What is the only true religion?

Sincerely,
Top Priority

Dear Top Priority,

Jesus said that He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except through Me” (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.

I grew up in a Catholic home.  I was raised mostly by my paternal aunt and my uncle (her husband).  I did grow up with my birth mother from ages 10-15.  I became rebellious with my birthmother and left home with my boyfriend (at the time) because of his constant verbal and physical abuse.  I gave birth to my first daughter at seventeen.  During this time, my birthmother found Jesus and was converted.  She forgave me, and she and I have never been closer.  I was also converted into Christianity, and I have successfully grown in the Lord.  However, when I left my abusive relationship, I didn't return to my mother's house.  I went back to my aunt’s house with my daughter.  I have remarried, and my husband and I have two more girls.  We live at my aunt’s house.  They like us living here, and we are happy, thanks to the Lord.  We are extremely blessed.

I love my aunt and uncle who have tirelessly helped us in so many ways.  They appreciate the new attitude and our family's fruits as christians, but they try to avoid us when we try to share the good food of the gospel with them.

My question is as follows: what should we do?  I feel like they are good people, but they are better Catholics; they worship all kinds of "saints" and speak of the Virgin Mary more than our Lord Jesus.  They never read their Bibles, and they misunderstand a lot of "scriptures" (the few that the priest reads at their church).  A lot of things they believe in are not right.  I know this is wrong, but what do we do??

Sincerely,
Nice Niece

Dear Nice Niece,

The greatest impact you can make is to live your life and let Christ’s Word speak through your actions.  People have to want Christ to come into their lives for the gospel to take root (Rev 3:14).  We cannot force anyone to change; Christianity is a voluntary religion.  The first century church was marked by its kindhearted and godly reputation… and it affected those around them (Acts 5:13-14).  Family is traditionally the most difficult evangelism project – even Jesus admitted that His hometown was the least likely to listen to Him (Mk 6:4).  Don’t shy away from spiritual conversations with your aunt and uncle, but don’t force them either.  Live authentically, and they will notice and consider.  Jesus said that letting our lights shine brings glory to God (Matt 5:16).

What's the difference between Christianity and Christendom?  I thought they were synonyms.

Sincerely,
Wordsmith

Dear Wordsmith,

They can be used as synonyms, but in certain contexts, those two words can also have different meanings.  We will try and clarify the differences.  ‘Christendom’ is often used to refer to all religious groups and individuals that pledge some sort of allegiance to Jesus.  This would include everything from Catholicism to snake-handling Bible cults.  When the word ‘Christendom’ is used this way, it is an umbrella term that encompasses all groups that (even slightly) refer to themselves as ‘christian’.

However, it is fair to say that not all religious groups in Christendom agree with one another… or the Bible for that matter.  This is where the word ‘Christianity’ comes into play.  ‘Christianity’ is the true religion that Christ came and taught.  Jesus made it clear that not everyone who professed allegiance to Him would be saved (Matt 7:21-23).  There is only one true form of Christianity (Eph 4:4-6).  True Christianity is built upon the words of the Bible (Rom 10:17).  Many in ‘Christendom’ are not part of ‘Christianity’.

I have a question referring to the time when tribulation falls upon the earth.  What if someone who is going through tribulation recognizes  the Lord’s existence and repents for his sins, and truly accepts Jesus, but is  knocked out or drugged to where he becomes unaware of his surroundings and has no say or right to what happens to his body, and receives the mark of the beast?  He awakens to realize he has received an unforgivable mark and will go to hell.  Would God prevent something like this from happening, or could the person repent for this if he had no choice?  If the Antichrist was smart, wouldn't he force or drug (a drug that physically prevents you from making decisions such as a sedative, not deception) mankind to give them the mark without consent?

Sincerely,
Tattoo Terror

Dear Tattoo Terror,

The teaching that there will be a specific Antichrist that will take over the world at a future date is an erroneous doctrine that has confused many.  The Bible specifically says that anyone who deceives and mocks Christ is an antichrist (2 Jn 1:7).  The apostle John mentions that there are many antichrists (1 Jn 2:18).  The word ‘antichrist’ simply means ‘against Christ’.  Anyone who stands up in opposition to the teachings of Jesus is an antichrist.

The ‘mark of the beast’ is a reference to Rev 13:17.  There are two things that we need to keep in mind whenever we discuss the book of Revelation.  First, it is a symbolic book (John says he will be writing in ‘signs’ - Rev 1:1); many of today’s false doctrines have been created by treating symbolic language as literal.  Second, the book of Revelation prophesies of events that were to “shortly come to pass” (Rev 1:1) and events that were “at hand” (Rev 1:3).  The book of Revelation isn’t dealing with a future tribulation for the church – but the suffering that christians of the first century were about to endure at the hands of their countrymen.  If you would like a full understanding of the book of Revelation – listen to our class series on the topic.

The end result is that you need not fear the mark of the beast, nor is that mark a literal insignia upon people’s flesh.  We always have a choice, and no one will ever accidently be condemned to hell.

Is there a place in the Bible that says a pastor or priest should guard himself lest he seek the riches of kings or something like that?

Sincerely,
On Guard

Dear On Guard,

Every christian is a priest (1 Pet 2:9), and the Bible warns us to flee from the love of money (Heb 13:5).  When we begin to seek wealth and make it our king, we dethrone the Lord and place money above spiritual things (Lk 16:13).

Pastors (also known as elders – Tit 1:5) are specifically warned to avoid “greedy gain” (Tit 1:7).  Money is not inherently wicked, but the love of money can be devastating upon our spiritual lives (Lk 12:16-21).