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What is Truth!?
In a conversation with religion as the topic, the question "What is truth", is sure to come up. Think about it. At one time we've all asked this question. How are we to know what truth is when there are so many religions out there? Are all religions leading to the same place? Perhaps they all worship the same God while calling him different names? Herein this document, we will take a look at the only "religious" figure to ever make the claim that he himself was the incarnation of truth. My hope is that after reading this document, you will become aware of the uniqueness of Jesus the Christ, and find the answer to the elusive question, what is truth.
Unquestionably, the most influential man who ever lived is Jesus. Why has he alone been the number one influence for many, for almost 2000 years? Surely, there were many other great men. And, Jesus isn't the only "religious" figure to claim to be the Messiah, or the only guy to have a religion start because of his teachings. Indeed there has been many! However, there is something that does separate Jesus and Christianity from every other religion and religious figure. Jesus is the only man and "religious" figure to ever make the claim that he was the incarnation of truth.
Jesus said he is the truth, the life, and the only way to God. He [Jesus] explained that no man is good and that no amount of good deeds we do can reserve us a spot in Heaven. He taught that God is a good God, and also a Just God. By his [God] perfect nature, he must punish evil. Jesus brought to people the awareness of sin. He brought to our attention God's Law--The Ten Commandments. Jesus showed us that when judging ourselves by God's Law, the Commandments, we are all guilty and worthy of punishment. Again, Jesus claimed to be the only way to God. But, how?
Lets try to judge ourselves by God's Laws--The Ten Commandments. Have you ever lied? If I asked you, "what do you call a person that lies?" Please don't tell me "human." While amusing as your reply would be, the honest answer is, a liar. Same as if you ever stole, that would make you a thief. Jesus once said the following; and this is the one that got me. He said, anyone that looks at a woman in lust has committed adultery with her in his heart. One of God's Ten Laws is "you shall not commit adultery." So, we learn from Jesus that if we look with lust, we are committing adultery and therefore guilty of breaking one of God's Laws.
In the previous paragraph, I have gone over only three of God's Laws, more than enough for you to receive God's divine judgment. And God's judgment can be pretty swift. The punishment for breaking God's Laws is eternity in hell. Now question: How can anyone one of us avoid going to hell when none of us are good, perfect, or innocent of not committing any sin? It is true we all, at one time or another lied, stole, and committed adultery, whether in our minds or physically. How then can we go to Heaven? Lets take a look at some of the world's most popular religions to see if we can decipher any truth.
Buddhism--This Religion was started by an Indian prince named Siddartha Gautama. As the story goes, he lived a life of wealth and luxury, and was shielded away from any kind of pain. One day, as the young prince venturing through the city, he saw some old men. The prince had never saw any old people before. He also saw the bodies of dead people. This too was a new thing for the young prince. This was said to be his awaking, as he learned of pain and suffering. After this, young prince Siddartha ran away from home, and dedicated his life to find enlightenment. For many years Siddartha lived with some tribes men who too dedicated their lives to find enlightenment. The taught him that one must find enlightenment through pain and affliction, and, for a while prince Siddartha followed their teachings. One day, after many days of starvation, Siddartha could no longer take it. He eat food and even bathed himself in a near by river.
When the tribe's men saw Siddartha eating and bathing, they became sorrowed and disgusted. They abandoned him and set out to find enlightenment without him. This was the day Siddartha found what is commonly called 'the middle way". From that day on, Siddartha went out to teach that life is a never-ending circle of pain and sorrow. He taught that life is meaningless and full of pain. Only when we find enlightenment we end the circle of the endless process of being born, living, and death. After achieving "enlightenment", Siddartha name was changed to Buddha. The Buddhist teachings are, to live life doing "good deeds"and to achieve enlightenment to find peace.
Islam-- Islam is a religion founded by a man named Mohammad. Mohammad was said to been visited by the archangel Gabriel and been given the words of God, which after his death was composed into a book which is called the Qura'n. During Mohammad's life, he went around declaring Islam and denouncing Judaism and Christianity. He taught that Allah; which previously had been the "moon god" of Arabian tribe's men, is the only true God.
