Which is correct?

[Rebel]

Considering all the many thousands of religions in the world, and also the many thousands of Christina denominations, how does one who is looking for truth determine which of these religions and denominations is the correct one? If you were not a Christian, or a believer in nay religious tradition, and you -- for whatever reason, wanted to find out if any religion was true, how would you go about that? How would you decide which one was the correct one?

More specifically, suppose you became convinced that Christianity was the true or truest religion. How would you decide which of the multiple thousands of expressions of it (denominations) is the true or truest one?

 

[BobRyan]

Considering all the many thousands of religions in the world, and also the many thousands of Christina denominations, how does one who is looking for truth determine which of these religions and denominations is the correct one? If you were not a Christian, or a believer in nay religious tradition, and you -- for whatever reason, wanted to find out if any religion was true, how would you go about that? How would you decide which one was the correct one?

More specifically, suppose you became convinced that Christianity was the true or truest religion. How would you decide which of the multiple thousands of expressions of it (denominations) is the true or truest one?

Protesting Catholics during the dark ages came upon the idea of testing all doctrine "Sola scriptura".

If I was a Christian and then looking for the right denomination -- start by reading the Gospels.. What did Christ teach.

Then from there read at least the book of Genesis and first half of exodus - minimum.

Then the NT and notice where the NT quotes the OT - read the books of the OT that are quoted in the NT.

I wold make a list of doctrines.

Who is God.
Is the Bible the Word of God
Is man immortal
What is the Gospel - how does it work. Does God "So Love the World" for real
Is hell reall
What is the mission of the Church.
Why is there evil
Does loyalty to God as Creator, Savior and Lord - matter
When will the 2nd coming happen?
Where are we in history and what should we be doing to survive the end time


Even if I could not answer these questions I would ask that whatever group I selected take a stab at answering them from the Bible

 

[Scarlett O.]

Considering all the many thousands of religions in the world, and also the many thousands of Christina denominations, how does one who is looking for truth determine which of these religions and denominations is the correct one? If you were not a Christian, or a believer in nay religious tradition, and you -- for whatever reason, wanted to find out if any religion was true, how would you go about that? How would you decide which one was the correct one?

More specifically, suppose you became convinced that Christianity was the true or truest religion. How would you decide which of the multiple thousands of expressions of it (denominations) is the true or truest one?

I would say that you are going to have to come to terms with the answer to your own question for yourself.

I don't believe that any particular denomination has the 100% monopoly on the truth.

I'm not looking for truth in man and his "thousands of expression" of Christianity. I'm looking for what God says to me from His Word and Spirit. In my own church, I am not in agreement with everything that the average member believes.

Much of what makes some denominations is traditions of men.

Find a Godly body of believers who seek and practice God's truth.

 

[Rebel]

I would say that you are going to have to come to terms with the answer to your own question for yourself.

I don't believe that any particular denomination has the 100% monopoly on the truth.

I'm not looking for truth in man and his "thousands of expression" of Christianity. I'm looking for what God says to me from His Word and Spirit. In my own church, I am not in agreement with everything that the average member believes.

Much of what makes some denominations is traditions of men.

Find a Godly body of believers who seek and practice God's truth.

Scarlett, I am not asking for myself, but from the perspective of someone who is looking for the truth and looking at all the different religious bodies to choose from for a spiritual home. I agree that no one particular denomination has a 100% monopoly on the truth, but my question is, how would a seeker determine which one out of the thousands was closest to the truth? Each one believes and claims it is closest to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, and each one can cite evidence to prove it.

The thing is, all these groups choose and interpret the evidence in one way and ignore evidence that doesn't back up what they believe. Since many of these views are completely contradictory, some of them must be wrong. How does an objective seeker determine which is which?

 

[Rebel]

Protesting Catholics during the dark ages came upon the idea of testing all doctrine "Sola scriptura".

If I was a Christian and then looking for the right denomination -- start by reading the Gospels.. What did Christ teach.

