The Lord came to reveal and call us to the truth. He said:
…if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to savve the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words has that which judges him – the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. (John 12:47-48)
God’s word is of exceptional value and benefit to the child of God. The Scripture says:
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
…knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20-21)
Paul wrote concerning the Bible:
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Prior to His arrest in the garden of Gethsemane, the Lord prayed for the unity of all believers (John 17:20-21). Paul echoes the same sentiment when he admonished the church at Corinth that we should all speak the same things and be of the same mind (1 Corinthians 1:10). With such an expectation, it is discouraging to see the division which exists in today’s religious world.
A number of things might explain the division which exists. A failure to rightly divide the Scriptures (2 Timothy 2:15); seeking to keep a law which is not ours to keep (Galatians 5:4), obeying the teaching of man rather than the teaching of God (Matthew 15:3, 9) – all of these have contributed to the lack of unity among believers in Jesus. In addition to these, or maybe part and parcel with these, is the fact that some have redefined some Bible terms, resulting in a number of false teachings and practices, and thus religious division.
As I prepared to write an article this past week, I saw a quote which resulted in the original topic being put on the shelf, and this article about the true gospel being penned instead. The quote comes from an essay entitled “Ecclesial Deism,” written by Bryan Cross, a former Protestant who converted to Catholicism. In his essay, he wrote:
The Mormons believed that the true gospel was recovered in the early nineteenth century by Joseph Smith. I believed, as a Reformed Protestant, that the true gospel was recovered in the early sixteenth century by Martin Luther.
