|
Which religion saves ?
All people are asking what religion saves. There exist so many
religions, so many churches, so many heresies, so many religious organizations that man justifiably does not know which he should follow
in order to be saved.
The truth is that every nation has its particular religion, which it
supports and rests on. People are not taught nor catechized in the religion of their country nor are they interested to learn the teaching
of their church. All people know that according to their birthplace,
one has their respective religion. If he were born in an Orthodox country, he becomes Orthodox; in a Catholic country, he'd be Catholic;
in a Protestant, he'd be Protestant; and the same applies with the Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus.
Which religion saves? Not one.
Only Christ, who upholds knowledge and cognizance and calls man to believe and accept the truth of the Gospel, saves.
When He sent out His disciples He said unto them, "Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even
unto the end of the world. Amen" (Matthew 28:19). Our Lord Jesus Christ descended from the heavens and "took upon Him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found
in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:7-8). Jesus Christ was crucified and paid the sin of every man of all ages and
all times. Man's salvation depends exclusively and only on Jesus Christ. John the
Chrysostom said in one of his sermons, "Are you not able to say, 'Christ save me?' Say it to Him and He will save you."
The apostle Peter says while defending himself before the high priests
and Pharisees, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no
other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts
4:12). A church, of whatever dogma, is the body of Christ, i.e., the summation
of the people of God who worship the Lord in Spirit and truth. The church is the "pillar and ground of truth." The church upholds the
traditions of the apostles and performs all the services that her Lord
Jesus Christ instructed her through the Gospel. It is so very necessary
for a Christian to belong to a certain church, to be baptized in water,
to be baptized in Holy Spirit, to receive communion every Sunday and to
serve his Savior, Jesus Christ, with "psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs." On her own, this church cannot save any one. Our Lord Jesus Christ saves
every person and adds him or her to His church. In certain instances,
the church can lead a soul to deceit and perdition when the church acts
contrary to the Gospel.
Accept the Lord Jesus Christ and follow His Gospel and you will be saved.
|