One Bible, Many Churches
Does it Matter What We Believe?
The title of this booklet is partly
objective and partly subjective: that is to say, partly factual and
partly a matter of judgement. One Bible-Many Churches is surely
indisputable? Does it matter what we believe? is open to
discussion. It seems sensible to begin where there is likely to be the
greatest measure of agreement -- that there is one Bible. Surely this
is manifestly true? Of course there are several versions and many
translations -- but one Bible, whether the language is eastern or
western, ancient or modern. The text is not open to alteration in
order to bring it into harmony with this point of view or that. There
are hundreds of scholars quick to detect any interference with the
book. Thousands of pens are poised ready to indict any attempt to
meddle with the words. The Bible is unique, using the word in its
proper sense -- there is one Bible. In every nation it is the
same and the Bible’s unity is intact.
That there are many Churches seems
equally self evident. There are some who say that there are many names
but the church is one. This is a verbal device to hide the divisions.
The different names do stand for different causes. True, they are
alike in some respects but the differences are real enough. There is a
difference of teaching between one church and another, and sometimes
the difference is very substantial, even fundamental. Then sometimes
within the same church there are ideas and practices which contradict
each other. In any case the effect speaks for itself -- somebody
seeking to find the true church is puzzled and perplexed and forced to
cry at last that they cannot make up their mind when faced with so
many different churches clustered around one Bible. The problem is
intensified by the fact that the differing churches all claim to have
based their teaching on the one Bible. How has this situation arisen?
The Development of
Differences
When the Protestant Reformers opposed and subsequently separated from
the Church of Rome, their battle cry was "The Bible, the whole
Bible and nothing but the Bible". Underlying that cry was a
theory that if people could read the Bible for themselves they would
discover the truth about God and His purpose, would shed their old
errors, and consequently would be united by a common faith.
One of the great disappointments of
Protestantism has been that the theory did not work. Instead of the
unity which its founders expected, it produced in the course of time a
diversity of opinion and an increasing number of competing religious
communities all claiming in some sense to be founded on the Bible,
resulting in the religious chaos in Christendom today. One of the
reasons for the modern ecumenical movement is the awareness that the
existence of so many different churches is a reproach to Christianity
itself. That personal freedom which was an essential feature of the
Protestant cause has produced the very things which have weakened it.
Supposedly centred around one Bible, the Protestant churches have in
the course of the centuries multiplied their differences.
Was the theory wrong -- the idea that
the teaching of the Bible was all- sufficient and, to men of sense and
goodwill, self-evident? The fact that results fell far short of the
ideal does not make the theory false. As will be shown later there
were other factors which spoiled and limited the unifying effect of
religious truth. The Bible’s claims about itself assert that its
teaching is all-inclusive and all-sufficient. It is God speaking to
men. It proclaims that God has spoken all down the ages by His holy
prophets and now at last He has spoken by His own Son Jesus Christ.
What has been spoken, by the prophets and by the Son, for us is
imprinted on the pages of the Bible. Take away the Bible and, as far
as we are concerned, God is silent. Some religious people claim to
have seen visions and received special revelations, apart from the
Bible, but for the vast majority of men and women there is no sign or
signal from heaven. The voice of heaven is heard in the printed
sentences of God’s Word in the scriptures -- and nowhere else.
Consider the testimony of the Bible
about its all-sufficiency. Our Lord often rebuked the people of his
own day -- but never did he rebuke them for reading the scriptures,
rather he rebuked them for not acting in accordance with what they
read. He said, "Ye search the scriptures, and these are they
which bear witness of me; and ye will not come to me, that ye may have
life" (John
5:39-40) R.V. To the Sadducees he said about their attitude
to resurrection, "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures" (Matthew
22:29), and then went on to say, "But as touching the
resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto
you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the
living". Jesus said this was God speaking to the generation of
that very day, and because they ignored it they were going astray.
The
Holy Scriptures
The Apostle Paul had a companion in the ministry of the gospel named
Timothy -- the son of a Jewess from Lystra. Two of Paul’s epistles
were written to that young man and in one of them the Apostle used
these words: "From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures
which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is
in Christ Jesus" (II
Timothy 3:15). From this letter to Timothy we also see how
he received his early knowledge of the scriptures: it was from his
mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois. In Acts 17 there is a record
of how Paul and Silas preached the gospel to the Jews at Berea. They
received the word gladly, but tested the truth of what Paul and Silas
had said and "searched the scriptures daily, whether those things
were so". Paul did not rebuke them for doing this but rather
commended them for their zeal.