Through many wars or "jihads" he won most of the Middle East to Islam. In Islamic teachings, its followers are taught that there are two basic ways to go meet Allah in paradise. One sure way is to die for Allah in Jihad. And, the other way is through "good deeds".That is to say, live your life doing good things, and following God's Laws, (Ten Commandments) given by the prophet Moses. In Islam, if you do this, you will join Allah in paradise. Centuries after the death of its founder Muhammad, Islam is the second most practiced religion, and rapidly becoming the first.
Judaism-- The religion practiced by most of the world's Jewish population. This religion centers on God's Laws--The Ten Commandments, which was given to from God to Moses and the Jewish people. Judaism teaches that if you follow the Ten Commandments and live a good life, i.e., doing"good deeds",you will make it to heaven with God and the old prophets. Judaism also teaches that if you sin or break one of the Ten Commandments. You can receive remitting for your sins by offering a sacrifice to God. Most of the world's populations of Jews are sill awaiting the arrival of the Messiah.
Christianity--We now arrive to where we had begun, with the finding of truth. The practice of Christianity started with a man named Jesus. He taught that no man is good and that no matter how much good we do, the good will never negate any of the bad we've done in our life time. Think about it like this:If you robbed a bank for a million dollars, then you took most of the money to give it to needed children, what do you think will happen if the police catches you? If you have a working brain, you will know that even though you did a good and noble thing by giving the money to needy children. The fact remains that you still broke the law and stole from a bank.You see, the law has already been set.
This is the same way with God, Jesus taught. By God's law we are all guilty! No amount of good we do, whether if we giving money to the poor or whatever we do. Nothing we do can get us into heaven. We've all sinned and fallen short of God's laws. Also through Christianity and the Bible, we learn that even if you don't know the Laws of God, which is the Ten Commandments. We still, intensively follow it. This is because God has written his laws on our hearts.
Our conscience bears witness of the truth. When have you lied and not know you was doing something wrong? Or, when have you stole and not know deep down that what you was doing is not what you want to happen to you? The truth is, we all know when we do something wrong. Even if we do not know what exactly a sin is, we still know when we do something wrong. Again, our conscience is proof of this.
Jesus taught that he was the fulfillment of God's Law. He said, you can't pick and choose what laws of God you want to follow. You either follow all or follow none. And since no one can follow all of God's law all the time. He said that he is the way to God. Jesus was God's sacrifice that died in order to pardon anyone who believes in him from God's punishment, which is eternity in hell. The fact is folks, that we all have been born under a death sentence. We all are born into sin, and throughout our lifetime we will sin. God sent his only son Jesus to die on a cross. And on the cross, he [Jesus] took upon himself all of the world's sin. He felt the full fury of God's wrath and anger.
In doing this, God showed his love for mankind. There is no other way to save mankind. So, God who so loved the world, sent his only son to die so that who ever believed in the sacrifice of Jesus can have eternal life. For the people that do not believe, they are already condemned for they were born in sin and continue to sin throughout their life time. The world needed a savior, someone to step into God's court room and say, "I paid the price for this guy".This is what Jesus did! He paid the price of sin for all those who would believe. This is why Jesus was so confident in saying "I am the truth, the life, and the only way to God."
He alone has done what no other religious figure can do. Through his sacrifice on the cross he has paid the price for sin once and for all. After three days of his death, Jesus was rose from the dead by the power of God. The Son of God, isn't some dead guy, he is ALIVE today. You can find him by admitting your sins to him and asking him to come into your life and be the savior of you life. Repent of your sins and ask God to come into your life today and he will. Then and only then, you will know truth. Till that day, what you think you know as truth, is only lies masked as truth.
Religon is Man's attempt to reach God. But, through a man called Jesus, God reached down to man. Drop religion and pick up the Saviour of the world. You need Jesus!
