Should I Check?

DIFFERENCES COULD often be overcome and good relations restored between a husband and wife, or between children and their parents if a sincere effort were put into finding out what caused the rift. This is true in religion as well.

Religious differences would be overcome and the proper relationship between men and God and between all true worshipers of God would come about, if a correct understanding of His Will were sincerely sought. One problem is that some people don't even try to understand the teaching of the Bible for themselves. Some refuse to accept the teaching of certain Scriptures saying, "That's not the way I've been taught." When shown what a passage teaches some say, "I just don't see it that way."

The Scriptures talk about people "having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart" (Ephesians 4: 18). Denominational doctrines blind the minds of many people. For example, several denominations teach that "salvation comes by faith only," which is not taught in the Scriptures. Because the peop1e accept this doctrine, they will say they can't understand Acts 2:38, which simply says, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Anybody could understand that passage if they hadn't been made to believe that a person is saved by "faith alone." But because they have accepted this false doctrine, they will tell us they just can't understand what is said in Acts 2:38.

The most simple and most sure way of "understanding what the will of the Lord is" (Ephesians 5: 17)... is to leave denominational churches and denominational doctrines and simply accept the word of God as the only guide. The Scriptures tell us, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5).

The word of God demands of those who would seek the Lord, "Prove all things: hold fast that which is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Remember it was said of the people of Berea who heard the apostle Paul's preaching, "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17: 11). If you are a person who desires to please God and go to heaven you are told, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2: 15).