Which Religion?

We are regularly asked about our religious affiliation and we address it on this site several times. GodSaidManSaid has no denominational affiliation. We are not Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox. We are simply members of the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ and our attachment and allegiance is only to that which is found written between the covers of the Holy Bible. We are free to believe that which is written. We will not knowingly add to or subtract from that which is written in the majority-text. If we are found to be in error, we will correct our ways according to what is written. NOW FOR TODAY’S SUBJECT.

GOD SAID, John 3:16- 21:

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

GOD SAID John 14:6:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

GOD SAID, I John 2:22-25:

22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: but he that acknowledgeth the Son, hath the Father also.

24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

GOD SAID, I Corinthians 1:10:

Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

MAN SAID: Let not your heart be troubled, there is no God  All religious roads lead to heaven whether Buddhism, Hinduism, Mohammedism, or whatever flavor of Christianity. They all lead to heaven.

Now THE RECORD: The question of "which religion" must begin with a definition of terms. Noah Webster’s first 1828 dictionary definition of religion states: "1. Religion, in its most comprehensive sense, includes a belief in the being and perfections of God, in the revelation of His will to man, in man’s obligation to obey His commandments, in a state of reward and punishment, and in man’s accountableness to God; and also true godliness or piety of life, with the practice of all moral duties." Noah Webster’s last definition of religion states: "4. Any system of faith and worship. In this sense, religion comprehends the belief and worship of pagans and Mohammedans, as well as Christians; any religion consisting in the belief of a superior power or powers governing the world, and in the worship of such power or powers. Thus we speak of the religion of the Turks, of the Hindus, of the Indians, etc., as well as the Christian religion. We speak of false religion, as well as of true religion." [End of quote]

In the Bible, Brother James defines religion in James 1:27:

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

True religion before God and the Father is to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. Both of these things require the words and instruction of the living God. But, which god? How do we know for sure? Can we know for sure?

First, truth and the true God and true religion (which is the pursuit of the true God) are one. Truth? Can we find it? The Words of God in Proverbs 23:23 read:

Buy the truth, and sell it not;

Webster’s defines truth: "1. Conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been, or shall be. The truth of history constitutes its whole value. We rely on the truth of the Scriptural prophecies." [End of quote] Finally when Webster ends the primary definition of "truth," he ends it with the Gospel of John 17:17, which reads:

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Contentious people are clamoring for truth and good people seek it. But very, very few know its true definition, which is the Word of God. That is truth. The majority-text Holy Bible is the source of original and continual truth. That which is contrary to it is error; in many cases, not honest error, but outright lies and deception. God’s Word is the truth and, of course, we can prove it. It is a requirement to the righteous found in I Thessalonians 5:21:

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

True religion must, of course, be according to truth. God’s Words are truth and God is His living Word. John 1:1:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Therefore true religion, the truth, the Bible and God are all one.

It must be noted that the very nature of truth is that it cannot accept any other position; otherwise it is no longer truth. Truth does not honor opinion or good intentions. If 2 + 2 = 4, then 2 + 2 = 5 will always be wrong no matter how well intentioned. Truth pays allegiance to truth alone. It is absolute. This position is extremely obvious when you read Galatians 1:6-9:

6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

II Corinthians 11:12-15:

12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.

13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

And Revelation 22:18-19:

18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things, which are written in this book.

Truth is absolute.

Religious confusion is rampant, causing wars, hatred, bigotry, murder, spiritual uncleanness of all forms, and more. It must be noted that all evil is a religious issue. The Mother of Harlots referred to in Revelation 17:3 is filled with names of blasphemy. Lifting the words of men and devils above God’s Word is blasphemy. The names of blasphemy would include all the doctrines, teachings, and religions of men and devils that contradict the Words of God, whether pagan religions or pseudo-Christian distortions.

How did all of this terrible confusion begin? Have we participated? There was once a place called the Garden of Eden. It was the garden of God—Paradise. In the beginning, there was only one word: God’s Word. Our father Adam and mother Eve honored that Word and lived in Paradise. Our original parents were not mortals as we are but were eternal. One day a second voice was heard in the garden of God. Satan, disguised in the form of a serpent, spoke to Eve and said, "Yea, hath God said,..." Our mother Eve chose to believe the second voice. She was disobedient against the voice of truth. This was the first act of unbelief by man. Adam followed Eve’s lead and also disobeyed. That day, both Adam and Eve died spiritually and were banished from Paradise. Losing eternal life and a residence called Paradise was a simple matter of honoring the second voice. Ever since that day in carnaldom, it’s been like mother like daughter, like father like son.

The world is filled with names of blasphemy that contradict the Words of the God of the Bible. These words appear quite diverse, but there is one very common denominator with all of them. That common denominator is rebellion against the Word of the true God—the first voice in the garden, the voice of Paradise. Until reconciliation is made through Christ’s shed blood, until there is total unconditional surrender to the truth, there can be no peace. The way back to eternal life and Paradise is through surrendering to the first voice—that place of one mind and one accord.

