Expert: Scott Talbot - 5/13/2009

Question
Some religions/churches claim that there is a true religion (and go as far as saying they are the true religion and other churches are false religions). Their reasoning is that other Christian churches believe different things and even within the church their are different beliefs and that there must be a truth. In one verse Jesus says that HE WILL BUILD HIS CHURCH.  Is there really a true church or religion?

Answer
Hi Simone,

It's nice to hear from you.

You ask a very important question--one of the most important questions one could ask:  Is there a true church or religion?

From the beginning of time, man has had religious ideas and inclinations. There must be something inside us that makes us conscious of, or at least a little curious about, the whole idea of God and religion. One man described it as a God-shaped vacuum inside of us--one that we seek to fill in various ways.

Man has tried a zillion ways to try to fill that vacuum. We can look at the major world religions, the various denominations within the Christian church, numerous cults and ism's, spiritism, witchcraft, even humanism. When you think about it, even atheism and agnosticism are religions, because it's an expression of what one believes about God and about religion.

So what are the possibilities? One possibility is that they're all wrong. There is no God, there is no afterlife, and issues about religion don't really matter. It's all one big controversy, and one can pick whatever ideology he wants.

Another possibility is that there are elements of truth in most, if not all, religious viewpoints.

Here's the most important thing to remember. Truth is absolute. Truth is not dependent on whether or not one believes it. Truth is about what's real, what's true, what exists.

For example, one might say he does not believe in gravity. This will not change the fact that, if he steps off a cliff, he will find himself the victim of gravity. One might say he believes in Santa Claus, and is convinced that he personally delivers toys to children throughout the world on Christmas Eve. His belief does not make this true. One believes there is life on other planets, another does not. Either there is or there isn't. Both cannot be right.

So what's my point? My point is that there is TRUTH--what IS. There may be various opinions or theories about that truth. But the truth is what it is, regardless of what anyone believes. Is there a God? There either is or there isn't. One may believe that God exists, and another believe that He does not. Only one is correct.

So let's assume for a minute that there is a God. God DOES exist. There's plenty of proof for that claim, but that's a discussion for another day. If there is a God, is it a stretch to think that He is able and willing to reveal Himself to us? Not really. So the idea that God would reveal truth about Himself to us through Creation, the Bible, and the life, ministry, miracles, message, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ--that only makes sense.

So we start with the premise that there is objective TRUTH. Reality is what it is. That reality includes the fact that there is a God. Further, God revealed Himself to us in various ways, further disclosing the TRUTH about 1) Who He is; 2) Who WE are in relation to Him; and 3) How we can have a personal relationship with God.

Now bring in all these various religions. Some seek to embrace the truth. Others care little about truth and more about inventing their own comfortable religion. They choose to define God the way they choose, not the way God intended--based on reality.

In order to evalutate all of these theories and religious ideas, many of which contradict each other, we need a yard stick by which to measure them all. We need a standard. That standard is truth. And that truth has been made available to us by God.

Now how can we tell who's right and who's wrong? Or, more importantly, how can I know if what I believe is right or wrong? God WANTS us to know the truth. "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free" (John 8:32). "Your Word is truth" (John 17:17).

We need to measure our beliefs based on the truth revealed to us by God in the Bible. Or, put another way, we need to formulate our ideas of what is true based on God's revelation, versus the inventions or imaginations of man. In fact, that's one key issue that separates Christianity from every other religion--it goes to God as the final authority for truth, rather than making man the final authority.

Let's go back to something I mentioned earlier. It's important to believe the right things. But there's a reason for that. It isn't just so that one has the right ideas in his head. It's so that he takes the proper ACTION in response to those ideas or facts.

What's the primary reason that God has revealed Himself to us? Why does He want us to know the truth? It's because He wants to have a personal relationship with each one of us. Think about that, Simone! The God of the universe wants to have a personal relationship with YOU! So understanding how that can happen is key. More importantly, it's CRUCIAL!

Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Keep seeking, Simone. You're asking some great questions. Please feel free to write me again. And, if you aren't sure that you have a personal relationship with God, let me know. I would love to tell you how you can have that.

Scott