To the believers at Thessalonica he
wrote, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (I
Thessalonians 5:21). These references lay emphasis upon the
fact that the scriptures are able and sufficient to teach the truth
about God necessary for salvation and uphold the right and duty of
ordinary people to read the scriptures for themselves.
It is perfectly true that the Apostle
Peter warned the believers against those who twist the scriptures and
make them mean something which is not intended. But he never warned
them against reading the scriptures, for he exhorts them "as
newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow
thereby" (I
Peter 2:1,2). Their spiritual growth and increased
knowledge of God depended upon a careful reading of the Word of Truth.
There is not the slightest suggestion that by doing this they would be
exposed to danger or would be led away from the faith. On the contrary
the essential and central feature of these passages is that the
scriptures are able to teach men the truth about salvation and that
truth is comprehensible by ordinary people. According to the Bible,
then, the Reformers’ theory was right, but something went wrong.
Many
Churches
Since the Bible is intended not to conceal but to reveal, not to cause
confusion but to establish unity, how has it come about that since the
Bible has been made available to all in the vernacular and with the
advent of religious freedom, Christendom has become a multiplicity of
different churches, resulting in modern religious chaos? In the main,
two factors have produced this unhappy result. Firstly, if the Bible
is to be understood properly, it is necessary to come to it with an
open mind, ready to be instructed and willing to submit to its
teaching. The trouble has been that so many people have come to it
with preconceived ideas, seeking in its pages support for doctrines
already formulated from other sources.
There has been a marked tendency for
people to make God after their own image -- to fashion their ideas
about Him out of their own desires, so that they invent a God in
accordance with what they wish Him to be, rather than as He is
revealed in the Bible. They come to the Bible seeking support for a
self-invented God and very often they are satisfied that the Bible
supports them.
This satisfaction is secured by a
superficial reading of certain passages of scripture, a capricious
selection of parts of the Bible which appear to be favourable, and a
rejection of those parts which are not. Furthermore, doctrines are
formed or supported on isolated texts without reference to the general
teaching of scripture. Very often doctrines tend to be isolated from
each other, like parcels tied up separately, and the final and logical
outcome of their teaching is not looked at penetratingly. So the
discrepancies and contradictions are not brought to light.
Secondly, certain churches have been
dominated by particular doctrines upon which more than usual emphasis
has been laid, which has resulted in the neglect of other important
teaching. The outcome of this has been a dislocated and unbalanced
view of Bible truth leading to false conclusions and a disordered
conception of salvation.
In the religious world today,
therefore, it would be impossible to get a clear and unanimous
explanation of the Kingdom of God, the Authority and Inspiration of
the Bible, the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, the importance of
Baptism, the nature of the Church, the meaning of the Lord’s Supper,
the nature of Man, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and Life after
Death. Churches which for years have been teaching their people a
theology based on the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, now
find that some of their leading theologians and writers are saying
that this doctrine is not Biblical but pagan; that survival of the
individual will not come about by flight of the soul to heaven at
death, but by the resurrection of the body at the second advent of
Jesus Christ.
This is the Biblical view of the
nature of man, but only a few believe it. The Bible says that man is
mortal. It says it categorically and emphatically, and yet in the
religious world there is uncertainty, doubt and deliberate
contradiction. This one thing alone is representative of the confusion
and multiplicity of ideas which confront the seeker after religious
truth and which so often fill him with dismay and despair, or which
breed an indifference leading to apathy and agnosticism. Sometimes
that indifference is expressed in the belief that it does not matter
which church you attend or what you believe -- with so many to choose
from, one is as good as another.
Does
it Matter?
As a first step, apply the test of common sense. Imagine someone in
hospital waiting to undergo a surgical operation who finds that the
surgeon who is to perform it holds the opinion that it does not matter
about the principles of surgery -- the important thing is to get the
instruments and proceed with the work. It is almost certain that the
patient would discharge himself! Imagine someone preparing to travel
by plane who discovers that the pilot thinks it does not matter about
the principles of aerial navigation -- the really important thing is
to get the plane into the air and trust to a sense of direction. It is
almost certain that one passenger would choose an alternative form of
transport!
