What are Christians to Believe?

                           WHAT ARE CHRISTIANS TO BELIEVE?

In this world people tell us many things about what God wants us to do.   If one visits several different churches, you will probably hear many conflicting statements concerning doctrine (something taught as a creed of one’s religion).  Just take, for example the one topic of Hell.  Some say there is no Hell, some say that God will never send anyone to Hell.  Some say that when they die that is the end of all conscious life.  Of course this is just one topic out of many.  Others say that Christ was a good man, got married, had children, and lived a long life.  Yet in another service you could hear something about how we must tithe, follow the Mosaic Law, others say that when you put all gods together it makes up The God, and the list is endless.  What are we Christians to believe when different people who present themselves as knowledgeable of the Bible give us contradictory statements.  And this is exactly how most Christians can be lead in a wrong direction.  The majority of Christians sits in church listening to someone preach.  Now don’t get me wrong, this is great as long as the preacher is Scripturally sound.  Which brings us around to my major point.  How do we know when a teacher, preacher or proclaimer of the Bible is telling us the truth?  How do we know that he is Scripturally sound?  Or perhaps a better question is do we ever even question whether this person is Scripturally sound of not?  Should our faith be put in what man tells us is right or should it be in what God tells us is right?  Now we all know the answer to that.  And we also know that the people in the various churches cannot be right when they disagree with what the Scripture says.  A wise man once said that when this happens there is a very good chance that both are wrong.

1. Personally I become very uneasy when a man gets up to proclaim the word ofGod without a Bible.  I need to see and hear him back up his points with God’s words not his own.
2.  2 Peter 1:20, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation”. Meaning that an interpretation is not isolated from what the Scripture says in other places.  Therefore, major points should be backed up by more than one Scripture.
3. When you are listening to someone how can you be sure if you are listening to the truth or not?    There is only one absolute source concerning the truth about God.  This is His Word, the Bible.  And the only way that one is going to find out the truth is to study God’s Word.  That means that one will have to spend time actually studying the Bible.  2 Tim. 2:15, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”.    The Bible is the tool that God gave us to use and if we decide not to use it then we will be at the whim of any proclaimer.   And sooner or later, we will run into what 2 Tim. 4:3-4 is talking about, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but, after their own lusts, shall they heap to themselves teacher, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables”.  The warning here is that we must stay vigilant to make a distinction between what man says and what God says.  We must constantly be comparing what man proclaims and the “truth”.

 Acts 5:29, “Then Peter and the other apostles answered, (the Sadducees) and said, We ought to obey God rather than men”.  There are several verses that will give us insight to such a question.  Heb. 13:9, “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines . . .”.   1 Thess. 2:4, “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men but God, who trieth our hearts”. 

What does Paul say about those who misrepresent the truth?  Gal. 1:6-9, “I marvel that ye are do soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel.  Which is not another; but there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.  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.  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”. 

I feel that these are strong words that Paul has said about those that misrepresent the truth and I certainly cannot add to such strong warnings.  2 Peter 2:1, “But there were false prophets; also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that brought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction”. 

And as a final Scripture, 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, like a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour;”.
Remember if one is not proclaiming the “truth” then it is not of God.   And if the teaching is not of God, then it must be of the devil. 

 Would like to thank all for the prayers.  May God’s grace bless you abundantly.

Tagged As: false teacher