Are you confussed about what God expects of you? Does religion and all the different teachings in each denomination make you scratch your head and wonder what truth is when so many teach a different truth? If Christ is the true Savior, why does Christianity have so many different teachings and views? If Jesus is the only way why so many Ways? What does the Bible teach?
First Jesus warned us that men would try to distort the truth and would make their own man made rules!
" These people honor me with their lips , but their hearts are far from me. They worship in vain: their teachings are rules taught by men. " Matthew 15:8-9.
Jesus Said: " Watch out that you are not decieved. For many will come in my name claiming, I am He, and the time is near. Do not follow them. " Luke 21:8
Jesus warned about divison, false teachings , false prophets, false religions, all these things would be signs of His coming return, Jesus warned us so we would not be deicieved and would know the signs of His return! See Matthew 24, 25, Mark 13, Luke 21.
God hates religion and denominationalism because it confusses and divides , man made these things Not God. Satan, also loves religion, as our enemy satan will blind many from the truth with lies ! See False Teachings section.
God looks for worshipers who worship in spirit and in truth.
Jesus Said:
" A time is coming and now has come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. " John 4:23
But how can you worship in spirit and truth?
First you must know the truth!
First let God reveal the truth to you, never look to man , this means, books, science, religion, denominations, charasmatic leaders, your parents, your friends, your church, Ect. Look to God read His book, pray and ask God to show you the truth! Test all things with the word of God, never let your feelings get in the way or what anyone else teaches you should believe, but let the word of God teach you!
Truth is only found in the Bible, cults will add to the Bible with the Book of Mormon, the Apocrypha, the Koran, books in additions to the Bible that has some other " gospel" or other " new revelation". Never let yourself be taken in by Religious systems ( man made rules) , they add to the word of God with books. Their punishment will be horrific for adding to the Bible. See Revelations 22:18-19.
Truth:
" We are saved by Grace not by works so no man can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
"We are no longer under the law but under Grace. " Romans 6:14
Grace does not give us a license to sin. Just as good works can not save us! Grace is free, we can not earn it with our good deeds and we can not loose it with our bad deeds! Christ came to fullfill all the requirements of the law.
God's Grace is a free gift, something we DO not deserve and something we can not earn with our good works, good deeds or ability to keep the law. Today God has abolished the old system of the old covenant and we are no longer under the old covenant to follow the letter of the law, but under the new system, the new convenat, under Grace.
" When God speaks of a new covenat, it means He has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and ready to be put aside." Hebrews 8:13
Does this mean we are free to break the law?
No!
The old system was a school master, God gave us the law to show us our sinful nature.
" Well then , am I suggesting the law of God is evil? Of course not! The law is not sinful, but it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that conveting is wrong if the law has not said, " do not covet." Romans 7:7
" But now we have been released from the law, for we died with Christ , and we are no longer captive to its power. Now we can really serve God, not in the old way by obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way by the spirit." Romans 7:6
What is the spirit?
Love!
Because we love Christ and His sacrifice for OUR sins, we no longer need the letter of the law, but we follow God by the spirit, our love for Christ. Christ and our Faith in Him gives us the ability to follow obey by Faith working with through our love.
" I will put my laws in their hearts so they will understand them and I will write them on their minds so they will obey them. ' Hebrews 10:16
We are not saved by our ability to keep God's law but by our Faith in God's son Jesus who kept all the laws we are not able to keep ! Thats why the Gospel is called good news!
" ...... I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God's law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God's way of making us right with Himself depends on Faith." Phillipians 3:8
What about good works? Do we not need to do good works?
Good works do not save you, but good works are evidence of your salvation
" ... Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is no faith at all- it is dead and useless." James 2:17
" Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquital is not based on our good deeds. It is based on our Faith. So we are made right with God through Faith and not by obeying the law. " Romans 3:27-28.
Christ has set us free from the letter of the law, we are now Free! We are now under the new law, the law of Christ. Love!
" Pay all your debts except the debt of love for others. You can never finish paying that! If you love your neighbor , you will fullfill all the requirements of God's law. For the commandements against adultry and murder and stealing and coveting- and any other commandment are all summed up in this one commandment: " Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God's requirements.' Romans 13:8-11.
Amen!