There are many gods (lower case "g"-od), but only one true God, the God of truth, the God of the Bible. True religion will seek after His face and conform to His Word. This website is dedicated to proving the God of the Bible. He is proven here, subject after subject, scholastically and pragmatically. Every Thursday, God willing, a new proof subject is launched. God is, and He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

A fine, young saint of God sent us a beautiful e-mail message in which he asked for help. He said, "Christianity or Islam? Now, I know that Islam is a false faith, but I can’t prove it to my Islamic friends." [End of quote] The answer to this young believer is not to disprove Islam but for Islam to prove itself. Let Islam, as well as all other religious positions, establish itself as truth.

The Islamic faith was begun by Muhammed in 610 AD. That is of course nearly six centuries after the Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross and with His own blood purchased the souls of those who seek Him. The true Words of God, from Genesis to Revelation, had already been written thousands and hundreds of years, respectively, before Muhammed. Jesus Christ is not only the Saviour of mankind and the lover of our souls, but it is by Him that God created all things (Hebrews 1:2)—the heavens, the earth, me, you, Buddha, Muhammed, and all that is. Yes, Jesus Christ created all things by the Words of His father.

Those of the Islamic faith are also called Ishmaelites. Ishmael was a son of Abraham and half-brother to Isaac, who was also a son of Abraham. Isaac was the father of Jacob, whose name was later changed by God to Israel. From the very beginning, there was friction between Hagar, Ishmael’s Egyptian mother and a servant to Sarai, and Sarai (whose name later became Sarah), who was also Abraham’s wife and mother of Isaac. Sarai was once barren and gave her handmaid, Hagar, to Abraham to be his wife so that Hagar could bear children to Abraham. When Abraham had gone in unto Hagar and she saw that she conceived, she began to despise Sarai. This is where the huge problems began between the Ishmaelites and the Israelites. Genesis 16, tells the story, but two very prophetic verses need to be noted. Genesis 16:11-12:

11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.

12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

A wild man?! Click on to "The Root of the Terrorists" on this site.

In every instance that any religion, including the Islamic faith, contradicts the Word of God, it is blasphemy. Let them prove themselves spiritually, pragmatically, and scholastically. There will be no proof forthcoming, because it does not exist.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:15-20:

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

All thoughts, especially religious thoughts, bear fruit. You should take time to consider the fruits borne by all other religions. I will focus on the fruits of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. This following excerpt is from a feature on this website titled "The Light of the World:"

The followers of Christ have marched forth in His name armed with commandments of love and have turned the world upside down. Organizations working in the name of God’s precious Son Jesus have fed more hungry, housed and clothed more poor, ministered to more sick, visited more prisoners and educated more illiterate than all the world’s other organizations combined. In His name, more broken hearts have been mended, more broken homes restored, more hope given to the hopeless, more widows and orphans cared for than by any other. In His name, untold multitudes of alcoholics and drug addicts have been delivered and restored to their households. Prostitutes have been redeemed and wayward children restored to their families. In Jesus’ name, more hospitals have been commissioned, more colleges and universities established, more missionaries funded and dispatched, and more charitable organizations chartered than by any other name. Many years ago, an anonymous writer clearly summed up this matter in this following statement:

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. Until He was thirty, He worked in a carpenter’s shop and then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He wrote no books. He held no office. He never owned a home. He was never in a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did any of these things that usually accompany greatness. The authorities condemned His teachings. His friends deserted Him. One betrayed Him to His enemies for a paltry sum. One denied Him. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed on a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He owned on earth: His coat. When He was dead He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave.

Nineteen centuries have come and gone, yet today He is the crowning glory of the human race, the adored leader of hundreds of millions of the earth’s inhabitants. All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built, all the parliaments that ever sat and all the rulers that ever reigned—put together—have not affected the life of man upon this earth so profoundly as that One Solitary Life. [End of quote]

True religion will be according to truth and by definition, God’s Word is truth. The commandment to "Prove all things," is the standard of Jesus Christ who is the head of true religion. Of course, by their fruits you will know them.

In confessing Christendom, there are a multitude of denominations and independent groups who claim the Bible is the foundation of their faith and that their way is the true way. Yet they find themselves at serious odds with the other groups over just what the Scriptures say. This confusion is Satan’s workshop. This colossal division among the Christian ranks has damaged the work of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

These disagreements have many times turned violent. In recent times, there has been bloodletting between Orthodox and Catholics in Yugoslavia as well as between the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. How can these things be? The answer is very simple: somebody added to or subtracted from the majority-text. If a doctrinal debate occurs, each participant must ask himself, "Have I added or subtracted?" God forbids these acts, as I quoted earlier. The presumptuousness of man as he adds and subtracts to truth has deadly results. Psalms 19:13:

Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

All believers in Christ must prove all things and oppose all doctrinal instruction which contradicts truth that, by definition, is the Word of God. Our responsibility in Christ is to examine ourselves to see whether we be in the faith (II Corinthians 13:5). As far as the other religions are concerned, let them prove themselves. The burden of proof is theirs.

A final note to Christians: In order to think and speak the same thing, we must begin by reading the same thing—the textbook. If you are not reading the Authorized King James Bible, please click on to "Which Bible" on this website. May the face of God shine upon you in your continuous search for truth.

GOD SAID, John 14:6:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

MAN SAID: Let not your heart be troubled, there is no God  All religious roads lead to heaven whether Buddhism, Hinduism, Mohammedism, or whatever flavor of Christianity. They all lead to heaven.

Now you have THE RECORD.



References:

King James Bible

Webster, N., American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828

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