May
4
True Religion
Filed Under News And Society
Glen Copple
Religion is defined by the dictionary as a system of belief. It is usually used in regards to believing in God or some Supreme Being or beings that are ascribed worth (worship) in hopes of gaining some favor. More relevant to Jews and Christians, religion is a reference to what we believe about God and our relationship with Him. In Christianity alone, there are over 200 recognized denominations, each with their own version of what is right or wrong in their beliefs. Sadly, like the Jews, we often spend more time fighting over who is right and who is wrong when we should be engaging the world about the salvation that is available to all denominations through Jesus Christ and fighting Satan and the sin that hinders our relationship with God.
In Matthew 22:23-33; Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27-39, Jesus is still in the middle of the last week before He is to be crucified for our sins. The Pharisees tried to trap Him with a question and were exposed as hypocrites. Now the Sadducees (They are “sad U see” because they don’t believe in life after death) take a try at trying to make Jesus look foolish. During this election year, they remind me of some politicians. They are full of misconceptions in their religious beliefs. Let’s see how Jesus straightens them out and consider what it means to us.
Misconceptions Abound – Matthew 22:23-28; Mark 12:18-23; Luke 20:27-33 The Pharisees failed, but the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; decide to make an attempt to trap Jesus with one of their favorite arguments. They challenge Jesus with a point of the Jewish Law about marriage. If a man dies with no children, his wife is to marry his brother and bear children for him through the brother. In their example, the man’s brothers also die without producing children for him. The Sadducees take this to an extreme in a futile effort to try to prove that there is no resurrection. They ask Jesus about who the woman will be married to in eternity since she was married to all seven in this life.
Even in Christianity, we have over 200 denominations, each trying to explain some doctrine or practice from Scripture that they have chosen to emphasize at the expense of other Scriptures and often times judging anyone who does not agree or conform to their beliefs. Way too often, preachers spend more time condemning another denomination’s beliefs than they do trying to fight the devil and evangelize the lost.
God is the Authority – Matthew 22:29; Mark 12:24; Luke 20:34 The Sadducees cite Moses, who got his Law from God. In like manner, Jesus cites God as the ultimate authority in this matter. Jesus takes the initiative to tell the Sadducees that they are in error on their beliefs about the resurrection. He will follow His statement with evidence from a source that they recognize to prove that they need to change their thinking.
There are times when we need to address what other Christians believe and work for clarification and maturity in our faith. We don’t want to engage in putting them down, but in examining the Scriptures together in a spirit and effort to find the truth of the Gospel. We should seek an attitude of mutual openness in case our beliefs are incorrect, go to the Scripture with them and try to build harmony on what the Bible teaches so we can live together in harmony instead of fighting with one another. Remember that our focus is to reach the lost for Christ, not spend time fighting among each other over things that do not matter in eternity.
Life After This Life – Matthew 22:30-31; Mark 12:25-26; Luke 20:35-37 Jesus is not shy in talking about and believing in the Resurrection. He first informs the Sadducees that marriage is for this life. There is no marriage in eternity. Therefore, their argument is based on false information. He also cites passages from the Old Testament that the Sadducees know and will believe as proof to them that there is a resurrection and it is much different than the limitations that restrain us on this earth.
Most denominational doctrines result from taking one or two issues and building an entire belief system around them. We all want to please God and do what is right before Him. In so doing, we sometimes get focused on one or two teachings of Scripture at the disregard or outright exclusion of other Scriptures in the Bible. That doesn’t mean that we are wrong, but often, a particular issue will cloud our understanding of the actual teaching of the rest of Scripture. If we use this to divide us, then we cause problems. Our enemy is sin and Satan, not other believers. Instead, we should seek to understand and accept one another and fight the devil instead of each other.
God Lives Forever – Matthew 22:32-33; Mark 12:27; Luke 20:38-39 Finally, Jesus concludes this verbal interchange pointing out that God is eternal. God talks about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as if they are still living. That is testimony to His power and to the fact that there is a resurrection for us to look forward to.
If God is the Supreme Being who created us, then it is no problem for Him to live forever and grant eternal life to those who will follow His commandments. Our hope is that our eternal state will be far beyond what this world can offer. Our joy is in knowing that we are forgiven because we have accepted Jesus Christ as God’s Son and our Lord and Savior. If God lives forever and we are His children by adoption through Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins, then it is no problem for us to live forever with them in eternity. God bless you and have a great week!
