"For do I now persuade men, or
God? or, do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not
be the servant of Christ. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel
which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of
man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus
Christ" (Galatians 1:10-12).
It is time for the religious teachers
and preachers of the world to be "called into question" about
what they preach and teach. It would not be accurate to say that every
point taught by many religious speakers is false. In fact, most of the
points made by these speakers might be true. However, no person can be
saved without being obedient to all truth. "Sanctify them
through thy truth: thy word is truth" (John 17:17). Whose
word had Jesus given to His disciples? The pronoun "Thy"
in the above verse refers to Jesus’ Father. Whose word is
truth? Again, the pronoun "Thy" directs us to
God, the Father. Correctly, He is the Father of all His children -
those who have properly obeyed Him.
Without any question, it is necessary
to obey God’s truth; the verse above tells us His truth is His Word.
Having learned this basic fact - God’s Word is His truth - please
search His Word for an example of any person who enjoyed the forgiveness
of sins by praying what is commonly called "the sinner’s
prayer". Many of today’s "preachers" instruct one
who desires to be saved to pray such a prayer, yet there is no New
Testament example of any sinner doing so. The publican of Luke
18:10-14, the thief on the cross (Luke 23:37-43), nor Saul of Tarsus
(Acts 9:1-18) were saved by praying "the sinner’s prayer".
Friends, when it comes to the serious matter of the forgiveness of
one’s sins, it is time we take God's Word only for what we
teach and practice. Search diligently from Matthew 1 through
Revelation 22 for the command or the example of any person receiving
forgiveness of sins through praying "the sinner’s prayer".
Ask your preacher to show you the passage, if you have difficulty
finding it yourself. The fact of the matter is, no one will find
such a passage, for it is not in God’s Word! God's Word is the
same to us today as it was when recorded in the first century. The
things that were sin then are sin now. The way in which man may
receive forgiveness then is the same way in which one may do so now.
Call into question the teaching of the public and private religious
proclaimers of the world. Insist on book, chapter, verse, for each
point taught. Study your New Testament for yourself. Believe
and obey only the commands you read there! The eternal destiny of
each of us is dependent upon knowing and obeying the Lord’s commands,
and only His commands!
We have mentioned over the past few weeks that by-mail Bible courses are available. Keep in mind that every Christian is always ready and eager to study the Bible with you in your home, too. I've provided a link to a worldwide directory of the churches of Christ. Contact the congregation closest to you, and ask for a personal Bible study. Every true follower of Jesus Christ will be more than happy to do so.