3. Do All Religions Lead to God and Salvation?(Attached: Religions and Christianity)
< Why are there so many religions? Do all religions lead to God and salvation?>
God created humans to live forever: "God
has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their
hearts, yet no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:11). However, through the fall of mankind's ancestor
Adam, sin has entered this world, and all people have sinned, and through sin,
suffering and death have come to all people (Romans 5:12). That's why
people seek to avoid sadness, suffering, misery, and fear of death through
religion. This is the main reason that there are many religions in the
world. However, in reality, the religions of the world are the means by
which Satan deceives people.
In Revelation 12:9, the Bible refers
to Satan as “a man who deceives the whole world.” As it says, Satan deceives
the world through religions. It means that those who have the religions of the
world do not belong to God but belong to Satan.
There
must be a true religion because there is only one true God.
How do we know which religion is the true( or right) one
that God guarantees?
Worldly religion (It is not God's way) is man
striving to get right with God by his own effort. It means that people try
to bribe God with their works in order to receive God's blessing. Worldly religions teach that
they should do good deeds. For examples, Buddhism and Hinduism teach that they
should do good deeds and follow moral life and they might be saved. Islam
teaches that if they believe in Allah and obey the Islamic law and
more good deeds are done more than bad deeds, they might be saved but
it is up to Allah.
Therefore, we must check whether the teachings of the
world's religions are correct. Indeed, we must logically check whether man can
receive God's salvation by doing good deeds.
<Question>: Can a person really be saved through good
works?
The religions of the world commonly teach that "a
person can be saved by doing good works." From common sense, it seems to
be right. So, people tend to accept without questioning the teachings of the
world's religions. However, we must seriously think about whether a person can
do good deeds at the level God requires.
God created man and God is holy (Leviticus 11:45). So,
God wants everyone to be holy like God. For that purpose, God has given a clear
standard for how human beings should live. These are the Ten Commandments.
The contents of the Ten
Commandments are as follows: (1) Do not serve any gods other than the
Lord God; (2) Do not make any idols; (3) Do not misuse the name of God; (4) Keep
the Sabbath day holy; (5) Honor your parents; (6) Do not murder; (7) Do not
commit adultery; (8) Do not steal; (9) Do not falsely testify against your
neighbor; (10) Do not covet anything that belong to your neighbor (Exodus
20:3--17).
We can summarize the Ten Commandments in two ways:
"Love God and love your neighbor as yourself." If we love God, we
will worship only God and not worship vain idols. If we love our neighbor, we
will forbid doing harm to our neighbor and do what is good for our neighbor.
But, on the contrary, if we don't love God and we don't love our neighbor, it
is a sin against God. The Lord God hates sin. Proverbs 6:16-19 tells about six
things that God hates: "haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed
innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush
into evil, and a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who stirs up
conflict in the community.”
Jesus also mentioned evil things in Mark 7:20-23:
"..... What comes out of person defiles person. What comes from the
inside, that is, from the heart of man, is evil thoughts: sexual immorality, theft,
murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance,
and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person. It means that
sin already begins in a person's heart. Jesus said to his disciples (Matthew
5:28), "Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed
adultery with her in his heart." By the way, which one of us has not seen woman
lustfully? There will be no exceptions to anyone. If so, we have already
committed adultery.
Jesus' disciple, the apostle John, testified in 1 John
3:15: "Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer..." Who
among us has never hated others? There will be no exceptions to anyone. If so,
we are all like the ones who have already murdered. The apostle James said,
(James 2:10-11) “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point
is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said ‘you shall not commit adultery’,
also said, ‘you shall not murder.’ If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder,
you have become a lawbreaker.” By the way, who among us has never committed a
sin? By far there is no one. If so, who among us is not a sinner? I say by far,
no one else. Therefore, it is an absolute contradiction to think that we can
save ourselves by keeping all those laws.
