By Tony Washington
I think all people have that little inkling inside that softly urges them towards finding
out about spiritual realities. We have all sort of heard of God and maybe have some
questions about who He is and why things happen the way they do. Unfortunately,
when you begin your quest, you realize that there are so many choices out there to
consider; all of them claiming to have a corner on the truth. So, you try this one and
check that one. You go to your friend’s church, your parent’s church; try an online
thing and maybe do some additional reading. The more you search the more you
realize that each group claims to be right and has some shade to throw on the other
groups. Assuming you are sincere in your quest, how would you know? How can you
be sure you are making a good choice and not something that leads you down the road
of heretical tyranny? Lord knows we have all heard of cults that start good then end
dreadfully bad. Of course we have the Bible which seems like the logical place to
start, but other folks have their own bibles as well, some as reported additions, others
as completely separate works. Again, how could you possibly know? Well, I think
there is one thing that all the counterfeits have in common and one thing that points
you to the truth. The real deal is the truth and there is only one truth.
If you think about it, this whole notion that there are many ways to get to Ohio and it
doesn’t matter which way you go as long as you get to Ohio, is fraught with flaws and
errors. In other words, if your goal is to go to heaven and live forever, does it really
matter which way you go as long as you get there? Well, it seems like the answer
would be no if you ended up there anyway. But, would you end up there? Is it not
possible that you are believing a bunch of stuff and doing a bunch of stuff to arrive at
destination heaven that have nothing at all to do with getting to heaven? What if you
find yourself caught up on some treadmill of required works to please God that have
nothing to do with pleasing God? Imagine devoting your life and heart to some way of
being only to find out that it wasn’t necessary at all? You know what I mean. Some of
you aren’t eating meat. Some of you refuse to eat foods considered unclean in the Old
Testament. Some of you abstain from alcohol. Some of you think sex is reserved for
procreation and should be avoided whenever possible. Some of you believe you
cannot expose certain parts of your body and on and on and on. The list; the
requirements are endless. How can you possibly know? How can you be sure you are
on the right track? How can you be sure what you believe is the real deal?
Delving a little deeper, it seems as if there is an absolute referred to as the truth, that
there could only be one truth. The truth is the truth and it cannot contradict itself.
There is one truth and accordingly the rest cannot be the truth and must be error. If
you have the truth, why would you need additional truths or alternate truths? 3 x 5
equals 15 no matter how you want to slice it. Life would turn into chaos if the truth
had many other faces and those facades did not agree with one another. It is not
limited or ignorant to believe there is one way to go. There is one God and one truth
and one correct way to believe. This false notion that there are many different ways to
arrive at the same place has confused mankind for centuries. I have found there is one
surefire method to help you determine if what you are believing is based on the truth
or on error. There is one acid test you may apply in every situation. That test either
points you to God the Creator of the heavens and the earth or it points you back to
yourself. All counterfeit truth points you to yourself and what you do right and what
you do wrong. The subject of religion is not God, it is you. The focus is always on
what man does; what man says; what man thinks and not what God does, says or
thinks. The real deal is God and the counterfeit deal is man’s ideas.
Whenever and wherever you find yourself in a group or an ideology or a church
where the focus is you and what you do or don’t do, that place will always be wrong.
The focus of Christianity will always, always be what God does (and did) and not on
what man does (or did). The truth focuses on our Savior, Jesus Christ and what he did
for us. Religion focuses on where you are not right with God; works you must do to
make yourself right with God and whatever else they can come up with to keep you in
perpetual bondage and condemnation. Look, I aint mad at your church and I aint
coming at your belief system. What I’m opposed to are these options and ideas that
aren’t helping you or leading you to anything good. The undeniable acid test is the
subject of focus. What is the subject of focus? You know yourself well enough and I
know myself well enough to be confident of one thing. If my ability to get to heaven,
to know the truth, to experience goodness and blessings is dependent upon me, then I
am in serious trouble (and so are you). You cannot get there on your own no matter
what you do or don’t do. The more you focus on yourself, the more imperfection you
will find. You cannot clean yourself up no matter how much discipline and effort you
supply. Only the Savior can clean you up and he did it for you before you were even
born! The real deal is what God did for us, not what we do for God.
Look, ask yourself the question. That group you fellowship with, those folks you hang
out with, that leader you have been faithfully following, do they lead your focus
towards God and what He does and will do or do they lead your focus back to
yourself and whatever it is that is wrong with you. Are you the subject? Are you the
focus? Is there so much more you must do in order to finally please God? If so the
chances are you are on the wrong track. People mean well, God bless them, but
sometimes what they say and promote as true isn’t true at all. You cannot earn God’s
goodness and you cannot earn your way to heaven no matter how hard you try. All of
God’s goodness and blessings come to you when you believe what He did for you and
not by what you must do for Him. The Savior (our Savior) died for you so you would
not have to live that way any longer. Turn your focus away from yourself and your
inadequacies and back to God and His perfection. There is only one way to go and
that way leads to God and God alone. God is the real deal…
Just some good thoughts…