These illustrations are, of course,
hypothetical and outrageous. Yet when it comes to religion, what in
the case of surgery and navigation is obviously wrong and dangerous,
is too often accepted as reasonable and harmless. Plenty of people
hold the view that it does not matter what you believe about God so
long as you lead a respectable life. On the face of it, does this seem
sensible? Is it likely that God, who made the world and sustains it
day after day by laws which are unchangeable and absolute, would be
indifferent to how men regard Him? Would it not be reasonable to
expect that this God would be vitally interested in what men and women
think about Him and how they treat His word? But the truth is that man
is not left to his own feelings on this matter. God has spoken and the
Bibie claims to be His word. It is there that God reveals the
principles of true religion, principles whereby we may come to God and
be accepted by Him and receive His salvation.
Upon reflection, therefore, it is just
as dangerous and just as foolish to neglect the principles of true
religion as it is to neglect the principles of surgery or navigation.
The only difference is that the results of neglect in the case of
religion are not so obvious at first, but at the last are more
permanent and irrevocable. In the case of religion, just as truly,
somebody’s life is at stake.
What
About Tolerance?
Religious tolerance is a blessing when it means freedom to worship God
without interference, but it is something less than a blessing if it
infects people with a kind of religious colour blindness which robs
them of the capacity to distinguish black from white. In the old days
when men and women felt strongly about their religious beliefs, they
were prepared to speak boldly about what they thought was right and
wrong, but now in this age of broadmindedness and compromise,
religious controversy is reckoned to be out-of-date; almost something
to be ashamed of. Intransigent positions are taken less often --
moderation is the key word and anything which is likely to fan the
flames of controversy is disapproved.
In some quarters it seems that the
great thing is not to come to definite conclusions about anything.
‘Discuss and consider but never decide.’ ‘Some religions may be
better than others -- but all religion is good.’ ‘Choose the one
that suits you and brings out the best in you and does no harm to
others.’ This point of view has the appearance of moderation and
reasonableness -- but it contradicts the teaching of the Bible.
Intrinsic in true religion, as revealed in the Bible, is the idea of intolerance
-- that is to say, because there is a true religion, that which is in
opposition to it and contradicts it must be false. This point of view
is unpalatable, but to the honest mind it must be logical.
About the method of approaching God,
the Bible uses words which are imperative and categorical. An example
is in Hebrews: "Without faith it is impossible to please him; for
he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Hebrews
11:6). Notice the words impossible and must. The writer
does not say it is better to come to God with faith or that it is
difficult to come without faith. He said, "It is impossible to
please God without faith and whoever comes must believe". Those
words allow no middle course. Whoever comes must believe and it is no
good coming without faith. This provokes the question, "Why
won’t I do as I am? What’s wrong with me like this?" The
Bible reveals that God is not prepared to accept anybody because of
their natural goodness. It is unacceptable and it would be unfair.
Some are born in bad circumstances and live in degraded conditions, so
that natural goodness is a struggle; others are born in good
circumstances and live in congenial surroundings, so that being good
comes easier. God does not accept people on this unfair basis.
The
Basis for God’s Acceptance
In the sight of God all are sinners and their goodness is inadequate
to justify them in His presence. There is only one standard of
righteousness, holiness and justice, and that is God’s standard, and
God will not at any time compromise that standard in order to
accommodate the fickleness of men and women. Sin today is no less
sinful than it was in the days of Noah or Eve. God has not evolved
from a God who hates sin to a God who merely overlooks it. Human
goodness compared with God’s standard of righteousness is stunted
and impoverished. It is no good coming to God with our ‘scorecard’
which testifies that we are decent people, we pay our debts and never
harm our neighbours. In the context of respectability this may be
important, but in the context of salvation it is paltry. Our bit of
righteousness is no passport to God’s favour. The Bible teaches that
we have to repudiate our own withered morality and confess that we do
not measure up to God’s standard. This is called Repentance.