--Conscience
In a conversation with religion as the topic, the question "What is truth", is sure to come up. Think about it. At one time we've all asked this question. How are we to know what truth is when there are so many religions out there? Are all religions leading to the same place? Perhaps they all worship the same God while calling him different names? Herein this document, we will take a look at the only "religious" figure to ever make the claim that he himself was the incarnation of truth. My hope is that after reading this document, you will become aware of the uniqueness of Jesus the Christ, and find the answer to the elusive question, what is truth.
Unquestionably, the most influential man who ever lived is Jesus. Why has he alone been the number one influence for many, for almost 2000 years? Surely, there were many other great men. And, Jesus isn't the only "religious" figure to claim to be the Messiah, or the only guy to have a religion start because of his teachings. Indeed there has been many! However, there is something that does separate Jesus and Christianity from every other religion and religious figure. Jesus is the only man and "religious" figure to ever make the claim that he was the incarnation of truth.
Jesus said he is the truth, the life, and the only way to God. He [Jesus] explained that no man is good and that no amount of good deeds we do can reserve us a spot in Heaven. He taught that God is a good God, and also a Just God. By his [God] perfect nature, he must punish evil. Jesus brought to people the awareness of sin. He brought to our attention God's Law--The Ten Commandments. Jesus showed us that when judging ourselves by God's Law, the Commandments, we are all guilty and worthy of punishment. Again, Jesus claimed to be the only way to God. But, how?
Lets try to judge ourselves by God's Laws--The Ten Commandments. Have you ever lied? If I asked you, "what do you call a person that lies?" Please don't tell me "human." While amusing as your reply would be, the honest answer is, a liar. Same as if you ever stole, that would make you a thief. Jesus once said the following; and this is the one that got me. He said, anyone that looks at a woman in lust has committed adultery with her in his heart. One of God's Ten Laws is "you shall not commit adultery." So, we learn from Jesus that if we look with lust, we are committing adultery and therefore guilty of breaking one of God's Laws.
In the previous paragraph, I have gone over only three of God's Laws, more than enough for you to receive God's divine judgment. And God's judgment can be pretty swift. The punishment for breaking God's Laws is eternity in hell. Now question: How can anyone one of us avoid going to hell when none of us are good, perfect, or innocent of not committing any sin? It is true we all, at one time or another lied, stole, and committed adultery, whether in our minds or physically. How then can we go to Heaven? Lets take a look at some of the world's most popular religions to see if we can decipher any truth.
Buddhism--This Religion was started by an Indian prince named Siddartha Gautama. As the story goes, he lived a life of wealth and luxury, and was shielded away from any kind of pain. One day, as the young prince venturing through the city, he saw some old men. The prince had never saw any old people before. He also saw the bodies of dead people. This too was a new thing for the young prince. This was said to be his awaking, as he learned of pain and suffering. After this, young prince Siddartha ran away from home, and dedicated his life to find enlightenment. For many years Siddartha lived with some tribes men who too dedicated their lives to find enlightenment. The taught him that one must find enlightenment through pain and affliction, and, for a while prince Siddartha followed their teachings. One day, after many days of starvation, Siddartha could no longer take it. He eat food and even bathed himself in a near by river.
When the tribe's men saw Siddartha eating and bathing, they became sorrowed and disgusted. They abandoned him and set out to find enlightenment without him. This was the day Siddartha found what is commonly called 'the middle way". From that day on, Siddartha went out to teach that life is a never-ending circle of pain and sorrow. He taught that life is meaningless and full of pain. Only when we find enlightenment we end the circle of the endless process of being born, living, and death. After achieving "enlightenment", Siddartha name was changed to Buddha. The Buddhist teachings are, to live life doing "good deeds"and to achieve enlightenment to find peace.
Islam-- Islam is a religion founded by a man named Mohammad. Mohammad was said to been visited by the archangel Gabriel and been given the words of God, which after his death was composed into a book which is called the Qura'n. During Mohammad's life, he went around declaring Islam and denouncing Judaism and Christianity. He taught that Allah; which previously had been the "moon god" of Arabian tribe's men, is the only true God.