Then from there read at least the book of Genesis and first half of exodus - minimum.

Then the NT and notice where the NT quotes the OT - read the books of the OT that are quoted in the NT.

I wold make a list of doctrines.

Who is God.
Is the Bible the Word of God
Is man immortal
What is the Gospel - how does it work. Does God "So Love the World" for real
Is hell reall
What is the mission of the Church.
Why is there evil
Does loyalty to God as Creator, Savior and Lord - matter
When will the 2nd coming happen?
Where are we in history and what should we be doing to survive the end time


Even if I could not answer these questions I would ask that whatever group I selected take a stab at answering them from the Bible

Thanks, Bob. See my reply to Scarlett.

 

[Scarlett O.]

Scarlett, I am not asking for myself, but from the perspective of someone who is looking for the truth and looking at all the different religious bodies to choose from for a spiritual home. I agree that no one particular denomination has a 100% monopoly on the truth, but my question is, how would a seeker determine which one out of the thousands was closest to the truth? Each one believes and claims it is closest to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, and each one can cite evidence to prove it.

The thing is, all these groups choose and interpret the evidence in one way and ignore evidence that doesn't back up what they believe. Since many of these views are completely contradictory, some of them must be wrong. How does an objective seeker determine which is which?

Then objectively speaking, this person is going to have to seek the answer for himself in the Bible - which is what we all should be doing in the first place.

 

[Rebel]

Then objectively speaking, this person is going to have to seek the answer for himself in the Bible - which is what we all should be doing in the first place.

Yes, but that's what everybody claims to do, and everybody still comes up with different answers. Looking at the tens of thousands of religious bodies, how can anyone believe that any of them are right? And how can an individual know if his or her interpretation of the Bible is correct?

 

[Revmitchell]

Truth begins with:

Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

It is delivered by:

Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Those who reject the truth do so because:

John 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Those who accept the truth do so because:

John 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Those who come to the truth but walk away from it do so because:

1Jn_2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

 

[Rebel]

Truth begins with:



It is delivered by:



Those who reject the truth do so because:




Those who accept the truth do so because:



Those who come to the truth but walk away from it do so because:

I can agree with all of that. But the problem comes when we get into specific doctrines, doesn't it?

 

[Revmitchell]

I can agree with all of that. But the problem comes when we get into specific doctrines, doesn't it?

Nope no problem

 

[Rebel]

Nope no problem

Not a problem for one who believes he or she is correct, or his denomination is correct, with no possibility of being wrong, I suppose.

I am curious: If a seeker approached you looking for what the gospel is, would you give him your version only, or would you suggest that he compare the beliefs of all the denominations as he reads the Bible and other sources?

 

[Yeshua1]

Protesting Catholics during the dark ages came upon the idea of testing all doctrine "Sola scriptura".

If I was a Christian and then looking for the right denomination -- start by reading the Gospels.. What did Christ teach.

Then from there read at least the book of Genesis and first half of exodus - minimum.

Then the NT and notice where the NT quotes the OT - read the books of the OT that are quoted in the NT.

I wold make a list of doctrines.

Who is God.
Is the Bible the Word of God
Is man immortal
What is the Gospel - how does it work. Does God "So Love the World" for real
Is hell reall
What is the mission of the Church.
Why is there evil
Does loyalty to God as Creator, Savior and Lord - matter
When will the 2nd coming happen?
Where are we in history and what should we be doing to survive the end time


Even if I could not answer these questions I would ask that whatever group I selected take a stab at answering them from the Bible

the SDA fails then from your own standards listed here, as they have a false views on hell/Heaven/salvation/revelation/church etc!

IF any church teaches another Gospel, with another jesus, then they are NOT the real church of Jesus Christ!

 

[Getting it Right]

Not a problem for one who believes he or she is correct, or his denomination is correct, with no possibility of being wrong, I suppose.