Since men and women cannot be received
on the basis of their natural goodness, which is inadequate and
unfair, God receives them on the basis of their faith . The
faith they show is counted by Him as righteousness. This is the great
doctrine of justification by faith and explains why it is impossible
to come to God faithless, and why those who come must believe. In
order to show how the great principle operates the Apostle Paul takes
the case of one man, Abraham. Abraham received certain promises from
God which, at the time they were spoken, appeared, humanly speaking,
to be impossible of fulfilment. But Abraham had faith in the promises
in spite of adverse appearances and God counted this for
righteousness:
"He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also
to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now
it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but
for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that
raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our
offences, and was raised again for our justification" (Romans
4:20-25).
Paul insists that the principles which
operated in the case of Abraham are true for every man who will come
to God for salvation.
Faith
in the Word of God
The essential feature of the process is faith in the word of God. This
is the beginning of the new life, the basis of true religion. The
Apostle Peter writes of "being born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and
abideth for ever" (I
Peter 1:23). This is why so many parts of the New Testament
lay emphasis upon the necessity for belief and faith:
"He came unto his own, and his
own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he
power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe" (John
1:11-12).
"Without faith it is impossible
to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe" (Hebrews
11:6).
"Go ye into all the world, and
preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved" (Mark
16:15).
Faith
or Superstition
As faith is so important, it stands to reason that the faith which God
requires cannot mean believing in what is false or self-invented. The
faith which God insists on is faith in what is true, because faith in
what is false is really superstition. The Bible says, "As he
thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs
23:7). It tells us that ultimately a man’s actions are
conditioned and regulated by what he believes, and therefore it
follows that a false belief could result in a false life.
The writers of the New Testament knew
this and were constantly urging the believers to hold fast to the
truth. Consider the strong words which the Apostle Paul used on this
very issue:
"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. 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" (Galatians
1 :8).
These are solemn sentences. Paul
pronounces a double curse on those who preach falsehood. This is an
example of the ‘intolerance’ already referred to, and which is so
different from the modern attitude of easy tolerance towards ideas
about God which are totally divergent and sometimes mutually
destructive. Paul insisted that the gospel he preached was the truth
and anything which contradicted it was a lie. He maintained that there
was a definable standard of truth about God and His purpose and those
who departed from it were in danger.
It is popular today to say that the
Christian faith cannot be defined in propositions. It is supposed to
be too personal and too mystical for that. It is this point of view
which encourages so many to say that it does not matter what you
believe or which church you join. But such a view is manifestly false,
measured by the teaching of the New Testament where the church is
called "the pillar and ground of the truth" (I
Timothy 3: 15). There is a solemn duty laid on every
believer to ensure that their faith and their church is built on that
true foundation, as it is revealed in the Bible.
When Jesus was speaking to the
Samaritan woman about true religion, he used some very significant
words:
"The hour cometh, and now is,
when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in
truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him" (John
4:23).
What Jesus meant was that true
religion does not consist of mere outward show and external ritual,
nor only the performance of certain acts of praise and submission, but
rather it is an inward condition, of the spirit and not just of the
letter. This emphasises the importance of living according to the way
God has commanded. It is possible to praise God with our lips but in
our lives to dishonour Him. It is possible to sing songs of submission
and bow our heads in humility and yet in our hearts to be as proud as
peacocks. We prove the truth of our religion by the obedience of our
lives. The need is to discover the truth by humble reference to God’
s word, and to apply it in daily living. This is worship "in
spirit and in truth".
A
Matter of Life and Death
The issue is not just of concern to those interested in theology or
who like a religious argument. It is a matter of life and death for
all who seek salvation. The question whether it matters about finding
the truth can be answered only on the basis of eternal principles
revealed in the Bible. The principles which govern our approach to God
are perpetual: they have always applied; they are ageless.
In Leviticus there is a record of two
men who ignored the principles and ended their lives tragically. Nadab
and Abihu were priests of the Lord and their lives were regulated by
God’s commandments concerning His worship:
"And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of
Aaron, took either of them his tenser, and put fire therein, and put
incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he
commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and
devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said unto
Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in
them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be
glorified" (Leviticus
10: l-3).