Man can never do good deeds to the perfect level that
God requires. Thus, the religion of the world, which teaches that if we do good
works, we can be saved, is not right, and never guarantees God's salvation.
Thus, the Bible (Galatians 2:16) testifies: "….No one will be justified by the works of the law." This means that there is no one who does good deeds to the level required by God, that is, no one can achieve perfect righteousness by keeping all the laws. God knows that no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin (Romans 3:20). Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Nobody is perfect except the holy God. If so, what is predestined for those who fail to keep all the law? It is God's judgment. So, we are compelled to admit, seriously, that for our sins we can hardly escape the judgment and punishment of a righteous God.
<<We must not be deceived by the religions of the world and the heretic teachings>>
Buddha and Mohammed who were the religious leaders of the world, died without solving the problem of sin. So, they were forced to pay for their sins themselves and could not escape the eternal punishment in hell. However, they cannot blame anyone. It is because they themselves rejected God's saving grace in Jesus and chose the way of destruction. Moreover, they leaded thousands of people to wrong way on this earth.
Islam teaches that those who fight enemies for the sake of Allah will surely be saved (jihadist). People who have lived a life of failure in the world are easily seduced by those words. Because, although they followed their life styles unsuccessfully so far, they think that if they fight for Allah, they will be able to make up for what they bought wrong and be saved. So, they are used in suicide bombs or terrorism. They die as murderers who kill countless innocent people.
So, how are they going to make those reckless choices? It is because they don't know the truth of God and are deceived by Satan the Devil. There is Satan behind the false teachings of Islam. God commands, “Do not murder but love even your enemies.” So, how could it be that our bodies become bombs and brutally kill innocent people??? Nevertheless, what if people are misled by the teachings of such false religious leaders? It is absolutely unfortunate.
Worldly religions never guarantee salvation. So, we have to resist the teachings of worldly religions. If we know for sure that there is no salvation other than receiving Jesus, we will no longer be deluded by their false teachings, and never regard it as arrogant to proclaim that Jesus alone is the only Savior of the whole world. We should never be fooled by the false teachings of heresy by knowing the gospel of Jesus Christ that the Bible testifies. And we will humbly receive Jesus as our Savior, and go on the righteous path of salvation.
So, why do the religions of the world teach that a
person can be saved by doing good works? It happened because they didn't know
God the Creator and they didn't properly recognize human’s corruption and incompetence.
They regard a person's relative good works as absolute good. It is mistake. Therefore, we must know how contradictory the
teachings of the religions of the world are, and must recognize clearly that
such teachings can never guarantee God's salvation.
Now, we know that our own strength and effort can
never solve the problem of our sin. We knew that no matter how hard we tried,
we couldn't escape the confines of sinners. When we soberly admit the fact, we
find ourselves without hope. Because of God's judgment on sinners, we are
subject to death and eternal punishment in Hell. That's hopeless news for us.
However, what is fortunate is that God the Creator has pity on us and has
already made the way of salvation and has opened the door wide open toward us.
So, that's the best news in the world.
<Question>: How does God the Creator save fallen mankind?
We must know that no one, on his own strength, can solve the problem of his own sin. A sinner can never save himself and others either. A sinner is supposed to die for his own sin. God the Creator did not neglect the fallen mankind, but showed His grace because we can never be saved unless God shows us favor.
God loves all men and had a special plan of salvation to restore the hearts of all sinful humanity in Jesus even before the creation of the world and accomplished it according to the plan and guide them in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake (1 John 4:8; Psalm 23:3). God doesn't want anyone to perish but everyone to know God and come to repentance and be forgiven from his/her own sins and have intimate fellowship with God (2 Peter 3:9; Acts 17:24-27; 1 John 1:3).
So, we must know what God
has done for us and how He saves us. There should be a perfect
mediator(sacrifice) between God and us. The mediator should be both God and
man. Thus, God allows us to have the mediator that is His son, Jesus Christ.
