There are many
religions in the world. Nearly every religion claims
that it is the only right religion. It is very
confusing to people who are looking for the truth or
are looking for God. Who should they listen to? Who
has the right answer? Which religion is right? Or
are they all right? Are they all good, since they
basically teach people to be good? Are they all
wrong? Let us consider these questions.
The word "religion" in the Bible means
"ceremonial service and worship to God." This is
generally the primary definition found in
dictionaries. But today this word may be used to
refer to any set of beliefs, whether or not this set
of beliefs includes service and worship to God. This
is the secondary definition according to
dictionaries.
Most
Religions Teach People to be Good
Man wants to be good
because he was created in God's image with an inward
desire to be good, as God is good. Man also wants to
worship and serve God because man was created with a
spirit within him that is for contacting God; this
gives him a desire to seek after God. Wherever you
go on the earth, you will always find people
worshipping something, whether it be the true God or
many false, man-made gods. You can never find any
animal worshipping anything, because only man has a
spirit that causes an inner seeking to know and
worship God. Not having God living inside of him,
man still wants to express God. Not knowing God and
His intention, man nonetheless wants to worship and
serve someone. It is this inner seeking that gives
rise to religion.
Most religions, whether they are according
to the primary or the secondary definition, mainly
teach people to be good by trying to activate the
good nature that is within them. Generally, they
teach people to love, to help and not hurt others,
to do good deeds, etc. They may even teach various
methods of achieving these objectives. Most of these
teachings and methods are moral and ethical. At the
same time they teach their people to ask God for
help. They also promise that God will reward their
people if they do well. But there has been a big
problem concerning religion - neither the teachers
nor the followers can live according to their
standards. Although there is a willingness to follow
them, there is a lack of ability to do so. This is
because sin dwells in the flesh of man, preventing
man from living according to such standards. The
sinful nature, expressed in selfishness, strife,
jealousy, etc., always overtakes man, causing man to
fail. Many get frustrated and either look for
another religion, form their own new religion, or
give up on religion altogether. Religious man is
incapable of being absolutely good, and his worship
and service can never satisfy God.
All
Religions View God Differently
Religions have all
different views concerning God and different
approaches to God. Most of the time these views and
approaches are not according to the revelation of
God in His word. Some have the true God, yet their
worship and service are not according to His desire.
Some have false gods, so it does not matter what
rituals they have - they will never arrive at the
true God. Each religion describes its "God" or gods
as the right one(s), and they are all different. By
logic, either they are all false or only one is
true. Some people say that they believe God is this
way or that way, but God does not change according
to people's beliefs. People cannot create their own
God according to their concepts. People need to find
out who God is and what He wants with man. It is a
tragedy that many people give their entire life to
false gods. They will end up getting nothing. We
must find the one and only true God and establish
our relationship with Him.
Simple
Descriptions of Some Larger Religions
According to the
primary definition, there are mainly two religions -
Judiasm and Christianity which includes Catholicism
and Protestantism with its myriad of denominations.
Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses are considered
deviants from Christianity. They are considered
heretical by Christians. Islam seems to be talking
about the same God, yet its book of Koran is a
composite of human philosophy and many teachings and
stories from the Bible. There are many other groups
which are religions according to the secondary
definition, such as Buddhism and Hinduism. These do
not believe in the God who is the Creator and a
Person.
Although Judaism teaches people to worship
the true God, it is not a religion set up by God.
The Jews did receive their original revelations from
God through Abraham and Moses, but they formed a
religion around Moses' five books of law and
developed many traditions. By the time God Himself
came as Jesus, they were already so far away from
God that they could not recognize Him. They used the
law to persecute Him and eventually killed Him.
Christianity is also not a religion set up
by God. Although it had its beginning with Christ
who was God, it also has deviated from the main line
of what God wanted to do. It still has the name of
Jesus and the Bible and talks about the death of
Christ for man's sin. However, it has degraded so
much that it is of little value and usefulness to
God.