Priests were right to offer incense
before the Lord, and the way of doing it was carefully prescribed by
God. But these two men ignored God’s commandments and offered
unhallowed fire obtained from some other source than the altar of the
Lord. Perhaps it was due to carelessness, or indifference, or just
plain disobedience, but God rejected their worship because it was done
in a way He had not commanded.
Some people would say that wrong ways
ought to be excused if the objective is right-that doubtful means are
ennobled if the end is good. But this is evidently not true when it
comes to worshipping God. This story unmasks and condemns the theory
that the end justifies the means. It shows that God is not indifferent
to the methods men invent for worshipping in His presence. indeed we
may claim the right to please ourselves but it may not please God.
The Bible teaches us over and over
again that truth is not advanced by false means, neither will it rest
upon corrupt foundations. You cannot worship God by disobeying His
commands. We cannot glorify God by being indifferent to His will, any
more than could Nadab and Abihu. It is no good coming with
"strange fire" now any more than it was then. God has not
changed in nature or in purpose. Those who stand in His presence for
worship must be those who have bothered to enquire about His will and
who have a master passion to do it and obey His word. The old
principle which Moses reiterated to Aaron is still true: "I will
be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I
will be glorified." If God is to be glorified He must be obeyed.
Any church which leads men to believe that God’s word is unreliable,
or that His commandments can be ignored, or that it is a matter of
choice whether we believe in certain fundamental doctrines, must be
false because in the final analysis it teaches men to disobey God’s
word.
The
Test of Truth
It is no good pleading that we have been misled by other people. In
the high court of heaven this is not a valid defence. Jesus said,
"If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the
ditch" (Matthew
15:14). It is no good urging that clever and scholarly men
have taught us what to believe and what to do. The test is not
scholarship but truth measured by the word of God. Man-made religion
is no substitute for God’s religion, be it ever so clever. Jesus
made this clear when he took the words of an old Hebrew prophet and
reinforced their meaning:
"In vain they do worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew
15:9).
This is far removed from popular
religious teaching of today. There are prominent teachers in
Christendom today who deny Bible teaching about God and His purpose,
who explain away the reality of Christ’s resurrection, who throw
doubt upon the authority of God’s word, and water down His
commandments. The moral is that we ought not to be too impressed by
the credentials of the ‘scholar’. Where scholarship is faithful to
God’ s word and helps us to understand it better we ought to be
grateful for it, but the Bible never suggests that human cleverness is
the passport to divine knowledge. instead it tells us that the truth
unveils most of her face to those who are humble and of a contrite
spirit.
Bible
Teaching
The great doctrines of the Christian faith are based upon facts. Deny
the facts and you falsify the doctrine. Deny the virgin birth of Jesus
Christ and he becomes the son of Joseph and not the Son of God: he is
made a man of his time and no more. Deny the physical resurrection of
Jesus Christ and it strikes at the very foundation of the faith and
makes Christ’s apostles false witnesses, and leaves the dead in
their graves for ever. Deny the fact that Christ worked true miracles
and he is robbed of his authority and real status, because he said
that the miracles were signs of his divinity. In the end the seeker
for the truth has to show a spirit of independence and look carefully
at the teaching of the Bible itself rather than accept conclusions
second hand.
One of the first things the New
Testament emphasises is that doctrine can be defined. Sometimes today
it is said that the Christian faith cannot be stated in propositrons
and that it is something mystical which cannot be analysed. If that be
true, here is a strange thing -- the Apostle Paul in the letter to the
Galatians marvels that some of them had turned away from the truth and
had departed from the gospel to another. The point to notice is this:
how can it be said that somebody has departed from something if that
something cannot be defined? Surely the teaching of the New Testament
is that there is a definable objective standard by which judgements
can be made. Now if the Lord God has gone to great care to reveal the
truth about Himself and His purpose it is illogical to behave as
though it does not matter, and that people can please themselves about
what they believe.
In the Old Testament there is a
passage which settles this point clearly:
"To this man will I look, even to
him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my
word" (Isaiah
66:2).
Trembling at the word of God means
understanding it, believing it and obeying it. People are not entitled
to please themselves if that leads them to be indifferent to what God
has revealed. Men and women ought to look carefully and sincerely at
their beliefs.