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life (aimless conduct) handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He (Jesus Christ) was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart." (1 Peter 1:18-22)
If Jesus did not die, no
one can be saved, rather all have to pay the penalties (It is
permanent separation from God. It is a life in hell). Thus, He died for our
sins but was resurrected three days after and became our Lord and savior. God's
salvation is the work of God's grace. It is because, only through the merit of
Jesus, we can escape from the punishment of hell and get eternal life in
Heaven.
God commands us to receive the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. When we receive Jesus as our savior, we will be forgiven and have eternal life so that we can obey Him willingly and make good fruits. So, we must repent of our own sins, receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and be saved. Salvation is God's exclusive gift to those who only receive Jesus as the Savior. There is no other way. Thus, Jesus said: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
Christianity provides the good news of the salvation that comes from
the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. God is a righteous and
fair judge. God is the most Holy One. God does not tolerate any sin. God’s
punishment in the Old Testament is an example for sinners. "But
God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
God saves believers through the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,
cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the
living God! (Hebrews 9:14); Good
deeds are just the result of obedience after we are saved. Nobody
cannot save himself by his good behaviors. That is why the Bible says,
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it
is the gift of God: not by works, so that no one can boast. For
we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Jesus is the only one who died on a cross for you and me. None of the other major religions of the world contend that their founders or leaders atoned for or paid the penalty for our sins. Jesus never sinned(Hebrews 4:15) and died for our sins, but all religious leaders(or founders) like Mohammad, Buddha, Krishna, etc. were sinners and died for their own sins. It means they never can be our saviors. Jesus is the only one(savior) who can forgive our sins. The cross of Christ is the only place mankind can find forgiveness of sin and eternal salvation. "God presented him (Jesus Christ) as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished." (Romans 3:25)
Claims—Jesus claimed to be God or the Son of God.
(Matthew 16:16-17; John 10:30-36, 17:5, 20:28-29;
Revelation 1:17-18)
No other religious leaders
in the world have claimed to pay for or paid for our sins, not even Mohammad,
Buddha, Krishna, etc. It was because they were all sinners and had to die for
their sins. Likewise, religious leaders are people who can never pay for the
sins of others. However, Jesus is completely different from the religious
leaders of the world. It is because Jesus is completely sinless (Hebrews 4:15)
as the perfect God and perfect human and became the only mediator for all
sinners (Hebrews 9:11-15). So, Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and
the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6).
Jesus foretold His own death and His resurrection on the third day (Matthew
16:21; Luke 24:7).
There is only one true
God, but God exists as three persons, the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy
Spirit. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are exactly the same God. It
means that God has the same inseparable character, but each one is individually
different. The triune God is intrinsic to one another and always work together.
Jesus already existed as the eternal God before His incarnation, and because He
was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was born of his virgin Mary, He is the
perfect God and the perfect man. Therefore, because Jesus was perfect, pure,
and innocent, He deserved the atoning sacrifice for sinners.
Jesus died and rose again
three days later as He prophesied. Jesus' resurrection is a sure proof of
Jesus' divinity. Jesus' resurrection is one of the best proven facts in ancient
history. Jesus proved, through the fulfillment of his prophecy, that Jesus'
claims were true. Only Jesus was crucified for us, shed His pure blood, died,
atoned for our sins, and rose to justify us (Romans 4:25). So, Jesus became the
only mediator between God and us all sinners, and He became the only one who
could give us the forgiveness of our sins and eternal salvation. In conclusion,
Jesus is our only Savior. Therefore, receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and
Lord, be saved, and walk with Him forever. And, praise the Lord God. God's
grace is eternal.
<Title:
Misunderstanding about the saying: "We are saved only through faith in Jesus Christ" and
its solution>:
When
I go out to Times Square to evangelize, I often meet people who say they
believe in Jesus but are not sure of salvation. The majority of them are
Catholics. Some of them ask the opposite question: <<"If our faith
is the only condition of our justification and our works are not that
condition, it means that there is nothing wrong with our salvation no matter
how we live our lives. That means, if we lie, steal, or even murder, we can be
saved because we already believe in Jesus. How can that make any sense?">>
Why would they ask such a question? Because they think that justified by faith alone has nothing to do with good deeds. It is because they do not yet understand God's truth of salvation and the way of salvation.