Religion is defined by the dictionary as a system of belief. It is usually used in regards to believing in God or some Supreme Being or beings that are ascribed worth (worship) in hopes of gaining some favor. More relevant to Jews and Christians, religion is a reference to what we believe about God and our relationship with Him. In Christianity alone, there are over 200 recognized denominations, each with their own version of what is right or wrong in their beliefs. Sadly, like the Jews, we often spend more time fighting over who is right and who is wrong when we should be engaging the world about the salvation that is available to all denominations through Jesus Christ and fighting Satan and the sin that hinders our relationship with God.
In Matthew 22:23-33; Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27-39, Jesus is still in the middle of the last week before He is to be crucified for our sins. The Pharisees tried to trap Him with a question and were exposed as hypocrites. Now the Sadducees (They are “sad U see” because they don’t believe in life after death) take a try at trying to make Jesus look foolish. During this election year, they remind me of some politicians. They are full of misconceptions in their religious beliefs. Let’s see how Jesus straightens them out and consider what it means to us.
Misconceptions Abound – Matthew 22:23-28; Mark 12:18-23; Luke 20:27-33 The Pharisees failed, but the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; decide to make an attempt to trap Jesus with one of their favorite arguments. They challenge Jesus with a point of the Jewish Law about marriage. If a man dies with no children, his wife is to marry his brother and bear children for him through the brother. In their example, the man’s brothers also die without producing children for him. The Sadducees take this to an extreme in a futile effort to try to prove that there is no resurrection. They ask Jesus about who the woman will be married to in eternity since she was married to all seven in this life.
Even in Christianity, we have over 200 denominations, each trying to explain some doctrine or practice from Scripture that they have chosen to emphasize at the expense of other Scriptures and often times judging anyone who does not agree or conform to their beliefs. Way too often, preachers spend more time condemning another denomination’s beliefs than they do trying to fight the devil and evangelize the lost.
God is the Authority – Matthew 22:29; Mark 12:24; Luke 20:34 The Sadducees cite Moses, who got his Law from God. In like manner, Jesus cites God as the ultimate authority in this matter. Jesus takes the initiative to tell the Sadducees that they are in error on their beliefs about the resurrection. He will follow His statement with evidence from a source that they recognize to prove that they need to change their thinking.
There are times when we need to address what other Christians believe and work for clarification and maturity in our faith. We don’t want to engage in putting them down, but in examining the Scriptures together in a spirit and effort to find the truth of the Gospel. We should seek an attitude of mutual openness in case our beliefs are incorrect, go to the Scripture with them and try to build harmony on what the Bible teaches so we can live together in harmony instead of fighting with one another. Remember that our focus is to reach the lost for Christ, not spend time fighting among each other over things that do not matter in eternity.
Life After This Life – Matthew 22:30-31; Mark 12:25-26; Luke 20:35-37 Jesus is not shy in talking about and believing in the Resurrection. He first informs the Sadducees that marriage is for this life. There is no marriage in eternity. Therefore, their argument is based on false information. He also cites passages from the Old Testament that the Sadducees know and will believe as proof to them that there is a resurrection and it is much different than the limitations that restrain us on this earth.
Most denominational doctrines result from taking one or two issues and building an entire belief system around them. We all want to please God and do what is right before Him. In so doing, we sometimes get focused on one or two teachings of Scripture at the disregard or outright exclusion of other Scriptures in the Bible. That doesn’t mean that we are wrong, but often, a particular issue will cloud our understanding of the actual teaching of the rest of Scripture. If we use this to divide us, then we cause problems. Our enemy is sin and Satan, not other believers. Instead, we should seek to understand and accept one another and fight the devil instead of each other.
God Lives Forever – Matthew 22:32-33; Mark 12:27; Luke 20:38-39 Finally, Jesus concludes this verbal interchange pointing out that God is eternal. God talks about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as if they are still living. That is testimony to His power and to the fact that there is a resurrection for us to look forward to.
If God is the Supreme Being who created us, then it is no problem for Him to live forever and grant eternal life to those who will follow His commandments. Our hope is that our eternal state will be far beyond what this world can offer. Our joy is in knowing that we are forgiven because we have accepted Jesus Christ as God’s Son and our Lord and Savior. If God lives forever and we are His children by adoption through Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins, then it is no problem for us to live forever with them in eternity. God bless you and have a great week!
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