There are so many different religious systems in the world, each
claiming not only to be right but to be divine, that a rational
mind, unwarped by sect or creed, is likely to become bewildered and
disgusted in its efforts to reach and embrace religious truth. The
claim frequently put forth that all the Christian sects are right is
a palpable absurdity. Truth is always consistent with itself. It is
error that causes confusion. Two opposing systems cannot both be
correct. They may both be wrong, but it is impossible for both to be
right. There may be some truth in every religion that has been
foisted upon the world. Indeed, without that no system could have
continued existence. It is that portion of each religion which is
true that keeps it alive and makes its errors plausible.
To say that God is the author of the conflicting religions which
distract mankind, is to charge him with inconsistency and folly.
That which comes from God must of necessity be true. This needs no
argument; it is so self-evident that many thinking people, beholding
the contention and strife of ages over religious affairs, have
formed the opinion that all religions are human, conceived in the
minds of men and promulgated for selfish purposes. Yet, admitting
that there is a Supreme Being, the Creator of all things, who is the
embodiment of truth, justice, mercy, wisdom and love, it seems
unreasonable to think that he would leave his intelligent creatures
without a guide on the road to the eternal future.
As there is but one Supreme God, there can be but one true religion.
That religion must be of divine origin. It must come from God to
man. Religions invented by men would necessarily vary. Man cannot by
his own searching find out God, or the ways of God, but Deity can
enlighten man and reveal himself and his will to mortals. The
infinite can condescend to the finite, while the finite of itself
cannot grasp or comprehend the infinite. It is of utmost importance
that mankind should learn what God requires, in order that men and
women may be fitted for his presence and be in harmony with him in
time and in eternity. The true religion, therefore, that which God
reveals, that which he has revealed, and that which he may yet
reveal, should be considered of greater value than anything else.
Nothing that is perishable can be compared with it. That which
endures forever is immeasurably above that which only lasts for a
time. He that gains this "pearl of great price" is rich above all
computation.
One of the great errors into which people have fallen in reference
to religion is that God must accept any mode of worship, any sort of
ordinances, and any kind of church that men may establish, so long
as they are sincere in their intentions and devout in their desires.
God must be worshipped not only in spirit but in truth. His word is
truth. His Spirit is the spirit of truth. God's religion, then, will
be the truth, and nothing but the truth, and he will accept of
nothing short of this. The inventions of men, whatever may be their
motives, are not of God and therefore are vain. The precepts and
opinions and vagaries of man-appointed preachers and teachers, not
being authorized or inspired of God, cannot be relied upon and are
not acknowledged in heaven. Christendom as well as heathendom is in
a ferment with human conceptions and conflicting theories in
relation to God, his will, his purposes, and his requirements. The
result is spiritual Babylon, which is confusion. God is not with it,
for he is the author of peace, and order and harmony.
"Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life,
and few there be that find it;" so said the great Teacher whom
professing Christians regard as the Savior of the world (Matthew
7:14). He also declared: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
entereth not by the door into the sheep-fold, but climbeth up some
other way, the same is a thief and a robber" (John 10:1). Also, "But
in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments
of men" (Matthew 15:9). And further, "Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God"
(Matthew 4:4).
The nations that are called heathen are, no doubt, as sincere in
their idolatrous worship as are the Christian nations in their
opposing creeds and devotional exercises. If mere sincerity and
devout motives are sufficient for God's acceptance, then heathendom
is on a par with Christendom in the sight of heaven. But the
objector will no doubt reply, "Heathen religions lack the one
essential feature of acceptance with God, faith in Jesus Christ.
Having that, doctrinal differences do not matter; faith alone is
sufficient for salvation." "Christ is the way, the truth, and the
light, and whosoever believeth in him shall have eternal life." That
is another of the astonishing errors of modern religious people and
teachers. Seizing upon a few isolated texts from the New Testament,
relying upon the letter of the word alone, regardless of the spirit
and meaning thereof, they altogether ignore numerous other texts in
the same volume, which make plain the intent and signification of
those which they select. Their eyes are blinded to the pure truth,
they stumble in the way, and the blind leading the blind, they are
in danger of falling into the ditch together.