We
can summarize three reasons why God calls us righteous when we believe in Jesus
with our hearts.
(1)
This is because Jesus paid the full price for our sins by shedding His innocent
blood on the cross and was resurrected from the dead to become our Lord. There
is no condemnation for those who are in Jesus (Romans 8:1).
(2) It is because no one can be justified by works (Galatians 2:16). Nevertheless, some religious people (for example, Jews) claim that we can be justified only by believing in God and keeping His laws. They claim that because they think that God gave us laws to keep them. However, no one can be justified by keeping God's law. It is because our deeds are not perfect. The reason God had the Israelites, who sinned in the Old Testament times, offer sacrifices to God with the blood of pure sacrifices was that because they could not be justified by keeping the Law. The Bible says, “The law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). In other words, through the law, we must realize that we are sinners and repent (Romans 3:9-20). At the same time, we can be justified only by believing in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross and rose from the dead to save us from our sins.
(3)
What we believed and accepted Jesus as our Savior was obtained as a result of
being born again by the Holy Spirit of God, and it means that we have already
become children of God (John 1:12-13). Those whose spirit are regenerated by
the Holy Spirit are supposed to live by doing good works. That is, our
justification is not independent of our sanctification.
The
reason God calls us righteous through faith alone is not to overlook our evil,
but to enable us to live a righteous life (Ephesians 2:10).
God's
salvation consists of three stages: justification (salvation of the spirit),
sanctification (salvation of the soul), and glorification (salvation of the
body). This is because, from the time of creation, man has a triple structure
of spirit, soul, and physical body.
When
we accept Jesus Christ, God acknowledges us as righteous, which is called
justification. Justification is obtained by being born again (regenerated:
recreated) of our spirit. Justification is the past tense for believers.
However, even though our spirit is reborn, our soul and physical body are the
same as before. Our souls will want to live according to the demands of our
sinful body(flesh) according to the habits of the past. That is why there is
always a possibility that those who believe in Jesus and are justified will
sin, and that is why they sin unintentionally.
So,
we must receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit through the Word and prayer
every day and achieve sanctification. Sanctification is a process of soul
transformation. People who believe in Jesus and are justified must go through
throughout their lives. The degree of sanctification depends on how much our
spirits are filled with the Holy Spirit, and how our souls live according to
the desires of our spirits and not the desires of our fallen flesh. If we are
not filled with the Holy Spirit and follow the lusts of the flesh, we will
again sin and the pace of sanctification will be slowed by that much. However,
if our souls follow the spirit and not the body, then the speed of our
sanctification will increase that much. Therefore, if we have sinned again, we
should immediately seek forgiveness through the merits of the blood of Jesus (1
John 1:9). As a result, we must receive forgiveness and achieve sanctification
again. Sanctification is the present continuous tense for believers.
Our
mortal physical body (Ecclesiastes 12:1-8) after death will be resurrected
(transformed into an eternal body by the Holy Spirit within us) at the Second
Coming of Jesus, and will experience glorification. The glorification is the future
tense for believers.
In
summary, the truth of God never changes. No one can be justified by works
(Galatians 2:16). It means that good works can never be a means of salvation.
We are justified only by accepting Jesus as Lord. It is the result of our spirit
being born again and it means that we are already children of God. As the
children of God, we inherit the kingdom of heaven. God has made us children so
that we can live according to God's will and do good deeds.
Good
works are not the means of salvation, but the next step to be taken by the
justified. In other words, good deeds are the fruits and results that those who
have been saved through faith must bear by obeying God's Word and presenting their
bodies to God. Those who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit are supposed to
live by doing good works. Justification and Sanctification cannot be separated
from each other. So, the apostle James said that faith without works is dead
(James 2:26). He said this to challenge people of faith to show their faith by
doing good deeds.
