Life is too important to live by just any standard. We are talking about our eternity. If it wasn't important, you wouldn't be here reading this. Therefore, we must discover which standard to use to find the ultimate truth. We may have many standards, for various functions and for different levels of importance. You don't use your home's thermometer or temperature to cook with. This shows the need for different standards. The more standards one uses with equal authority, the more room for loopholes. This brings error or deception. Let's use America's tax laws as an example. The more laws we have the more loopholes there are to abuse the system for those who are rebelious. How about a sporting event? If every spectator and player was a referee, there would be mass arguments. At work the decisions are made by the boss, it's the boss's ideal that must be followed for the employee to continue employment.
What lays before us is the following thoughts. If there is a God, there must be some way to reach Him, because there are so many belief systems. Many of these claim to be the highest or exclusive truth. Some would say that sincerity in any these belief systems is enough. Let me quote from another of my web pages:
One may say that they are sincere, and that God will accept them because they are sincere. Was Hitler sincere? I think he was (but it didn't save him). You see, our own understanding of right and wrong may be different. Is God's standard going to change from one person to the next, because of sincerity? Let me quote Proverbs 14:12:
"There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death."
Let me quote from yet another one of my pages:
Many people believe that sincerity or heart felt belief is enough. Many also believe that there are no absolute truths. If that were true, I challenge anyone to believe that they can walk through a solid brick wall through sincere belief. I will accept examples of others if you cannot do it yourself. Or what if I wanted to call my friend on the phone, and his number was 111-1111, and I refused to use that number and wanted to choose my own number to dial and still reach him? No matter how sincere I was, nor how strong my belief system it would not work.
And here's another quote from another page of mine:
But I ask you, does the father who commands his child to stay off the busy street, wishing and desiring the vehicles to be there, to run over stray children? No! His obedience is commanded because of certain laws put into effect. For order to exist there must be laws. Example, without the law of gravity we would not be here. Is God therefore limited by gravity? No, he created it to bring order. Order without law would be an empty creation. And that was what was before God created. Therefore He made laws so His creation would exist in harmony. Well, some say would ask, couldn't God create a Universe where we can choose to walk without consequence. Then each man would be a God, and he would have his own standards, and each god or man would need create his own universe, because my laws would counter act against yours. And each would then need to be completely alone. And so God in His universe was alone and created man to be with Him. And to exist in harmony and love, man must accept the laws of physics and that of spirit to abide there.
In light of these basic understandings. In the endeavor to discover the truth about God. We must find His standard. If in fact He is real, as many different belief systems claim, even the natural sciences point towards, there must be a true path to Him. Since natural order requires natural laws, therefore spiritual order must also have laws. We must find these spiritual laws, to guide us into the truth and to measure all spiritual teachings to see which are true and which are not. If God is real, and we feel the need to pursue Him, then He Himself must be drawing us to Him. Therefore, He being wiser than us, knows that the truth must be preserved to lead us to Him, and if He indeed is the true God, He would have the power to preserve it. In conclusion to this simple understanding, it is evident that this law is the standard we need to find.
The pursuit of those who want truth therefore must find this standard. There are many claims made to what this standard is. I cannot list them all. But I will list the major ones, and will sort these to find the One which is the highest and true.
Can prayer be considered the highest standard of finding the truth? No, because many belief systems pray, but the end is often different between the various systems. It is believed by many that there are demons or evil spirits. These spirits can answer prayer, even if the prayer is genuine. These spirits can deceive the one praying that they think it is the true God, or one of His servants. The Bible itself say's:
Matthew 24:24: For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
So we can conclude that prayer is not the highest standard to measure truth. I am not saying that one should not pray, but that the answer to prayer is not to be trusted unless it aligns itself with the true God, and the standard He has, which we are now trying to find.
How about a spirit? If one has been visited by a spirit or multiple spirits, or even thousands of visitations; can they be used as the highest standard of truth? No, just like above. There are false spirits that can lie. Look at how many belief systems claim to have visits by a spirit or spirits, yet these belief systems and the supposed spirits themselves have had different roads to God. Let me quote from the Bible and then from one of my pages:
2 Corithians 11:14: And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.from one of my pages...Galatians 1:8: But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Galatians 4:8 says these gods, by nature, are not real. In 1 Cor 8:4-6 we begin to understand a little more:
1 Cor 10:20-21 sums up this point well:
So saying, we can conclude that spirits are not trust worthy alone to be the true standard. Yet some could be of the true God, therefore all spirits should be tested by another standard, the one we seek.
