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Is Christianity your Personal truth or the Absolute Truth? By D'Vorah Antioch |
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Is
Jesus the Son of God? Was Jesus black? What do Scientologists, Jehovah Witnesses, Islam really teach? What
is the name of God? Is there redemption for homosexuals?
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"I am not interested in this phenomenon or that phenomenon. I want to
know God’s thoughts, the rest are mere details.” Albert Einstein John 4:23-24 23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.
A friend once told me that putting a name to God was arrogant. I agree; we should not name God. Rather,
we should seek to find out what He calls Himself. If I do not call Him by the name He gave Himself, is that not just as arrogant?
With that goal in mind, and putting aside the issues raised by denomination and doctrine, let us go straight to the heart
of the debate: the very nature and character of God. Study
of the world’s major religions had revealed their remarkable similarities to me, giving me a false sense of their sameness,
an “all roads lead to the same place” feeling. Even though I still identified myself as a Christian, I accepted
my personal truth about religion as the “truth.” Until the day I was challenged by that logic, when I realized
that, if I really believed in personal truth rather than absolute truth, I would also have to believe that God, as He reveals
Himself to us, has some strange multi-personality disorder. Theism, pantheism, and polytheism: can they all be
right? This act, creating God in an image of my choosing, is idolatry (Exodus 20:4, Revelation 9:20-21). To the Judeo-Christian believer, God is both sovereign and holy. He expresses Himself through His Creation, but He is not the creation itself. It is written (Genesis 6:3): “And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.” Nor does God share His position with other gods, for it is also written (Deuteronomy 4:35): “Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him.” People who worship multiple gods (pantheism or polytheism) make sacrifices to their gods to win favor and to get the gods or spirits to do something for them. For some, the gods represent aspects of nature (e.g., Wicca) or control aspects of nature (e.g.,various African religions). The Judeo-Christian believer cannot bargain or make a deal with God; sacrifice is for repentance and obedience, not favor or to gain something in exchange for the ritual. The faith question for pagans is “what I can get from the gods or spirits?” The faith question for the Judeo-Christian believer is “What can I do to serve God?” Theism: Judaism, Christianity, Islam The three great monotheistic (only believing in one God) faiths were all born in the same part of the world (the Middle East) and are founded upon parts of the holy books of each of the earlier religions: the Jewish (Old Testament) Bible, the Christian (New Testament) Bible, and the Islamic Koran. Christians and Muslims and Jews may all be called Children of the Book and all considered Sons of Abraham, but the message of each faith is very different. Judaism Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 53:1-12). Jesus said to the Jews (in Luke 24:44), "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms." Yet Paul explains (in Romans 9:1-33) why the Jews did not accept Jesus. Islam But the Koran contradicts both the Jewish (Old Testament) and Christian (New Testament) scriptures. Islam believes that Jesus was a prophet who did not die on the cross, but God the Father would deny neither Himself or His Son, as it is written in John 14:6-7: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.” and again in John 10:11: “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” More information to understand Islam and Christianity A former Nation of Islam Minister's new life in Christ Christianity Leviticus 17:11 says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” Hebrews 9:22 says, "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission." John 1:7 tells us that "if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." Many of the problems in
our lives from personal sin are directly related to our personal relationship with God (obedience
or rebellion). Although we are cleansed by His blood, we all do things daily that are not holy or righteous. It
is for this reason that we must repent and go and dwell in the “Secret Place of the Most High” (Psalm 91:1 and Matthew 6:6). It is
here that we abandon our ego and are able to be directed by the Will of God and not our sinful fleshly desires. Singing praises and attending church are good things to do, but true worship of God is found in obeying Him. This is "walking in the light;" Communion with His Holy Spirit gives the believer the strength to do this daily.
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People may not agree on what is the absolute truth, but one thing is for certain— someone has to be wrong. Two plus two equals four, not five. Regardless of how much I would like, or even pray, for two plus two to equal five (a personal truth), there is no group on earth which accepts five as an accurate or truthful answer to adding two and two. Thinking what we want does not make it the truth. It makes absolutely no sense that “every way is the right way”. All religions cannot be the truth. It does not matter that aspects of some religions ring true or are similar. They completely contradict each other where it matters most: the nature and character of God. But God doesn’t bring His children confusion; among His many wonderful promises is peace (John 14:27) and consistency (Numbers 23:19). If a friend constantly contradicted themselves, how could you trust what they said? It is the same with faith; contradictions cannot be the truth. False teachers can be told apart from true teachers if they contradict the teaching of Jesus, even those who claim to be Christian. Jesus Himself warns us against such teachers (Matthew 7:21-23): “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. 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?’ And then will I profess unto them, ‘I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity’.” Here Jesus has drawn a picture of Judgment Day. These people prophesied in Jesus name; they taught and ministered God's word to people. However, Jesus makes a clear distinction between those apostolic activities and obedience to God. One can praise Him, build the largest church on earth, be endowed with great gifts and talents, but Jesus' criterion is this: are you obedient to the will of God? The true teachers are those that not only teach God's word, but also obey God's word absolutely John 14:23-24. Ezekiel 44: 10-14 Conclusion It is clear that one must make a decision regarding absolute faith. You can’t have Eternity your way, if you know that God is in charge absolutely. You’ll have to meet His standards to get into Heaven, not your own. Although there is no Truth to personal truth, you can have a personal relationship. This is not the same as "getting religion." Religion is the system to continue the belief system of a culture, society, or group of people. Religion in and of itself has nothing to do with a personal relationship with God. To receive Christ is to ask God to live within you, not meet you in a church. John 14: 23. For Christians, the true tabernacle is your inner person, if you let Him in. John 14:15-21. In the same protocol as talking to an earthly king, so it is with our Heavenly King. You cannot just walk in and have an audience with royalty or with God. Even Aaron’s sons, the priests of Israel, were put to death by God for not coming to Him properly (Leviticus 10:1-3). You must have a mediator to talk to an earthly king and it is the same with God. To talk to our Heavenly King, our mediator is Jesus Christ (John 14:12-17). This is what it means when Jesus is called the High Priest forever (Hebrews 6:19-21). Jesus
was not just a great teacher, or just a prophet as some Jewish, Islamic, and so-called New Age believers profess. He said
that he is the Son of God (Hebrews 1,Luke 9:18-25, Luke 24:25-31). Either he was truthful (he is the Son of God), a
liar (he knew he was not the Son of God) or a lunatic (he only thought he was the
Son of God). From those three choices, you must decide what is, for yourself, the Truth. “If God does not exist, one will lose nothing by believing in him, while
if he does exist, one will lose everything by not believing.” Blaise Pascal The Bible teaches that there is no other gospel than of Jesus Christ and what it means to serve Him (Galatians 1:6-10 and Luke 14:27). Who is He to you, and do you believe in that Truth absolutely?
Old Testament prophecies foretold the life and mission of Jesus Christ hundreds of years before He was born
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2 Cor. 6:16 I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people"
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