How Can You Find the True Religion?

Question

Jesus started one true Christian religion. So today there must be just one body, or group, of true worshipers of Jehovah God. (John 4:23, 24; Ephesians 4:4, 5) The Bible teaches that only a few people are on the narrow road to life.—Matthew 7:13, 14.

The Bible foretold that after the death of the apostles, wrong teachings and unchristian practices would slowly come into the Christian congregation. Men would draw away believers to follow them instead of Christ. (Matthew 7:15, 21-23; Acts 20:29, 30) That is why we see so many different religions that claim to be Christian. How can we identify true Christians?

Answer 1

How to Identify the True Religion

1. The true religion worships the only true God, Jehovah.-Deuteronomy 6:4, 5; Psalm 146:5-10; Matthew 22:37, 38.

2. The true religion offers access to God by means of Christ Jesus.-John 17:3, 6-8; 1 Timothy 2:5, 6; 1 John 4:15.

3. The true religion teaches and practices unselfish love.-John 13:34, 35; 1 Corinthians 13:1-8; 1 John 3:10-12.

4. The true religion remains untainted by worldly politics and conflicts. It is neutral in time of war.-John 18:36; James 1:27.

5. The true religion lets God be true by accepting the Bible as God's Word.-Romans 3:3, 4; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13.

6. The true religion does not condone war or personal violence.-Micah 4:2-4; Romans 12:17-21; Colossians 3:12-14.

7. The true religion successfully unites people of every race, language, and tribe. It does not preach nationalism or hatred, but love.-Isaiah 2:2-4; Colossians 3:10, 11; Revelation 7:9, 10.

8. The true religion advocates serving God, not for selfish gain or a salary, but out of love. It does not glorify men. It glorifies God.-1 Peter 5:1-4; 1 Corinthians 9:18; Matthew 23:5-12.

9. The true religion proclaims the Kingdom of God as man's sure hope, not some political or social philosophy.-Mark 13:10; Acts 8:12; 28:23, 30, 31.

10. The true religion teaches the truth regarding God's purpose for man and the earth. It does not teach the religious lies of immortal soul and eternal torment in hell. It teaches that God is love.-Judges 16:30; Isaiah 45:12, 18; Matthew 5:5; 1 John 4:7-11; Revelation 20:13, 14.

Answer 2

Because we live in the time of the "harvest" of which Jesus spoke, identifying true worship is much easier than in times past when the wheat and the weeds were growing together. (Matthew 13:37-43)By the fourth century in Roman society there was a merging of Church and State that was diametrically opposed to the beliefs of the early Christians. (John 17:16; James 4:4) In time, the whole structure and nature of the church, as well as many of its fundamental beliefs, was changed radically “under the influence of a curious and thoroughly unhealthy combination of O[ld] T[estament] and neoplatonic models.” Jesus’ listeners knew how difficult it was to tell genuine wheat from weeds, such as poisonous bearded darnel, which during the growing season has an appearance much like that of wheat. So Jesus was illustrating that for a while, it would be difficult to distinguish true Christians from the counterfeit variety. This does not mean that the Christian congregation ceased to exist, for Jesus promised to continue to guide his spiritual brothers “all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.” (Matthew 28:20) Jesus said that the wheat would continue to grow. Even so, through the ages, genuine Christians—individually or in groups—no doubt did their best to adhere to Christ’s teachings. But they no longer made up a clearly identifiable, visible body, or organization. They were certainly not identical with the visible apostate religious system that throughout history brought nothing but disgrace and dishonor to the name of Jesus Christ.—2 Peter 2:1, 2. The apostasy started in the apostle Paul’s day. It accelerated once the apostles died and their restraining influence disappeared
Right now, angels are gathering together all of the "wheat", that is, true Christians. Right now "righteous ones" are shining as "brightly as the sun" They have searched the scriptures and seperated themselves from the false teachings that contaminate Christendom.
True Christians
1) Have love among themselves (John 13:34, 35)
2)Have a deep respect for the Bible. They accept it as the Word of God and believe what it says (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17)
3)Honor God’s name as Jesus did (Matthew 6:9, John 17:6, 26; Romans 10:13, 14)
4) Preach about God’s Kingdom as commanded by Christ (Matthew 24:14; 28:19, 20)
5) Are no part of this wicked world. (John 17:16, James 1:27; 4:4)

Answer 3

You appear to believe in the Bible, (or I would assume so since you quote it a lot). However, how do you know that the verses you are quoting are actually from the teachings of Jesus? Are you one of those people that believes God protected the Bible from being changed in any important way?

If that is the case, why would God protect a book, but not his church, from changing in bad ways? Are you sure that God didn't want there to be a lot of versions of Christianity? If God wouldn't let the Bible be changed in a misleading fashion, why would he allow churches to form that would be just as misleading?

Do you really think that a wise God would guarantee the continuance of his true Christianity by putting everything in a book?

