A lot of people believe religion is going to help them have eternal life. Many even believe it doesn't matter which religion you follow, as long as you follow it sincerely.
But that can't be true. Some religions are just plain evil. Does anyone really think that devil worship or a religion that requires child sacrifice is going to convince God to give you eternal life?
Of course not. But if there are false religions, maybe that means there are true religions. But which one? Would God be impressed with the self-denial of Buddhism? Maybe one of the 300 million Hindu gods would be just right for you. Islam says it offers the only way to have peace with God. Judaism is the original One True God religion. And the many brands of Christianity offer a flavor for just about anyone.
How do you make up your mind? Isn't there some way to know where the truth is?
First of all, having eternal life has nothing to do with religion. Religion is mankind's feeble attempt to convince the spiritual powers in the world to help him -- or at least not hurt him. And lots of terrible things have been done in the name of religion, even the Christian religion.
The issue in having eternal life isn't a matter of practicing the rituals of some religion. Having eternal life is an issue of having a right relationship with God.
So how do you know how to do that? There have been thousands of teachers throughout history that promised to show their followers the truth. How do you sort them out and decide which one you can trust?
Good news: God has taken care of that for you! He has endorsed one teacher in such a dramatic way that there's no doubt but what He is the one who can show you the way to have a right relationship with God.
When God raised Jesus from the dead, He proved that Jesus was His Son (Romans 1:4). All the other teachers of history have died and turned to dust. But the grave that held Jesus' body is empty. He is alive and sitting next to God in heaven! (Mark 16:19)
Which would you rather trust to get you into heaven: Some man-made religion? Or the words of God's own Son?
Posted on
Mon, February 22, 2010
by D. James Kinnaird