Man Was
Created to be Full of God
The Bible tells us
that there is only one God who created the heaven,
the earth, and man. His intention in creating man is
to coinhere with man. In other words, He wants to
live in man so that man may live in Him. He wants to
be organically one with man. He created man in His
image so that man may have His life to be His
expression. Man was to love as God loves and live
righteously as God is righteous. God also wanted man
to have His authority to rule for Him, to keep a
good order on the earth, and to defeat His enemy
Satan. Man failed God by receiving Satan into him.
Thus, man was ruined for God's original intention.
God's Way to Bring Man Back, Apart from Any Religion
Religion can never fulfill God's intention
for man, but God, being eager to bring man back to
His intention, became a man Himself. Firstly, He
showed man how God could live in man and man in God.
His living was that of a man coinhering with God. He
expressed all that God is, and He was without sin.
Secondly, He died for sinful man so that man would
not have to die. Thirdly, He resurrected to be life
to all those who would believe and receive Him so
that He could live in them. Receiving Christ in such
a way restores man to God's original intention. Man
may receive God for God to live in him and he in
God. Then when man lives, God is living in and
through him. This is the greatest wonder in the
universe.
All
Religions Fail God's Purpose
If you see God's
intention, then you will see that no religion
understands this, and all are doomed to fail. Man on
his own cannot love or be righteous as God can love
and be righteous. No teaching, method, nor practice
can help man make it. Only Jesus Christ made it
because He is God incarnate. He is now available to
live in you so that He may make it again in you.
Then you will be enabled to have the highest
standard of morality, as Jesus Christ did, and to
express God on earth to fulfill His intention and
satisfy His heart's desire. What you need is not any
religion but the living Christ entering into you and
living in you and you in Him. What you need is
Jesus. Say, "Lord Jesus, I need You. I do not need
religion. I do not need to try harder. I need You to
be my life. Lord, come into me to live in me."
Bible
Verses for Your Reading:
Zechariah 12:1 The LORD, which stretches
forth the heaven, and lays the foundation of the
earth, and forms the spirit of man within him.
Haggai 2:7 And the desire of all nations shall come:
and I will fill this house with glory.
Romans 2:21 You therefore who teach another, do you
not teach yourself?
Romans 7:18, 20 For I know that in me, that is, in
my flesh, nothing good dwells; for to will is
present with me, but to work out the good is not.
But if what I do not will, this I do, it is no
longer I that work it out but sin that dwells in me.
John 17:3 That they may know You, the only true God,
and Him whom You have sent, Jesus Christ.
Acts 7:2 The God of glory appeared to our father
Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia.
Acts 7:30 An Angel appeared to him[Moses].
Mark 7:6, 8 This people honors Me with their lips,
but their heart stays far away from Me; While
leaving the commandment of God, you hold the
tradition of men.
Acts 3:15 And the Author of life you killed.
2 Timothy 1:15 All who are in Asia turned away from
me.
2 Timothy 3:1, 5 But know this, that in the last
days difficult times will come. Having an outward
form of godliness, though denying its power; from
these also turn away.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created.
John 14:20 In that day you will know that I am in My
Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
John 14:23 My Father will love him, and We will come
to him and make an abode with him.
1 Corinthians 6:17 But he who is joined to the Lord
is one spirit.
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our
image, after our likeness: and let them have
dominion... over all the earth.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son, that every one who believes
into Him would not perish, but would have eternal
life.
Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and
to save that which is lost.
John 1:1, 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the
Word became flesh.
John 6:57 As the living Father has sent Me and I
live because of the Father.
Colossians 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of
the Godhead bodily.
1 Timothy 3:16 Great is the mystery of godliness: He
who was manifested in the flesh.
Hebrews 4:15 One who has been tempted in all
respects like us, yet without sin.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also has suffered once for
sins, the Righteous on behalf of the unrighteous,
that He might bring you to God.
1 Peter 1:3 Has regenerated us unto a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead.
John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He
gave the authority to become children of God, to
those who believe into His name.
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ; and it is
no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in
me.
Colossians 2:6 As therefore you have received the
Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him,