I am curious: If a seeker approached you looking for what the gospel is, would you give him your version only, or would you suggest that he compare the beliefs of all the denominations as he reads the Bible and other sources?

Bible study, yielding to the Holy Spirit, receiving Jesus as Savior, "learning," are not intellectual endeavors.

1. Christianity is not a religion. There is NO organized "system" of beliefs. Salvation is by God's Grace through Faith. Even the Faith to believe (Romans 10:8-13) originates with Him, comes through Him, and is by Him. We don't "generate" it ourselves. Faith is the substance, Faith is the evidence. Share that with your listener(s).

2. I will never believe that "I" am correct. I would never give a seeker MY version, or the version of anyone else. I would never suggest that he or she compare Christian "belief systems," as in denominations. I would never lean to a specific denomination, or try to "blend" or "merge" two or more. I would never look to "other sources," those outside the Bible. I would never quote ANY of the early commenters as a reliable or even suggested reference (Philo, Augustine, et al). Share that with your listener(s)

There is the "I" of the sinful nature, and the "I" of the Spiritual Nature.

When the Spiritual Nature reads or speaks or types, It is HE who is the source of each of those. I get out of the way, yielding to the Holy Spirit. HE is my only source.

Lean not to your own understanding; in ALL your ways acknowledge Him.

How? Prayer. Prayerful meditation. Bible writers themselves, Genesis through Revelation. Internal Bible cross-references and supporting scripture, prayerfully discovered and retained; take notes, record notes. Share what God reveals to you.

God is Good. He will NEVER lead us into paths of unrighteousness, or a war of words.

:godisgood:

 

[The American Dream]

It is almost a process of elimination. What lines up with Scripture especially on essential doctrine? You can throw out the LDS because they do not believe Christ is God or divine. They also believe in a works salvation. The next one to eliminate is the RCC. They teach a false gospel, pray to created beings, and go through sinful priests to confess sins. They treat the Lords Supper like a magic act. Charismatic denominations put their faith in gifts of the Holy Spirit that have ceased instead of Jesus Christ. (tongues, prophecy, healings, raising people from the dead, word of knowledge, etc) The Church of Christ and SDA also teach a works gospel. That pretty much leaves Baptists and mainline Protestants. Episcopalians and the PCUSA sanction same sex marriage, strictly forbidden in Scripture. Methodists believe heavily in free will as the agency of salvation, and one can lose that salvation contrary to Scripture. The rest of the way be guided by the Holy Spirit.

 

[Zenas]

Rebel has presented an interesting proposition here and many of his "advisors" on this board are using a sola scriptura model as a given. Before doing this it might be good to explain to your seeker why sola scriptura is the correct pathway. Otherwise you have arbitrarily, without any reason at all, eliminated a large portion of the Christian world.

 

[Rebel]

Bible study, yielding to the Holy Spirit, receiving Jesus as Savior, "learning," are not intellectual endeavors.

1. Christianity is not a religion. There is NO organized "system" of beliefs. Salvation is by God's Grace through Faith. Even the Faith to believe (Romans 10:8-13) originates with Him, comes through Him, and is by Him. We don't "generate" it ourselves. Faith is the substance, Faith is the evidence. Share that with your listener(s).

2. I will never believe that "I" am correct. I would never give a seeker MY version, or the version of anyone else. I would never suggest that he or she compare Christian "belief systems," as in denominations. I would never lean to a specific denomination, or try to "blend" or "merge" two or more. I would never look to "other sources," those outside the Bible. I would never quote ANY of the early commenters as a reliable or even suggested reference (Philo, Augustine, et al). Share that with your listener(s)

There is the "I" of the sinful nature, and the "I" of the Spiritual Nature.

When the Spiritual Nature reads or speaks or types, It is HE who is the source of each of those. I get out of the way, yielding to the Holy Spirit. HE is my only source.

Lean not to your own understanding; in ALL your ways acknowledge Him.

