true religion

Religion is defined by the dictionary as a belief system. It is usually used with respect to believing in God or some Supreme Being or beings to whom value (worship) is attached in the hope of gaining some favor. More relevant to Jews and Christians, religion is a reference to what we believe about God and our relationship with Him. In Christianity alone, there are more than 200 recognized denominations, each with their own version of what is right or wrong. in their beliefs. Sadly, like Jews, we often spend more time fighting over who is right and who is wrong when we should be engaging the world in the salvation that is available to all denominations through Jesus Christ and fighting Satan and sin that hinders our relationship. With God.

In Matthew 22:23-33; Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27-39Jesus is still in the middle of the last week before he is crucified for our sins. The Pharisees tried to trap him with a question and were exposed as hypocrites. Now the Sadducees (They are “sad as you see” because they don’t believe in life after death) are trying to make Jesus look like a fool. During this election year, they remind me of some politicians. They are full of misconceptions in their religious beliefs. Let’s see how Jesus makes them clear and consider what he means to us.

Misconceptions abound – Matthew 22:23-28; Mark 12:18-23; Luke 20:27-33 The Pharisees failed, but the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; they decide to try to trap Jesus with one of his favorite arguments. They challenge Jesus with a point of Jewish Law on marriage. If a man dies childless, his wife will marry her brother and bear children through the brother. In his example, the man’s brothers also die without having children for him. The Sadducees take this to an extreme in a futile effort to prove that there is no resurrection. Jesus is asked who the woman will marry in eternity since she was married to all seven in this life.

Even in Christianity, we have over 200 denominations, each trying to explain some scriptural doctrine or practice they have chosen to emphasize at the expense of other scriptures and often passing judgment on anyone who disagrees with or conforms to their beliefs. . Too often, preachers spend more time condemning the beliefs of another denomination than trying to fight the devil and evangelize the lost.

God is the Authority – Matthew 22:29; Mark 12:24; Luke 20:34 The Sadducees quote Moses, who got his Law from God. In the same way, Jesus cites God as the ultimate authority in this matter. Jesus takes the initiative to tell the Sadducees that they are wrong in their beliefs about the resurrection. He will follow up his statement with evidence from a source they recognize to show that they need to change their minds.

There are times when we need to address what other Christians believe and work to clarify and mature our faith. We do not want to devote ourselves to looking down on them, but to search the Scriptures together with spirit and effort to find the truth of the Gospel. We must seek an attitude of mutual openness in case our beliefs are wrong, go to the Scriptures with them and try to build harmony on what the Bible teaches so that we can live together in harmony instead of fighting each other. Remember that our focus is on reaching the lost for Christ, not spending time fighting each other over things that don’t matter in eternity.

life after this life – Matthew 22:30-31; Mark 12:25-26; Luke 20:35-37 Jesus is not shy about speaking and believing in the Resurrection. He first informs the Sadducees that marriage is for this life. There is no marriage in eternity. Therefore, his argument is based on false information. He also cites passages from the Old Testament that the Sadducees know and will believe as proof that there is a resurrection and it is very different from the limitations that restrict us on this earth.

Most denominational doctrines result from taking one or two themes and building an entire belief system around them. We all want to please God and do what is right before Him. In doing so, we sometimes focus on one or two scriptural teachings to the disregard or to the complete exclusion of other Bible scriptures. That doesn’t mean we’re wrong, but often a particular theme will cloud our understanding of the actual teaching of the rest of Scripture. If we use this to divide ourselves, then we cause problems. Our enemy is sin and Satan, not other believers. Instead, we should try to understand and accept each other and fight the devil instead of each other.

God lives forever – Matthew 22:32-33; Mark 12:27; Luke 20:38-39 Finally, Jesus concludes this verbal exchange by pointing out that God is eternal. God speaks of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as if they were still alive. That is a testimony to his power and to the fact that there is a resurrection to look forward to.

If God is the Supreme Being who created us, then there is no problem for Him to live forever and grant eternal life to those who follow His commandments. Our hope is that our eternal state is far beyond what this world can offer. Our joy is knowing that we are forgiven because we have accepted Jesus Christ as the Son of God and our Lord and Savior. If God lives forever and we are his children by adoption through Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins, then there is no problem for us to live forever with them in eternity. God bless you and have a great week!