Therefore,
those who have already believed in and accepted Jesus Christ must always think
about the grace of Jesus on the cross and have the assurance of salvation, be
filled with the Holy Spirit, always have Jesus in their hearts and walk with
Him, and live loving their neighbors. We must save lost souls by sharing Jesus
Christ with our neighbors. After we die on this earth, we will be resurrected
at the second coming of Jesus, and we will enter the Millennial Kingdom, which
Jesus will accomplish on this earth, and will enter the eternal heaven. The
rewards we receive will depend on how much we have lived in obedience to God's
word on this earth and how hard we have worked to save lost souls.
The creator God is the God of justice, but at the same time, the God is the God of love. God had compassion on us humans who were born as sinners through Adam, and He wanted to save us from hell. That is why God sent Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to this earth (Deuteronomy 4:31; Genesis 12:3; 22:18; 2 Peter 3:9). Jesus came to this earth through the Virgin Mary and died on the cross to pay the price for our sins, and completely atoned for our sins. And, Jesus was resurrected on the third day and He became our Savior (1 Peter 3:18). Hallelujah!! So, when we confess our sins and receive Jesus Christ as our Savior, we can receive the forgiveness of our sins from God and enter the kingdom of heaven as His children (John 5:24; Acts 2:36-39; Romans 10:9-10). That is the only way God the Creator can save us from our sins.
We must have a right understanding of God's salvation. Because when we misunderstand God's salvation, we can only make the mistake of accepting worldly religions, which have no guarantee of salvation. Please never be deceived by worldly religions. Salvation can only be obtained by the grace of God, only through Jesus, and only through faith. So, those who have believed in Jesus and have been saved, as children of God, must bear good fruits by obeying God's word with thanksgiving and joy.
I hope you have a clear understanding of why only Jesus can save you. So, I bless you in the name of our Lord Jesus, that you will receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, receive God's salvation, and obey Jesus' words and enjoy a blessed life forever.
<Reference>:
1. Religions and Protestant Christianity
Comparison: Click the website link below to read (in English &
Korean):
http://christianityvsreligions.blogspot.com
2. The Summary of Religions and Protestant
Christianity Comparison (English only):
Click the Google Drive link
below to read:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XzfsS5KUggdYI8RJLjRNrGsGZ31QjTJ-/view?usp=sharing
<Note>:
This web page contains eight articles with the following headings.
You can open any article by directly clicking on the website under each heading.
7. The Faith and Life of the Christian:
https://eternallifeforyou.blogspot.com/2022/06/7-faith-and-life-of-christian.html
6. When is the End Times?:
https://eternallifeforyou.blogspot.com/2013/01/what-is-going-on-in-this-crazy-world.html
5. How Can We Obey God's Will?:
https://eternallifeforyou.blogspot.com/2013/01/what-kinds-of-spiritual-journey-do-most.html
4. Why Does Evil Exist?:
https://eternallifeforyou.blogspot.com/2012/12/why-doesnt-god-protect-us-from-evil.html
3. Do All Religions Lead to God and Salvation?(Attached: Religions and Christianity): (This is in this page)
https://eternallifeforyou.blogspot.com/2012/12/3-why-are-there-so-many-religions.html
2. How Can We Know That God Really Exist?:
https://eternallifeforyou.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_2910.html
1. Why Should We Believe in Jesus Christ?:
https://eternallifeforyou.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post.html
<Another option>:
<How to move to Other Articles: No.2~ No.1>: If you want to read other Articles, go to the bottom of this page and click Right Arrow(>>) or Older Posts. Then you can see No. 2 Article. Instead, if you click "View web version" on the bottom, you can see Blog Archive and the Years of writing(2016, 2013, 2012). When you click each year, you can see No.1 ~ No.2 Articles in them.>
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