If you believe the Scripture is the TRUTH, as expressed in that book, then the answer to those questions has to be a resounding NO!
If the "God" of Scripture, whose name is Yahuwah (yah-hoo-WAH), is not the truth, then there is no hope in the world. Nothing matters, and we all may as well just go jump off a cliff. According to His word, He is the ONLY TRUE ELOAH, and by His might was all that we see made (and a lot of things we don't see). Also according to His word, all of the above mentioned religions are false religions because they worship and serve deity other than Himself. These other deities are not really deities, but material items made of things that He created, or they are a figment of someone's imagination which was placed there by the archenemy, Satan.
Presuming that the gentle reader is a professed Christian who does believe that the Scripture is the truth, another question comes to mind. Do you really believe it is the truth, or do you think that only certain parts are true? If you believe that it is all true, then you must also know that you must be in obedience to all of it. If you think that only parts of it are true, then you will obey some and ignore the rest.
Unhappily, obeying some and ignoring the rest is what the majority of people who profess to be Christians are doing daily. They say they "love the Lord," but then fail to do what He says (Yahuchanan [John] 14:15). They profess to know Him personally, and then violate the very precepts of morality that He gave them (1 Yahuchanan 2:3-6, Shemot [Exodus] 20:3-17). They say they worship Him in spirit and in truth, and then they do it on a pagan day that He has not hallowed and sanctified.
He said that you MUST love the truth. What truth? His truth! Where will you find that truth? In the His written word! All other sources are suspect. The best that a source other than the Scripture can do is to help you understand what the Scripture is saying. No other source of information can be a definitive authority from Yahuwah. The way you will know that the source is suspect is that it will deny parts, if not all, of the words and doctrines found in the Scripture. When you truly accept His word as the truth, you will study it to show yourself approved to Him, and you will obey what you find there to become and remain one of His children through faith in Yahushua. When you obey what He says to do you will then become one of His children, and you will begin to grow in grace and understanding. Until that time, you may understand some scripture in fits and starts, but the word will for all practical purposes be closed to you (2 Korinthios [Corinthians] 4:1-4). When you truly begin to understand, you will not pay attention to people who pervert the word to forward their own brand of faith, but test everything they say and do by the word to see if it is truth (Acts 17:10).
People who do not obey the word yet still think they are His children are under the delusion that He said He would send to those who love the lie rather than the truth (2 Thessalonikeos [Thessalonians] 2:8-12).
Some beliefs contrary to the Scripture that identify a deluded person who thinks he/she is a Christian:
- Believes that faith alone saves.
- Thinks that repentance is "feeling sorry" for your sins.
- Believes that "baptism" is not necessary for salvation, or is "an outward sign of inward faith."
- Does not understand what the Old and New Testaments are, but believes that they are the major language division of the Scripture that occurs at "Malachi/Matthew."
- Thinks that Sunday is the Christian Sabbath.
- Thinks that our Eloah's name is God.
- Thinks that our Savior's name is Jesus.
- Thinks that Armageddon is the place where an upcoming battle will occur.
- Thinks that Armageddon is the name of "the final battle."
- Thinks that the "final judgment" will occur when our Savior returns.
- Thinks that hell is a place of eternal punishment.
- Thinks that Christmas is the birthday of our Savior.
- Thinks that Easter is the day of our Savior's resurrection.
C.F. Castleberry
http://www.considerthis.net
buck@considerthis.net