The Bible Answers
Christians have so many differences, it is impossible to know the truth.
As this question would be commonly understood, the answer is No.
Note the following Scripture:
John 14:6: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me."
- Simple logic would compel us to one of the following conclusions when we
read in the Gospels that Christ made claims like this. (1)He was a madman, or
a very wicked man. (2)The writer made it up, or it was created by the church
in later years. (3) It is the truth.
But this is a problem if you choose answer (1) or (2). What explains the sacrifices of the martyrs? For the first three hundred years, Christian held no positions of power or wealth, and many of them lost life and limb just for professing faith in Christ. Men have been known to make such sacrifices for their friends, to preserve their nation, or to gain wealth and empire, but none of this applies to the apostles.
This passage is a clear affirmation by Christ of His essential deity, for He does not say I am the wayshower, true and honest, and alive toward God. His claim is much greater than that. Islamists are willing to die for hatred and revenge, but who puts it all on the line for the rantings of a crazy person?
If Christianity is a conspiracy, it is the mother of all conspiracies. Many frauds have been discovered in the history of the world; some of them perpetrated by professing Christians. But Christianity itself? If that is your view of history, then you must be a very miserable person. Our prayer for you is that you be delivered from the bondage of unbelieve and cynicism to the glorious light of Christ Himself.
John 8:31,32: "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
- This turns modern thought upside down. Whoever says you have to believe in
order to know? The modern man says, "Show me, and if I am convinced, then I
will believe."
But this is backwards and assumes that the revelation of God of Himself is doubtful or unclear. Men are in bondage to unbelief and sin, and they do not understand because they refuse to understand. They are like children in the marketplace who want to call the shots: everyone should dance when they pipe, and everyone should mourn when they mourn.
Because God is Creator, no man can escape the evidence that is planted in his own bosom and in every thing that is created. A man can no more intelligently deny the existence of God than he can intelligently deny his own existence. A man might refuse to believe that he exists, but he must bear the consequences of that error. Thus it is with the denial of God and the Bible. A man may foolishly decide that none of it is true, but he cannot escape the results of his denial. God's truth is known only by those who have a heart for it. A man who is preoccupied with the functions of his own body will not likely be thrilled with the matters of the soul.
John 7:16,17: "Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself."
- This is another of those astounding claims of Jesus. He did not teach
things that orriginated with Himself. Instead, they were the words of the
Heavenly Father. But once again, Jesus shows that a prerequisite for knowing
that His teachings are of God is a willingness to do the will of
God.
As creatures we are not given the privilege of knowing in order to decide--we must decide before we can know. The intellect is controlled by the heart; the heart is not controlled by the intellect. The heart is man's religous core that directs the mind, the emotions, and the will.
This is the reason that we are called to "Keep our hearts will all diligence" [Prov. 4:23]. This emphasizes the importance of the heart, but no man is able to keep ["guard"] his heart, so God says to us "My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways." [Prov. 23:27] As long as your heart belongs to yourself, it is impossible for you to be convinced of the doctrine of Christ.
- Because men are convinced that their own way is the best way, they
wander far from the Lord. All ways are not good ways, and not all thoughts are
good thoughts. The Bible calls us to turn away from our own ways and from our own thoughts.
It is good and kind to tell men these things.
It is not kind to say nothing when a child is headed in the wrong direction. It is the same with a man. Although the man's right to make his own decisions must be respected, yet it is folly to pretend that it does not matter what those decisions are.
All decisions are not of equal value, but we are strange people indeed. Only in religion do we pretend that all ideas are of equal value. We do not think that buying Microsoft stock is the same as buying swamp land in Mississippi. WE do not think that a diet of cheeseburgers is equal to a balanced diet of the four basic food groups. We don't think that filling a room with second-hand smoke is equal to taking it outside. It is only in religion that we refuse to attach the labels true or false, for fear of offending someone.
- The first requirement for knowing the truth about God is a true desire to know. Because our hearts are sinful, they are heavily fortified against the truth. Because of this, and man should pray earnestly that God would open his eyes and show him the truth that he has suppressed for so long. Our natural antagonism to God is clearly revealed in the above quotation from the Apostle James. We lack wisdom and knowledge of the truth because we refuse to go to the source of the truth, God himself. Satan has blinded our minds to such a simple truth: that the Creator of the world is the best judge of how the world works. The God who made man's mind is the best judge of how the mind works. "Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise? He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see? He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?" [Psalm 94:8-10]