Millions of people across the globe have invested themselves in a way of life and the religion that they acquired from their parents or ancestors. Some sought out a religion because their past experiences were disturbing to them or unacceptable to the way they thought. There are over four thousand religions in the world. So, which one is right? The immediate response is not which one is correct but what would assure you of your soul living in eternal joy.
There are also most people who are confused or decide not to deal with the question of what the ultimate answer for earthly and eternal life is. They take the word of a religious leader. Or they take a word of authority from someone who may have a questionable background or motive. Two thousand years ago the governor of Jerusalem asked the question, “What is truth?” That is a question for us today as well! What is the ultimate truth, what is the ultimate answer, what is it on which we can base our lives on this earth and after we pass away.
This really is not something we can ignore even though we might try. What gives us the presence of mind to know that murder is wrong? On what do we decide is the proper way to live in relationship to others? How do we honor ourselves and honor other people?
What is disturbing that I am about to say is what you may not want to accept. You might believe that I am foolish in the following words. Perhaps you conclude that I am a religious fanatic. Allow me to interject that I do not believe in religion. Whatever faith group a person belongs to has its own rituals and rules, but they will not get you to paradise. I do not like religion because it is by and large a performance of rituals and rules. My goal is to have a relationship with the Almighty God. My goal personally is to have a higher connection with a very divine person that created everything that is. I find that most often rules and rituals get in the way of that connection. So, get prepared for the disturbing things I am about to say.
The Bible is the only written word of God that was inspired by the Holy Spirit and imposed into the thinking of righteous men. These men lived hundreds of years apart and many miles apart; yet what they said forms a central theme for the redemption of mankind into the fellowship with God. All other religious books fall short because most of the time they demand people do good works so they might have a good impression on God. The Bible is the only holy book.
Jesus Christ is divine, always was and always will be. He left heaven to take on human flesh so that human flesh would experience a punishment that all humans deserve for their wayward lives. Jesus as the son of God is the only mediator between man and God. He represents us to the Heavenly Father as our sacrifice for sin. He is the only Savior and the only way for person to have eternal paradise. We pray in the name of Jesus because he is the intercessor with God.
These two points as objectionable as they may be to many of my readers are offered as a teaching element and guide to have that relationship with God. We cannot let the fallacies of religion whether called Christian or some other name to interfere with the possibility that we can become part of the family of God. On the basis of the Bible’s instructions, we confess our sins and ask God to forgive us and help us to live a holy life honoring him.
Christian Writer 