Pass It On - Sincerity is no Substitute for the Truth
Some advice works for some people while other advice is far more
universal. Here is a piece of advice that covers everyone on
earth at one time. It especially covers anyone who is seeking
God, past, present or future.
I don't know where this advice originated and I have heard
variations of it over the last quarter century. It has a level
of common sense to it that can't be argued against very easily
by anyone. It does, however, create a formidable argument
against the glibly spoken and oft repeated idea that all
religions point to God.
In the middle of the night, a mother hears her child, a little
girl beginning to cough and sniffle as if she is coming down
with a cold. She waits to see if the child will go back to sleep
and she does. Later the child wakes again and this time is
coughing and wheezing more than before. The mother rises
instinctively and while still nearly half asleep she stumbles to
the medicine cabinet where she pulls out a cold remedy in a
bottle. She goes to the child's room where she gives a couple of
spoons full of the medicine to the child then returns to her
room and sleeps soundly for the rest of the night. In the
morning she is shocked to see that her child is dead. She
examines the bottle of medicine she left by the bed only to find
that it was not a cold remedy but a very powerful adult
medicine, and it is what took the child's life.
The mother was very sincere when she gave the medicine to her
child. She could hardly be faulted for anything. But she was
very mistaken about the medicine she inadvertently chose for the
child because after all it was deadly. The point here is clear,
her sincerity was no substitute for the truth, and the truth was
that it was the wrong medicine.
People blindly accept the common notion that all religions point
to God. The idea that even if your religion doesn't point to God
if you are sincere somehow your ignorance is covered is also
mindlessly accepted by millions of people. This notion is more
than a simple error when viewed against the Bible, it is an
outright deception. Christ and the Apostle Paul spoke against
this notion and the foolish and universal acceptance of it in
the following passages.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door
into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is
a thief and a robber. John 10:1
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no
man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6
Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are
thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the
door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go
in and out, and find pasture. John 10: 7-9
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now
commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath
appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in
righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath
given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from
the dead. Acts 17: 30-31
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that
by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom
God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here
before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of
you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is
there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under
heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:10-12
Christ didn't come to give the world another religion, he came
to give men life. Religion seems to be our thing, we are the
builders and purveyors of all the old traditional and ancient
religions as well as the new cults and heresies. Christ takes no
credit for any of them. In fact what is not known by most people
is that the Arch Deceiver (Satan) has religion at the top of his
list to deceive men. He full well knows mans penchant and
proclivity for religion and he also knows the efficacy of the
old adage "if you can't beat them, then join them."
The God of this world (Satan) provides many poisons for us to
grab as we stumble in the night and then sincerely administer
them to our children or ourselves thinking we have dealt with an
oncoming infirmity. How many millions will awake on a judgment
day only to find out then that "Sincerity is no substitute for
the truth?"