Don't you realize that throughout history most of humanity was unable to read? Do you think that God only wanted the very few people that were wealthy enough to afford an education to be the only ones that would be able to discern the truth? Do you really think the ability to ascertain the truth of God was only given to the tiny percentage of humanity that was literate?

God is supposed to love the poor. Why would he put his truth into a form that they could not have access to themselves?

Even if God acted to protect the Bible from being changed in important ways, how would that in any way help the millions of illiterate people in the world over the last two millennia? These people had to depend entirely on what their priests told them. Allowing his church to teach corrupted beliefs would have been every bit as bad as allowing corruption to enter the scriptures.

Perfect scriptures are utterly useless when the only people that can read them are corrupted themselves.

Or do you think that you are in some way more important than the illiterate people in the Middle Ages? Do you think that you are somehow so special that God would protect his scriptures so that you could learn the truth while he let millions of others hear nothing but lies? Why would you believe you are this special? Were there signs and miracles that accompanied your birth? Did angels sing that you would be the one to whom God's perfect scriptures would be given so that you could be saved when so many others died knowing only lies?

Answer 4

Several gospels were floating around at the time, of which Mark, the earliest, was not written for 30 years after the Crucifixion (what's this about wrong teachings and unchristian practices working into the Christian congregation?).

I prefer to use common sense in knowing the true religion. If God is omnipotent, then there should be no confusion in it's theology. Plenty of theological problems abound in Christianity (the people = 1 God, the problem of evil, etc.). There should actually be no conflict whatsoever in the Bible, but this is not true (compare Jesus' genealogy in Matthew with the one in Luke, there's others).

Reason suggest to me that Christianity cannot be the true religion.

Answer 5

Here's a quote from "Pale Blue Dot" by Carl Sagan, which I think answers your question quite nicely:

"How is it that hardly any major religion has looked at science and concluded, 'This is better than we thought! The Universe is much bigger than our prophets said, grander, more subtle, more elegant. God must be even greater than we dreamed'? Instead they say, 'No, no, no! My God is a little God, and I want him to stay that way.' A religion, old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the universe as revealed by modern science might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths."

Find a religion like that, and you might be heading in the right direction. The ones that put God into a convenient little box (while all the time banging on about how great and powerful and mighty he is) are best avoided, I think. Unfortunately, they all do that, as far as I can tell.

For me personally, I'm quite happy as an atheist. I'm frequently gobsmacked by the sheer wonder and beauty of the universe we live in, but I see no God, nor a need for God there.

As Douglas Adams said, "Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?"

Answer 6

Perhaps there are really 2 questions here. 'True Christians' are all who seek to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

'One True Christian religion'? Either the Catholics still have the authority or it would need to be restored. Personally, I don't see much in the Catholic church that resembles the church Jesus organized [no apostles, prophets, etc]. And I don't mean any offense to the Catholics - my father was raised one, and he's one of my heroes.

Answer 7

a million.the genuine faith has understand for God's be conscious, no longer watering it down, utilising some areas and brushing off others-2 Timothy 3:sixteen,17 2. that's "no component to the international". It does not get entangled in politics,nationalism or type struggles-John 17:sixteen 3. It has as that is contributors people who've "love between themselves". they do no longer flow to warfare against one yet another. they are no longer divided by using countless non secular variations-John 13:35;a million Corinthians a million:10 ask your self: a million. What faith has contributors who're widespread for their reliable ethical values? 2. What faith is unquestionably widespread for expelling unrepentant wrongdoers? 3. What faith has no longer taken up the thoughts-set that particular sexual practices, as quickly as seen sinful, at the instant are o.ok.? 4. Which faith refuses to flow to warfare, get entangled in politics, nationalism or type struggles? 5. Which faith has contributors who, international, have not got faith that we've an immortal soul, that God and Jesus are component to a trinity, the wicked, after dying, are alive being forever tormented? seek for the single that has all of this and you will locate the genuine faith.

Answer 8

In the bible it says there is only one true Christian religion, to find it you would have to make sure that the religion has the same aspects as the same church Jesus started, which can be found in the bible. I invite you all to check out my church website at www.lldmusa.org and then click the top right corner for the English version.

Answer 9

They will keep the law and the testimonies. JW's reject the 4th commandment of God so according to the following scripture, they cannot be the one body or group...

Isaiah 8:16-20 (New International Version)
16 Bind up the testimony
and seal up the law among my disciples.
17 I will wait for the LORD,
who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.
18 Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.
19 When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?
20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

Answer 10

You are truly right and thats why is best to not label or place yourself in any denomination. Many religions stray away from God and living for Him and His Word, but they come up with their own teachings, rules, and beliefs. The true religion is a relationship with God. The one that God has written in our hearts and which unites us as members of God’s family. We are able to connect with God rather than through religion and see Him as the true God, without organization and established rules, but with God's rules and commandments only. Jesus surely was a Jew but His religion did not play a factor in His Judgement to die for our sins. It was His connection to God, spreading His Word, and living a life of God for all to follow in His footsteps. Rather than religions God would rather want us to have a true spiritual connection to Him without all the labels.