Today most people are not very interested in the “truth.” The specific “truth” that I refer to is the Bible. The Bible is the only real source of truth that matters in our search for blessings from the Creator. There are many different religions in our world and all of them claim to provide a ticket to paradise for their followers. The strange thing about the claims of differing religions, religions that teach conflicting doctrines is, they all tell their followers that they will go to paradise if they follow their doctrinal philosophy. Many of these conflicting religions claim that they follow the Bible, but there are many religions that do not subscribe to the Bible or any part of it, yet they tell their followers that they will experience paradise just the same. How do we sift through all this religious conflict and come up with the right answer that will truly bring us an acceptable relationship with our Creator, God?
HOW MAY WE KNOW RELIGIOUS TRUTH?
Since the concept of doctrinal purity is important to acquiring a right relationship with God, we need to go to Him for that information. God does not speak audibly to man today as He did in His early dealings with man but He speaks today to man via the Written Word (i.e., the Holy Scriptures). The Pentecostals are wrong when they teach that the Holy Spirit speaks directly to people today, no passage of Scripture teaches this philosophy. The only way for man to truly know what God would have him to know is found in the Bible. The fact is, to know the truth about any spiritual (i.e., religious) matter man must turn to the Written Word of God.
TRUTH MAKES MAN FREE FROM SIN
According to John 8:32, “the truth makes man free from sin…” Indeed, if we accept this statement for the truth that it is we will know that freedom from our sins may be obtained from God through a knowledge of truth. Since this is so, let us seek the Divine formula contained in the Written Word that frees man from sin. Please observe the following points that teaches us how man is saved from sin as gleaned from the Written Word of God:
- One is to hear the gospel as Romans 10:17 states.
- One is to believe the gospel as Mark 16:15-16 teaches.
- One is to repent of sins as Acts 2:38 teaches us.
- One is to confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (i.e., the Messiah) according to Romans 10:9-10.
- One is to be baptized through immersion for the remission of sin according to Romans 6:3-4 and Acts 2:38.
- One is then added to the Lord’s church by the Savior according to Acts 2:47.
- One is then privileged to wear the name Christian as those disciples in Antioch of Syria according to Acts 11:26.