I Was Shocked and Saddened That My Church Had Strayed From God’s Word

The Church I Grew Up In Had Lost Its Way

Some of my comments in this article may seem strong, but they are meant to point all those that might read it to God’s truth

“Jesus said unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man comes to the Father but by Me” (John 14:6).

In the first chapter of the Gospel of John, it says that Jesus is the “Word.” He is the Word of God and He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Knowing God’s Word is paramount to our spiritual well-being. In His great love for us; the Lord provided His Word to us so that we might know the Truth and know the “Way” that leads to Eternal Life with Him. We are lost in our fallen nature, and His Word, the Bible, is our safety net, so to speak. Without understanding and believing God’s Word we are all on our way to an eternity in Hell.

The church I attended growing up did not point us to the Bible. They did read portions of the Bible on Sunday, but the main teachings of the church centered around obedience to their church doctrines, sacraments, and the belief that they were the one true church. There was no assurance of salvation (the Gospel) in any of their teachings. In fact, penance played a significant role in the church and members were to go to the clergy for “absolution of sins” which is totally against what the Bible teaches. There were many other unbiblical teachings including a place called Purgatory where souls would go after death for “purification” as if the price Jesus paid on the Cross was not enough. The Bible tells us the following regarding this:

“But you were washed (the blood of Jesus cleanses of all sin), But you were sanctified (set apart unto God), but you are justified (declared not guilty) in the Name of the Lord Jesus (by what He accomplished at the Cross)” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

When I read what the Bible said about the “Way” to the Lord and the Salvation He has provided: I was shocked! I had grown up in this church and trusted it to lead me in God’s way. If I had continued in this church and not read the Bible, I would not have found the salvation the Lord has provided. I learned a valuable lesson from all this; we must not place our souls in the hands of any man, or church. Know the truth yourself. In my case, I left that church and found a good Bible-centered church to attend. Have you compared what your church teaches against God’s Word? The Bible says:

“Prove all things, hold fast to that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21.)

We must know and study the Bible for ourselves. the Lord gave us His Word so that we would know the “Way” He has made for us to be forgiven of our sins and be reconciled back to Him. We must measure everything we hear against God’s Word. The Lord teaches us His Way and speaks to us through it. It is a gift from God that has no equal.

We are a fallen race and we make errors in our judgment. Even the most sincere individual, or church, can stray in their doctrine if they do not hold to God’s Word. Sadly, that is exactly what happened to the church I grew up in. Through the many years, it drifted further and further away from the Word of God.

The Lord loves us and saw our fallen and helpless condition. He left his home in Glory and lived among us as the God/Man. He taught us His Word while here and did many great works of healing and deliverance. But the reason He came was to save us from our fallen sinful nature by dying on a cruel Cross to pay for our sins and restore fellowship between God and man. The Bible is the story of the love God has for His creation and how He reached down in that love and made a way for us to be forgiven and spend eternity with him as sons and daughters of God and co-heirs with Christ. That is the Gospel. It’s an amazing story. In fact, the greatest story ever told.

“But God commended His Love for us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8)

Always Remember,

God Loves You

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2023