Last week I asked if you base your doctrine on The Word of God or tradition.  We are about to find out.  How did you do on the true or false test?  Here is what The Word of God has to say about some of these.  We will begin with the first five statements.  We will be on this for a few weeks.

1.  We have to confess to a minister or priest to have our sins forgiven.  The answer is false. We already have a high priest and His name is Jesus.  The Bible says inHeb.4:14-16 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Each person is invited to come freely and boldly to God in prayer.  He paid the price to be our Savior and high priest.  We need no other mediator.  

2.  There are many good saints that we should pray to.  I hope you know the answer is false.  The Bible says this in Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

That means that every man, woman, boy, and girl has been born into sin.  The apostles and disciples are included in that.  They had to be born again by the blood of Jesus, just like you and I.  The did not evolve into a special saint.  they are not to be venerated.  They are flesh and blood.  Only God is to be worshipped or prayed to.  There is no other name under heaven that we are to pray to.  

When people saw the healings and miracles that took place under Paul and Barnabas’s ministry, they tried to worship them.  Paul made it very clear that it was unacceptable and pointed them back to Jesus.  

Acts 14:11-15 11 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.
12 And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.
13 Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.
14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,
15 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:

Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

3.  Mary should be worshipped, because she is the mother of Jesus.  Again, this is a false answer.  The Bible tells us that she was the mother of Jesus but nothing else.  She was human.  She was never worshipped.  She worshipped God as an ordinary woman must do.   Luke 1:46 -  “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,”

4.  You will go to heaven or hell based upon your good deeds outweighing your bad ones.  This is another false answer.  The Bible says inMark 10:18 “And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God”.  So, first of all, there is no one who is good.  We have all sinned.   

Romans 3:23 “ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”;  It also says inRomans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:‘’

The Bible goes onto tell us what the repercussion of that sin is.  Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  

John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

5.  Cleanliness is next to Godliness. This is false, as far as being something in the Bible.  It is always good to be clean.  However the Bible does not say this.  It probably started with someone’s grandma.  So, you might say that it is only found in the book of “I-Say-A-So”.  

I encourage you to read again next week, as we cover several more of these questions.