One Bible Many Churches

1
One Bible Many Churches

• Does it matter what we believe?

2
Many Churches

• Lutheran
• Evangelical
• Church of England
• Scientology
• Orthodox
• Baptist
• Adventist
• Wesleyan
• Christadelphian

• Anglican
• Methodist
• Jehovahs Witnesses
• Mormon
• Presbyterian
• Catholic
• Spiritualist
• Moravian
• Mennonite

3
The development of differences

• Ye search the scriptures, and these are they
  which bear witness of me and ye will not come to
  me, that ye may have life" (John 539-40, R.V.).
• "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures But as
  touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye
  not read that which was spoken unto you by God,
  saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of
  Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God
  of the dead, but of the living". (Matthew 2229)

4
The Holy Scriptures

• "From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures
  which are able to make thee wise unto salvation
  through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2
  Timothy 315).
• "Prove all things hold fast that which is good"
  (1 Thessalonians 521).
• "as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the
  word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Peter 21,2).

5
Many Churches

• Superficial reading
• Selective Reading
• Reading Isolated Texts
• Isolated Doctrines
• Wrong Emphasis
• Neglect of important teachings
• Unbalanced views

6
Does it Matter?
7
What About Tolerance?

• Discuss and consider but never decide.
• Some religions may be better than others -- but
  all religion is good.
• Choose the one that suits you and brings out the
  best in you and does no harm to others.

8
Gods Terms

• "Without faith it is impossible to please him
  for he that cometh to God must believe that he
  is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
  diligently seek him" (Hebrews 116).

9
The Basis for Gods Acceptance
10
Faith

• "He staggered not at the promise of God through
  unbelief but was strong in faith, giving glory
  to God and being fully persuaded that, what he
  had promised, he was able also to perform. And
  therefore it was imputed to him for
  righteousness. Now it was not written for his
  sake alone, that it was imputed to him but for
  us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we
  believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from
  the dead who was delivered for our offences, and
  was raised again for our justification" (Romans
  420-25).

11
A Matter of Life and Death

• "And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took
  either of them his tenser, and put fire therein,
  and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire
  before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And
  there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured
  them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses
  said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake,
  saying, I will be sanctified in them that come
  nigh me, and before all the people I will be
  glorified" (Leviticus 101-3).

12
Conclusion

• There are many Churches
• The Bible should be central to belief
• The Bible should be taken as a whole
• What we believe matters
• We come to God, on Gods terms
• The Church we choose is a matter of Life and
  Death