Through many wars or "jihads" he won most of the Middle East to Islam. In Islamic teachings, its followers are taught that there are two basic ways to go meet Allah in paradise. One sure way is to die for Allah in Jihad. And, the other way is through "good deeds".That is to say, live your life doing good things, and following God's Laws, (Ten Commandments) given by the prophet Moses. In Islam, if you do this, you will join Allah in paradise. Centuries after the death of its founder Muhammad, Islam is the second most practiced religion, and rapidly becoming the first.
Judaism-- The religion practiced by most of the world's Jewish population. This religion centers on God's Laws--The Ten Commandments, which was given to from God to Moses and the Jewish people. Judaism teaches that if you follow the Ten Commandments and live a good life, i.e., doing"good deeds",you will make it to heaven with God and the old prophets. Judaism also teaches that if you sin or break one of the Ten Commandments. You can receive remitting for your sins by offering a sacrifice to God. Most of the world's populations of Jews are sill awaiting the arrival of the Messiah.
Christianity--We now arrive to where we had begun, with the finding of truth. The practice of Christianity started with a man named Jesus. He taught that no man is good and that no matter how much good we do, the good will never negate any of the bad we've done in our life time. Think about it like this:If you robbed a bank for a million dollars, then you took most of the money to give it to needed children, what do you think will happen if the police catches you? If you have a working brain, you will know that even though you did a good and noble thing by giving the money to needy children. The fact remains that you still broke the law and stole from a bank.You see, the law has already been set.
This is the same way with God, Jesus taught. By God's law we are all guilty! No amount of good we do, whether if we giving money to the poor or whatever we do. Nothing we do can get us into heaven. We've all sinned and fallen short of God's laws. Also through Christianity and the Bible, we learn that even if you don't know the Laws of God, which is the Ten Commandments. We still, intensively follow it. This is because God has written his laws on our hearts.
Our conscience bears witness of the truth. When have you lied and not know you was doing something wrong? Or, when have you stole and not know deep down that what you was doing is not what you want to happen to you? The truth is, we all know when we do something wrong. Even if we do not know what exactly a sin is, we still know when we do something wrong. Again, our conscience is proof of this.
Jesus taught that he was the fulfillment of God's Law. He said, you can't pick and choose what laws of God you want to follow. You either follow all or follow none. And since no one can follow all of God's law all the time. He said that he is the way to God. Jesus was God's sacrifice that died in order to pardon anyone who believes in him from God's punishment, which is eternity in hell. The fact is folks, that we all have been born under a death sentence. We all are born into sin, and throughout our lifetime we will sin. God sent his only son Jesus to die on a cross. And on the cross, he [Jesus] took upon himself all of the world's sin. He felt the full fury of God's wrath and anger.
In doing this, God showed his love for mankind. There is no other way to save mankind. So, God who so loved the world, sent his only son to die so that who ever believed in the sacrifice of Jesus can have eternal life. For the people that do not believe, they are already condemned for they were born in sin and continue to sin throughout their life time. The world needed a savior, someone to step into God's court room and say, "I paid the price for this guy".This is what Jesus did! He paid the price of sin for all those who would believe. This is why Jesus was so confident in saying "I am the truth, the life, and the only way to God."
He alone has done what no other religious figure can do. Through his sacrifice on the cross he has paid the price for sin once and for all. After three days of his death, Jesus was rose from the dead by the power of God. The Son of God, isn't some dead guy, he is ALIVE today. You can find him by admitting your sins to him and asking him to come into your life and be the savior of you life. Repent of your sins and ask God to come into your life today and he will. Then and only then, you will know truth. Till that day, what you think you know as truth, is only lies masked as truth.
Religon is Man's attempt to reach God. But, through a man called Jesus, God reached down to man. Drop religion and pick up the Saviour of the world. You need Jesus!
--Conscience