How? Prayer. Prayerful meditation. Bible writers themselves, Genesis through Revelation. Internal Bible cross-references and supporting scripture, prayerfully discovered and retained; take notes, record notes. Share what God reveals to you.

God is Good. He will NEVER lead us into paths of unrighteousness, or a war of words.

:godisgood:

People do as you suggest and come up with different answers, even mutually contradictory answers. So, what then?

 

[Rebel]

It is almost a process of elimination. What lines up with Scripture especially on essential doctrine? You can throw out the LDS because they do not believe Christ is God or divine. They also believe in a works salvation. The next one to eliminate is the RCC. They teach a false gospel, pray to created beings, and go through sinful priests to confess sins. They treat the Lords Supper like a magic act. Charismatic denominations put their faith in gifts of the Holy Spirit that have ceased instead of Jesus Christ. (tongues, prophecy, healings, raising people from the dead, word of knowledge, etc) The Church of Christ and SDA also teach a works gospel. That pretty much leaves Baptists and mainline Protestants. Episcopalians and the PCUSA sanction same sex marriage, strictly forbidden in Scripture. Methodists believe heavily in free will as the agency of salvation, and one can lose that salvation contrary to Scripture. The rest of the way be guided by the Holy Spirit.

But "classical" Protestants, Baptists, and Roman Catholics have views of the atonement which are very close to the same. I believe these are false views.

When you say that losing salvation is contrary to scripture, you are looking at it from a certain perspective. Others would say that OSAS is contrary to scripture. Both sides have scripture that they pint to as evidence for their belief. How would a "seeker" know which was right?

All Christians think they are guided by the Holy Spirit, but they end up believing things that mutually contradictory. That's why there are so many denominations. And I count the RCC as a denomination also.

So, the question remains; Which is correct, and how does one determine which is correct? What if a person comes to have beliefs that span many denominations. What then?

 

[Rebel]

Rebel has presented an interesting proposition here and many of his "advisors" on this board are using a sola scriptura model as a given. Before doing this it might be good to explain to your seeker why sola scriptura is the correct pathway. Otherwise you have arbitrarily, without any reason at all, eliminated a large portion of the Christian world.

Yes, that is a valid point. Does the Bible itself even teach sola scriptura?

 

[Revmitchell]

Not a problem for one who believes he or she is correct, or his denomination is correct, with no possibility of being wrong, I suppose.

I am curious: If a seeker approached you looking for what the gospel is, would you give him your version only, or would you suggest that he compare the beliefs of all the denominations as he reads the Bible and other sources?

My version of the gospel? I do not have a version. There is only one version in scripture and it is clear with no room for doubt. I do not need to point to churches or denominations. Leaving room for other versions serves no purposes and only serves to muddy the otherwise clear waters. Jesus never suggested to do such a an awful thing and only those with a axe to grind would think such a thing is appropriate.

Jesus said go into the world and preach the gospel not versions. Paul said to preach the word not versions. Liberalism diminishes the gospel and I will have no part of it. What you are suggesting is extreme and ungodly.

 

[Rebel]

My version of the gospel? I do not have a version. There is only one version in scripture and it is clear with no room for doubt. I do not need to point to churches or denominations. Leaving room for other versions serves no purposes and only serves to muddy the otherwise clear waters. Jesus never suggested to do such a an awful thing and only those with a axe to grind would think such a thing is appropriate.

Jesus said go into the world and preach the gospel not versions. Paul said to preach the word not versions. Liberalism diminishes the gospel and I will have no part of it. What you are suggesting is extreme and ungodly.

I am not suggesting anything. Can you not read, or are you deliberately falsely accusing me of doing something I'm not? From reading your posts, I can answer my own question. Further, this has nothing to do with liberalism. I don't know why you think it does.

If, as you say, "There is only one version in scripture and it is clear with no room for doubt", why is there not just one denomination? And I suppose that denomination would be called the "Mitchellites", if what you are saying is true.