CHOOSING THE CORRECT WAY TO GOD
Many religions and ideologies teach different ways to God. In choosing and verifying the correct way, the Bible tells everyone, “you should ask God” to guide you in examining and comparing teachings; and he will give you wisdom to choose the right way (James 1:5; Proverbs 3:5-6).
THE FOLLOWING IS A CASE OF A PERSON WHO PRAYED AND COMPARED TEACHINGS ABOUT DIFFERENT WAYS TO GOD.
Warren Smith, author of The Light That Was Dark, said that in his comparing the teachings of “A COURSE IN MIRACLES” (ACIM) to teachings of the Bible, he learned that the Bible teaches the true way to God. Warren says he and many others who have been influenced by teachings of popular courses like ACIM have been deceived into spiritual darkness by unseen higher evil powers of darkness behind such teachings (Ephesians 6:12).
ACIM claims to be dictated by the “Voice” of God (preface viii). But Warren said he was freed from the deceptive forces behind this course by praying, studying and comparing the Bible to ACIM. And coming be a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, he realized Jesus has authority “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion” (Ephesians 1:21); and Jesus is indeed “the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through [Jesus]” (John 14:6).
COMPARISONS OF SOME CRUCIAL TEACHINGS OF ACIM AND THE BIBLE ARE SEEN BELOW:
TEACHING ON “WHAT ARE MIRACLES?”
ACIM: “Miracles are thoughts” (p. 3). “Miracles enable you to heal the sick, raise the dead because you made sickness and death yourself, and can therefore abolish both. You are a miracle, capable of creating in in the likeness of your Creator” (p.4)
THE BIBLE: The Bible provides testimonies of many eyewitness who saw Jesus Christ actually demonstrating that he has the miraculous power of God: They testify that they saw him do miraculous signs among them that no one else could do (John 15:24). They saw him clearly speak to and calm a stormy sea (Mark 4:35-41); raise several people from the dead (Luke 7:11-17; Luke 8:40-50; John 11:1-44); and after he was crucified and rose from the dead, “he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time” (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). And his disciples report that Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31).
When Jesus appeared to some of his disciple after his resurrection He said to them: “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:44-48 NIV).
TEACHING ON “WHAT IS SIN AND FORGIVENESS?”
ACIM: “There is no sin.” However, “Sin is the home of all illusions” (WB, 419). And “The Course has its own definition of what forgiveness really is just as it defines the world in its own way” (preface, xi). “My Self is holy” (WB, p20). “Let me remember there is no sin” (WB, p424).
THE BIBLE: “Sin is disobedience” toward the Word of God (1 John 3:4). Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, sinned in disobeying God in the Garden of Eden, being deceived by a devil-serpent (Genesis 3; Revelation 20:2). Because of their disobedience, they Immediately died spiritually, being separate from God (Ephesians 2:1). And eventually they died physically, for God “appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
The biblical Word of God now tells people: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as the sacrificial atonement for whoever repents and believes in Jesus’ atonement for their sins (John 3:16; Acts 2:38). “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9).
Peter and the other apostles who were eyewitnesses of the real miraculous Jesus did (John 20:30-31), and of his actually fulfilling all Scripture said: “We must obey God rather than human beings!” (Acts 5:29). The apostle Paul said, if anyone, or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel than “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified,” let them be under God’s curse (Galatians 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:2).
As a believer in Jesus Christ of the Bible, you come to realize that Jesus is your Savior; and gives you the Holy Spirit to live in you as your Helper to enable you to obey the Lord and walk in the way of God (John 14:15-17).
GOD STILL LOVES AND HAVE CONCERN FOR THOSE WHO YET HAVE NOT BELIEVED JESUS IS THE TRUE WAY TO GOD.
- God has asked believing members of his Church-body, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to reach out in love to people who have taken or might consider taking a wrong course. (John 14:15-17; Acts 1:8).
- Having love for both–believers and unbelievers, Jesus instruct his followers: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16).
- God “urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,who gave himself as a ransom for all people.” (1 Timothy 2:1-6).
- And God says, “opponents [of the truth] must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:25).
Whoever believes in Jesus Christ the Son as the way, God enables them to walk in the way until they come to live with God in heaven forever (John 14:2-3).
THE BIBLE EVEN URGES BIBLE-BELIEVERS TO EXAMINE SCRIPTURES TO SEE IF WHAT THEY ARE BEING TAUGHT BY TEACHERS OF THE BIBLE IS THE TRUTH.
The Bible warns Christians, “ Even from your own number, men will rise up and distort the [Bible] truth to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:30).
When the apostle Paul preached to the people of the early Berean Church, they were careful to searched the Scriptures daily to see if what he was teaching was the truth. The apostle commended them for examining the Scriptures to see if what he was teaching was the truth (Acts 17:11).
When anyone pray with all their heart and diligently study the Scriptures, and compare them to other teachings, they will find that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the only way to God the Father (Jeremiah 29:13; John 14:6).