Jesus of Nazareth truly said, "For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). But he also
said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me"
(John 10:27). "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on
me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than
these shall he do; because I go unto my Father" (John 14:12). "If a
man love me, he will keep my words" (Verse 23). "He that hath my
commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that
loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will
manifest myself to him." (Verse 21.) "If ye keep my commandments, ye
shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's
commandments, and abide in his love." (John 15:10.) "Not every one
that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
(Matthew 7:21.) "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the
things which I say?" (Luke 6:46.) "Whosoever therefore shall break
one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be
called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do
and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of
heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall
exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in
no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:19-20.) "And
every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not,
shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the
sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds
blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall
of it." (Matthew 7:26, 27.) "Every tree that bringeth not forth good
fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their
fruits ye shall know them." (Matthew 7:19.) When the rich young man
asked the Savior what he should do that he might have eternal life,
he was not told there was nothing for him to do but believe in
Christ, but the answer was, "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the
commandments." (Matthew 19:17.) After Christ's resurrection, when he
sent his apostles into all the world to preach the gospel to every
creature, he added, "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever
I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:20.)
The apostles, thus authorized, obeyed these instructions, and not
only proclaimed belief in Jesus Christ as necessary to salvation;
but obedience to his teachings as equally essential. The history of
their travels, as narrated in the book called the Acts of the
Apostles, demonstrates this to be true. Such of their epistles as
have been preserved and compiled in the New Testament also bear this
witness. These records show beyond reasonable dispute that the faith
in Christ which is sufficient for salvation comprehends faith in his
teachings and obedience to his commands.
The belief in Christ which is taught by modern Christian sects is
thus condemned by the Apostle James: "But wilt thou know, O vain
man, that faith without works is dead? Ye see then how that by works
a man is justified, and not by faith only." "For as the body without
the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James
2:20, 24, 26).
The Apostle Paul is generally cited as the great preacher of the
doctrine of justification by faith alone. But that he is
misunderstood on that subject is evident from his epistle to the
Romans, in which, while he proclaims the doctrine of justification
by faith, he also affirms emphatically the necessity of good works
as the fruits of faith; as for instance: "Who will render to every
man according to his deeds; to them who by patient continuance in
well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life:
But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but
obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and
anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first,
and also of the Gentile. But glory, honor and peace to every man
that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. For
there is no respect of persons with God" (Romans 2:6-11).
It is to this very epistle that the advocates of salvation by faith
alone chiefly refer when seeking support for their irrational
theory, and they quote: "Therefore being justified by faith, we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). Also,
"Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay,
but by the law of faith" (Chap. 3:27). But they neglect to add what
follows, "Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith
without the deeds of the law" (verse 28). The tenor of the whole
epistle is to the effect that the law of Moses is insufficient; that
"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified
in his sight" (verse 20). Thus justification and redemption come
through the atonement made by Christ, and that faith in him which
includes belief in his teachings and obedience to his commands, is
the one way of salvation.
Another quotation common with the disciples of the faith alone
doctrine is this: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised
him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9). But here
again they omit the following verse: "For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation" (verse 10).
This is the key to the whole matter. The faith that saves is the
faith that leads to obedience, which is "better than sacrifice";
that obedience must be given to "every word that proceedeth out of
the mouth of God". Belief, prayer, devotional exercises, of
themselves, will not prepare man for the presence and society of his
Maker. To dwell with him, man must be assimilated to his likeness.
This can be effected only by compliance with his commands. Man's
future will be determined by his present course. In the glorious
vision given to John the Beloved, we find this: "And I saw the dead,
small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and
another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead
were judged out of those things which were written in the books,
according to their works" (Revelation 20:12).
This tract is but preliminary to others, in which the one
everlasting way of life and plan of salvation will be plainly
pointed out, for the benefit of mankind and the glory of the supreme
and eternal God, to whom be honor and praise forever. Amen.