A quick note, we can use the above conclusion about a visitation by one claiming to be God as well, or Christ, or any supposed voice claiming such. God Himself must be subject to His own standards. This then, would also make Him good. Because He would therefore not change.
Numbers 23:19:
"God is not a man, that He should lie, neither the Son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction (for what He has promised). Has He said, and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good?"
"For I the Lord, do not change;..."
"Jesus Christ, the Messiah, (is always) the same, yesterday, today, (yes,) and forever-to the ages."
"I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it,..."Matthew 19:17:
And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God..."
What about a prophet, prophecy, or multiples of these? As stated with prayer, the different belief systems have opposing prophecy and opposing standpoints of their prophets. The Bible also has been already quoted above stating that there are false prophets. So although there must be true prophets and prophecy, even these cannot be the highest standard.
Some would say that we can use feelings to measure truth. In the natural we can see infants and youth led astray by feelings. Adults and teenagers make wrong choices for mates based upon feelings. This is what the Bible say's about feelings:
Hebrews 5:What the Bible is showing us is, that only those who are mature can use their senses to know what is good and evil. So that after you have come to know the spiritual laws and the standard that we are still seeking, then you can trust your senses. So we can conlude that the senses are not the highest standard.13: For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14: But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
How about a book? One claiming to be inspired by God Himself. This book would need to meet certain requirements. I'll start by reminding you what was said in the beginning of this page. The true God would be drawing us to Him, He would be aware of the spiritual laws, in fact powerful enough to communicate this standard to us, and to preserve it, as well as create the laws themselves. So if there was a book from God, this book in some form must have been in existance in most if not all of man's history. Because if it was from God, He would have the power to have it so. What am I leading to? I am sure you have already guessed. I have used it already. I have quoted from it. It's the Bible. No other ancient texts have as many existing ancient manuscripts. It is the most sold, most read book ever. The Bible is actually a collection of many books. It is divided into 2 parts the Old and New Testament. Obviously the New Testament did not exist before Jesus. But Jesus Himself claims to be the Word of God Himself - read the gospel of John chapter one. Jesus fulfilled so many of the Old Testament prophecies. It is historicaly proven that Jesus was real, it is historically proven that the Old Testament existed years before Him. Therefore it is evidenced by Old Testament prophecy that Jesus is who He claims to be.
I go into greater detail about the authority of the Bible on the page that can be found by clicking on the link below:
I also go into further detail on who Jesus is on the page that can be found by clicking on the link below:
I have links to other sites which show the evidences of Old Testament prophecy and natural sciences at the page that can be found by clicking on this link:
If you are persuaded that the Bible is God's true highest standard and want to know about salvation and eternal life then go the page that can be found by clicking on the link below:
What about the Book of Mormon or other supposed inspired books? What is the source of these books? These must be measured by the standard of God. A book can be inspired by a demon in the disguise of an angel or Christ. Remember Pauls warning:
Galatians 1:8: But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
All revelations, visions, and visitations must be measured. It should be measured by the Bible. What about measuring the Bible? Yes! Jesus declared Himself that His teachings can be confirmed. This can be learned at the 1st link I gave above. Let me also say that any other book must equal to the authority of the bible if it claims equal truth. The book of mormon does not have the hundreds or thousands of ancient manuscripts like the Bible does. If it were so. Let it be seen, then indeed that book could be true, or any other that had the historical evidence that the Bible has. Using a COUPLE of historical proofs with a COUPLE of archeological digs does NOT equate to the VOLUMES of manuscripts and archeological finds the Bible has. Don't be fooled folks, we are talking about YOUR ETERNITY.
One last standard that I will discuss here, is what some people claim as equal to the Bible or higher: tradition. Here is what Jesus said about traditions of religious people:
Mk:7:13: Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
What He is saying is, that traditions nullify the Word of God. Traditions will water down the Bible, make it less potent. Jesus turned water into wine, and some religous people want to take God's Word and water it down to zero potency. Paul spoke of these folks when he said:
2 Timothy 3:5: Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Traditions can be okay with balance, but don't let any tradition become a standard. Unless the tradition is Biblical, and then do not become legalistic. We live not by law but in liberty in Christ. Be careful though, don't let your liberty cause you or someone else to fall.
God Bless you all, in the pursuit of Him!
doma
Click on the link of choice below:
Click here to go to the Equilibrant Page (my home page)
What about Discipleship? Click here to learn more
Click here to see how an atheist web site may have been shut down
