
compilation of the traditions of men?
“But in vain they do worship me, teaching for
doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt.15:9)
The Lord Jesus Christ condemned the Pharisees for substituting their traditions for what God the Father had delivered to them through Moses and the Prophets. And Church tradition, such as that claimed by Roman Catholicism, has no validity or authority beyond what is specifically stated in the Bible. We must never rely on anything or anyone apart from what God has said.
Can the Bible and
Christianity stand the test of extreme scrutiny?
“…by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever”
1 Pet.1:23(b) (KJV)
“But the word of the
Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached
unto you” 1 Pet.1:25 (KJV).
Someone has said that the blacksmith’s anvil wears out many hammers! The Word of God has been under an all-out assault by the devil ever since the Garden of Eden and has never suffered a single scratch! Both it and the tenets of Christianity have been subjected to attacks by many of the greatest intellectuals this world has ever produced, but to date none of them have come close to proving it wrong.
Do those who come to
a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ demonstrate by their lives that they have
experienced a dramatic change of direction, moral or otherwise?
“In those days there appeared John the Baptist, preaching in
the Wilderness (Desert) of
“From that time Jesus began to preach, crying out, Repent (change your mind for the better, heartily
amend your ways, with abhorrence of your past sins), for the kingdom of heaven
is at hand” Matt.4:17 (Amplified Bible).
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a
new creature: old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new” 1 Cor.5:17 (KJV).
To “repent” basically means to change one’s mind and stop going in the wrong direction. And, as the two verses above show us, it accompanies true salvation in Christ. Where there is no repentance—no change of heart, mind, and direction—there is no salvation!
Those who experience a new birth in Christ literally receive the Holy Spirit into their innermost being and His presence cannot be hidden from others. If the profession of faith is genuine, those who know them best will sense that they have become a different person. In some people that were basically “good people” to start with, the change may not be all that dramatic, but in others the change will be astounding! For instance, some drunkards instantly stop drinking and lead responsible, sober lives. Some drug addicts do the same. In others sexual addictions cease and all manner of immoral behaviors are left behind. While others may take longer in getting things turned around, they eventually do so and thus demonstrate the reality of their profession of faith.
I have experienced God’s salvation personally and truly wish that all men everywhere would seek His forgiveness for their sin.
“For all have
sinned, and come short of the glory of God” Romans
3:23 (KJV, emphasis mine).
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” Romans 5:12 (KJV).
There are only two kinds of sinners in this world: saved ones and lost ones! And if you have never been saved, the sin in your life must be dealt with before God will grant you His forgiveness and salvation in Christ.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” Romans 6:23 (KJV).
Because of God’s holy nature, He cannot and will not
tolerate sin—which is defined as any act, or lack of action, that fails to be
as perfect as He is! And since no mere mortal can truthfully claim perfection, all
of us stand guilty as violators of His Law. Therefore, the only way God
could forgive any of us is to pay our penalty Himself. And that is exactly what
He did in the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ when He died upon the cross. So because
that sacrificial death made salvation possible, He has promised to give eternal
life to all who will come to Him by faith, earnestly seeking and asking for it:
“But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in
thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” Romans 10:9-10 (KJV).
“Too good to be true,” you say? My friend, down through the centuries millions have experienced it for themselves, just as I did. And personal testimonies abound as to both the genuineness of the offer and the life-changing results that follow. So what are you waiting for? The Bible says to reach out to God in faith and keep on seeking Him.
“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the
unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will
have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” Isaiah
55:6-7 (KJV).
I have never once in my life heard about anyone, much less known them personally, who “sought their money back” on God’s guarantee! And if that fact does not impress you, nothing will.
If you have been born again and received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.
If you have never placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, but have come to sense His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to receive His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you truly believe in Him as Lord and Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually. If you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation Page now.
We hope you have been blessed by this ministry, which seeks to educate and warn people, so that they can see the coming New World Order Kingdom of Antichrist in their daily news.
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You can also E-Mail Pastor Ronald Riffe regarding questions or comments about this article.
God bless you