Vital
Doctrines to be Discovered
Those who have responded to the exhortation to look penetratingly at
their own religion and measure it by the word of God have often been
surprised to discover that things they had believed all their lives
were untrue! The writer acknowledges that this was his experience:
such a process exposed the false doctrine of the immortality of the
soul and its associated ideas concerning the destiny of the soul after
death. It brought release from the doctrines of demons and devils and
disembodied spirits and instead brought to light the real and vital
significance of resurrection as the method of survival, at the second
coming of Jesus Christ as King of the World. It brought enlightenment
and understanding concerning the kingdom of God -- a realisation that
it is a real kingdom to be established on the earth, in the very place
where the kingdoms of men are crumbling to decay. It opened up the
prospect of life eternal, a life unsullied by sin and unwearied by any
disability, a life immortal and wonderful, to be lived with Christ in
the Kingdom of God.
It also brought the sobering
conviction that one of the most solemn commandments of the Lord had
never been obeyed: to be baptized. With an understanding of the Bible
doctrine about baptism it became evident that what had previously
passed for baptism in the form of christening was quite out of harmony
with scriptural teaching and practice. The word of God demonstrated
that baptism is an act of obedience, resulting from faith -- a
voluntary burial in water as a sign of death to the old life, and a
rising again from the water to a new life of obedience.
In the days of the infant church many
believers were stoned, beaten, starved, hunted, hounded and eventually
martyred. They endured all this because they believed that what they
had to say was vital. In the words of Peter, "We ought to obey
God rather than men". If it does not matter what we believe or
with whom we worship, then they were mistaken in their determination
to preach the truth at all costs.
Examples
of Living Faith
It is profitable to observe how the apostles put into practice the
principles already outlined about the importance of knowing the truth
revealed by God. There is an interesting case in Acts 10 about a man
called Cornelius. The record says that he was a devout man and one
that feared God with all his house. He prayed to God always and gave
much alms to the people. God sent Peter to find this man and his
companions and preach to him the truth about Christ and his kingdom.
When they had heard and believed they were baptized into the Saving
Name of the Redeemer. Why it is so interesting is that Cornelius was
such a good man in every way, fearing God, praying regularly and
living faithfully and generously. But notwithstanding all this, he
needed to know the truth and respond to it in order to be saved. By
today’s standards many people would say he was good enough to start
with, but the narrative proves that it did matter what he believed. He
needed to know the truth so that he could respond in faith.
There is a significant case in Acts 8
which concerns a man who by today’s standards would be called a
Bible reader and a regular churchgoer. He was an Ethiopian, returning
to his homeland after worshipping at the temple in Jerusalem. He was
sat in his chariot reading from Isaiah 53. An angel directed Philip to
go to the Ethiopian and help him with his understanding of what he was
reading. So Philip joined the man in his chariot and explained to him
the truth about Jesus Christ. As they proceeded on the journey they
came to some water and the Ethiopian asked to be baptized. Philip
replied, "If thou believest with all thine heart thou
mayest". Once again it is emphasised that faith is essential in
the process of conversion.
The third example has to do with
Apollos, a man of considerable eloquence, "mighty in the
scriptures" (Acts
18:24), said to have been instructed in the way of the
Lord, fervent in the spirit. But the record makes it quite clear that
more was needed. Two disciples, Aquila and Priscilla, took him and
"expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly". It was a
matter of vital importance that he understood the way of God more
perfectly.
So there it is -- a devout man who
prayed every day and lived a faithful life; a Bible reading man who
worshipped God reverently; a man mighty in the scriptures who was
fervent in spirit and preached diligently-in every case needing to be
taught the truth more perfectly. None of these examples gives any
support to the idea that religious people can please themselves about
what they believe. On the contrary the evidence is that those who mean
business about their religion should take care that the basis of their
faith conforms faithfully with the teaching of the word of God. Saving
faith is faith in that which is true. Any other kind is likely to
prove abortive.
‘One Bible, Many Churches.’ Does
it matter which one? In the final analysis the answer will depend upon
what the questioner is seeking. If the quest is for friendship, or to
satisfy the belief that one ought to worship somewhere -- then the
answer is No, it probably does not matter. The answer is Yes, however,
if the quest is for eternal life, and a form of worship acceptable to
God.