I have prayed for many people to be saved and have talked to many about what the Bible says one must do
to know for sure that they will one day go to Heaven. Some of them are secure in their own religion. Many adhere to their own beliefs, even when they are shown Bible verses that teach contrary to what their religion teaches. They will not be swayed.
The other day, I was thinking that they will not be moved because they are convinced that their religion is right. Often they cannot fathom that as large, popular, or as old as their cult is that it could be wrong.
However, as anchored to their beliefs as they are, not one of those that I have witnessed to has ever made one effort to sway me to their beliefs. It seems to me if they were convinced they were following correct doctrine, they would not want anyone else to go in the wrong spiritual direction; especially when it involved their eternal soul.
The logical reasons for their not sharing their beliefs with others must be because:
- They trust wholly in what their religion teaches and that it is right. However, they still harbor some doubt.
- They may not really know all their faction believes, and they do not want to be challenged.
- They may not be convinced that the Bible is God’s Word and that its teaching is His only way.
- They do not really care for my soul. They are only concerned about themselves.
- They may believe, as they were taught, that no one can know for sure that they would go to Heaven when they die.
- They may believe that there is one God, but many ways to get to His Heaven. So they are not concerned that Bible believers believe differently than they do!
- They may believe there is no Hell and that all will go to Heaven or a place like it.
- They do not really take the afterlife seriously!
Whatever the reason, it seems many with beliefs not in alignment with what the Bible teaches do not have the burden to reach others. It may be just as well so their false teachings are not spread to confuse more people and hinder so many from being saved and having God’s promise of an eternity with Him.
Are you really sure what you believe is correct? Many are trusting their eternal soul with teachings that are recent, ever-changing, and are often just a man’s or an organization’s beliefs. A real, reliable faith should be based on a source that comes straight from God, has been around from man’s beginning, and has been proven reliable throughout all ages. The only media that still exists today and fits that description is God’s Word, the Bible. Does what you believe about God and eternity line up with God’s preserved word, or are you trusting an unreliable man-made religion?
“The appearance of religion only on Sunday proves that it is only an appearance.” — Adams
Traditions are hard to break in most cults and Catholicism. They are taught at an early age that they are right and everybody else is wrong.
The have hidden it well in the new Catholic Catechism, but the old one (1960’s) it said clearly “There is no salvation outside the Catholic church.” I think it was question #125.
Bro Brinkworth,
One man I work with that belongs to a religion was heard to say once when he was witnessed to…”if you are right, then that means that all my family, all my family before me, and all my friends are either in hell or are going to hell and I refuse to believe that”. It was an unfortunate exchange that I heard about between him and another man. It illustrates your point in the devotion. This man remains lost, wants to hear nothing of the word of God, but knows nothing of it either. The truth is that the enemy has them so bound in their “lifestyle” and their false religion, the only thing they can see is what they think they are losing,
Lord, help us to win these people! It bothers me that we work with these people and spend tons of time with them, but seem to have so little impact in terms of winning them to The Lord. I/we do a fair amount of tiptoeing around them to keep them talking, but we live our lives plainly in front of them as well.
One of the hardest obstacles for a soul-winner to face is a “religious”, but lost, person. I have found that it rarily bears fruit when attacking the weak and wrong points of their unbiblical religion – but I want to. Many people in a false religion often do not have a clue all their religion teaches. I have found it quite true with many Catholic folk. They are very faithful to their religion, but most don’t have a clue what their church teaches and what their teachings really mean. It is so hard to break them out of the heaven-robbing grasp their religion has on them.
Yes sir, I wanted to say it yesterday, but you called the name of it. We live in a very Catholic area and it is exactly as you say. They don’t know what they believe. I want so bad to challenge it, but the Holy Ghost almost never allows that approach, which is right because it often alienates more than it saves. The example I gave yesterday is one such case.
We have several in our church that came out of the Catholic Church and they are like first generation immigrants…willing to work the hardest for the least to grow closer to the Lord. They never saw, heard, or suspected anything about being saved or any deeper walk with Him until they escaped that religion.
I find that they give little or no thought to whether they are heaven bound. I find that they universally avoid the Bible, all the way down to believing it is wrong for them to read it. If they decide to leave, they face ostracization from family and friends and plenty of reassurance from that side that they are hellbound if they are not part of that church.
I wish we could reach them. It is vast, but the hold is strong. I have by no means given up, but I also realize that we have no promise of a mass revival.
As a bright point, I have 2 catholic friends that often shock me with their views and knowledge. One day I came out and told one…”Gene, you surprised me”… He labels himself as an evangelical Catholic, not sure what that means, but he and this other guy are a different stripe. Perhaps God will reform it from within?