Does it matter what religion you are as long as you worship the right god because all the Ten Commandments say is to ‘worship no other gods’?  And if it does matter, how do you know you have the right religion?

Sincerely,
Looking Around

Dear Looking Around,

It does matter what religion you are – it matters more than any other decision you will ever make.  Jesus said that He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him” (Jhn 14:6).  This single statement by Christ nullifies Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, etc.  Jesus is the only one that offers salvation to mankind.

But the Bible takes it one step farther.  Paul condemned the Jews because they worshipped God without knowledge (Rom 10:2).  He also warned that there would come a day when false teachers infiltrated Christ’s church and started teaching things contrary to Scriptures (2 Tim 4:2-4).  Paul told the first century christians to watch out for the “falling away” (2 Thess 2:3).  Division and false teaching in the name of Christ is a very common thing.  There are tens of thousands of different religions in America that refer to themselves as “Christian”… yet God says there is only one true faith (Eph 4:4-6).  So how can you know whether a church is Christ’s church?

Jesus says that we can know them by their fruits (Matt 7:15-20).  A church is faithful if the way they worship, preach, and live is in accordance with Christ’s teachings.  A faithful church keeps Christ’s commandments (Jhn 15:14).  Most churches today have added all sorts of things to their worship (from rock bands to belly dancing) and leadership structure (popes, community boards, franchised churches, etc.) that were never intended by Christ.  We should never add to God’s Word, and we should never take away from it (Rev 22:18-19).  A faithful church should be able to give you book, chapter, and verse for everything they do.  We recommend the posts “Down With Denominationalism”, “Finding A Church”, and “Preacher Interrogation” for further information on what questions to ask.  If you would like us to help point you in the right direction of a congregation in your area, please e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org, and we will do our best to put you in contact with a Bible-founded congregation.

5 minutes a day
5 days a week
1 New Testament in a year

There are 261 weekdays in a year, and there are 260 chapters in the New Testament. By reading one chapter, Monday through Friday, you will read the whole New Testament by the end of the year. The Daily Cup series is to help with that goal.

Happy Studying!

"The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup." -- Psalm 16:5

Click here for a pdf of the study schedule - CLICK HERE

      Is the instruction in Hebrews 13, to be hospitable to strangers, given to the church or simply individuals?  If it applies to the church, how would one distinguish a Christian stranger from a non-Christian stranger since our benevolence is limited to Christians?

Sincerely,
Giving

Dear Giving,

It is true that as a congregation, a local church’s work is limited to caring for the needy Christians, but Heb 13:2 is a command to individual Christians.  There is a difference between what we can do as individuals and what we can do as the church united (for example, 1 Tim 5:9-11 says the church can only provide for the needs of certain kinds of widows, but we as individuals can take care of whatever type of widows we want). Hebrews 13 involves a lot of commands that clearly apply to individuals – like how to take care of your marriage (Heb 13:4).  The command to be hospitable and entertain strangers is an individual command that we all should personally heed.

5 minutes a day
5 days a week
1 New Testament in a year

There are 261 weekdays in a year, and there are 260 chapters in the New Testament. By reading one chapter, Monday through Friday, you will read the whole New Testament by the end of the year. The Daily Cup series is to help with that goal.

Happy Studying!

"The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup." -- Psalm 16:5

Click here for a pdf of the study schedule - CLICK HERE

I am being told by a professor that parts of Christianity are borrowed from Zoroastrian ideas.  I don't personally find this to be true.  Now he is asking me this question: why is it hard to believe another religion helped to shape biblical tradition?  Can you please help me to provide a clear answer?  The answer that the Bible is the infallible Word of God just won't do for him.

Sincerely,
Proof Texter

Dear Proof Texter,

The exact opposite of what your teacher said is true – the Bible has shaped other world religions.  Tell your teacher that the Bible has evidence that it was divinely written.  No other religion has proof that it is from God, only the Bible.  The Bible specifically says that there is only one way to God (Jhn 14:6).  The Bible claims exclusivity and divine origin.  We recommend you print off and present your teacher with a copy of our post “Who Wrote The Bible?”; that post is chock-full of evidence that God wrote the Bible.  If the Bible is divinely written, then it is crafted by God – not crafted by man’s religions.