Essentials of Religion (x)

In this chapter we will speak of the seventh and tenth items in our original list of the essentials of religion, which are related, dealing with Religious Rules and Regulations and Oracles and Sacred Writings and will show how Christianity has the preeminence in this area. This would include a set of core beliefs or doctrine, inspired writings or holy books, and instruction concerning God and how to please him and how to find salvation and eternal life. It seems appropriate that in concluding this series that we should also lump together the other essentials of religion along with the two mentioned above, for again, they are all related. Those other essentials were Sacrifices, Rites and Ceremonies,  Holy or Feast Days, Religious Duties (religious life), Creed or Confession of Faith, and Belief and religious feelings. This will take a few chapters to address.

Such rules and regulations contain a moral code of conduct, statutes and laws, with their prescribed punishments. Included also is each religion's theology, or body of divinity, derived from accepted holy scriptures and from the teachings of the founders or representatives of each religion. For instance, in Christianity the ten commandments of the old testament form the basis of the new testament's code of conduct. On top of this are the teachings of Christ and his apostles. The Quran, the holy book of Islam, and the Hadith, which contain the Prophet Muhammad's sayings and actions, serve as foundational texts for Islamic ethics and morality. 

"Hindu codes of conduct, or ethics, are drawn from a wide range of sacred texts, with the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, and Ramayana being among the most prominent. These texts provide guidance on various aspects of life, including moral behavior, social practices, and spiritual principles." (AI) 

We could expand on the survey of the world's leading religions, but will focus on the Christian religion and on seeing how again Christianity is superior in its ethics, philosophy, theology, knowledge, wisdom, doctrine, laws, ideals, hopes and promises, and its visions of a better world.

Christianity is superior because it recognizes only the one true God, known in the old testament as Elohim, Yahweh (or Jehovah or "I Am That I Am"). In the Greek new testament he is more commonly known as "Father" ('pater'), "God" ('theos'), "Lord" ('kurios') or as the "Almighty," "Creator" or "Maker," etc. But God is also known as the "Son of God," and in a sense which makes him equal with God, or one with the Father. He too is called "God" in the new testament. (John 1:1; 20:28; Matt. 1: 23; 2 Peter 1:1; Heb. 1: 8) That does not mean, however, that Christianity believes that the Father and Son are two distinct gods. Just like a man and a woman are two and yet one, so too is Christ and the Father two and yet one. Christ said "I and my Father are one" (John 10:30), which statement provoked many of the Jews to want to stone him for supposed blasphemy. The Christian creed confesses: "for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live." (I Cor. 8: 6 nkjv)

Christianity is superior in its beliefs because God has spoken to men through his Son.

"1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." (Heb. 1: 1-4 nkjv)

The books of the new testament are the result of this coming of Christ and of the giving of new divine oracles, either by himself or through the Holy Spirit via the apostles and new testament men of God. Jesus said:

"No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you." (John 15: 15 nkjv)

Luke the physician and historian wrote:

"The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen." (Acts 1: 1-2 kjv)

What greater source of faith, doctrine, ethics, and of the way of salvation is there? Muslims, though they confess that Jesus was a prophet, yet believe that Muhammad was greater and left a greater revelation. Also, though they believe Jesus revealed God's truth and will, accepting some of what is in the new testament, yet they pick and choose what they accept. Anything in the new testament books that contradicts Muslim teachings is cast aside under the pretense that the things they say that Jesus said are not actually his words, but additions to the new testament by uninspired men. They say this even though there is little historical evidence to prove their claims. There is far more reliability to the Gospel records than there is for the Quran. 

Islam, it may be argued, is but an offshoot of Christianity and has much in common with Arianism, a false doctrine that denies the deity of Christ the Son of God, and which error is believed by certain "Christian" sects such as the Unitarians and Jehovah's Witnesses. Muslims stumble at the idea that Jesus was God manifest in the flesh, and that God is a Trinity of persons. They stumble at the idea that Jesus died on the cross, and that it was as a sacrifice for sin. They also deny the bodily resurrection of Christ, although they believe in a general resurrection of all men.

If you do a Google search with the words "Islam is a schism from Christianity" you will get "no" for an answer. But, this is because AI sees in the literature that Islam does not see itself as a schism from Christianity. But, many historians will affirm that it is such. However, we may similarly ask whether Mormonism and Catholicism are not also schisms from Christianity. Though these sects have cast off several new testament teachings, yet they still hold to some of them, and were once a part of the Christian community.

Islam believes that Jesus was a prophet and yet they do not have any way to know where to find his teachings, for everything that claims to be his teachings, such as the new testament, are to them suspect and unreliable. Why would God, however, preserve Muhammad's teachings but not Jesus' teachings? When a Muslim reads the four Christian Gospels (that give the direct teachings of Jesus), whatever he thinks is in agreement with Islam he claims was really spoken by Jesus, but whatever contradicts Islam is rejected. Just because Islam rejects the idea of being an offshoot of Christianity does not mean that it is not, and the same may be said in regard to Mormonism, Catholicism, Unitarianism, etc. 

So, what are the core beliefs of Christianity? Do they practice all that was commanded in the old testament? Do they follow the ten commandments? What parts of the old testament's laws do they practice?

The ten commandments are accepted by Christians except that the way of observing the Sabbath as a holy day has changed. The apostles taught that it was no longer binding on Christians of the new covenant to keep the weekly Sabbath, yet many Christians do observe the weekly Sabbath, some on Saturday, and some on Sunday, believing that the Sabbath day was changed from the seventh day to the first day of the week. But the apostles taught that the old testament Sabbath or Sabbaths (for there were other kinds) now became something to be enjoyed and observed by the Christian every day. This is because Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. He said: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Luke 6:5) He also said "come unto me all you who labor and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11: 28), that is, give them Sabbath rest. This rest is enjoyed every day. This is the true Sabbath of which the old covenant weekly Sabbath was but an inferior type. Wrote Paul to the Hebrews: "There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God." (Heb. 4: 9 niv) This Sabbath rest however is not the weekly Sabbath, as the context shows, but is what the Christian celebrates every day. 

In fact, Christians have no holy days, nor any animal sacrifices, nor any feasts, nor any special religious diets. Said Paul to the Galatians who were being tempted to go back under the old covenant: "You observe days and months and seasons and years...I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain." (Gal. 4: 10-11 nkjv) To the Colossians he said: "So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ." (Col. 2: 16-17 nkjv) 

Though many Christians keep a weekly Sabbath, and observe holy days such as Christmas and Easter, these are done without any commandment to do so. Paul said that Christians have something better, affirming that those who observe such holidays only have a "shadow" of things, but do not have "the substance." Those who have the antitype (literal reality) are superior to those who only have the type (symbol). For the Christian every day is a holy day. Only the weak religionist observes days and dietary laws, the strong ones, i.e. Christians, see every day as the same. (Rom. 14: 5) This is also true in regard to religious feasts. We have already spoken of how Christians are exhorted to "keep the Passover feast" (I Cor. 5: 8) when he partakes of Christ in his inner spirit, soul and mind, when he enjoys God's presence and his Gospel. All the seven feasts God ordained to be observed by his ancient people are no longer observed for they have been superseded by the reality to which they pointed. 

In addition to keeping the ten commandments Christians believe that they are summed up in two commandments. So we read of this encounter by a lawyer with Christ:

"Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,  "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"  Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." (Matt. 22: 35-40 nkjv)

Jesus also summed up the old testament law and Prophets with what is called the "golden rule," given in these words:

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." (Matt. 7: 12 nkjv)

As we will see, Christians do have a superior moral code as summed up in these words of Christ. They are not onerous either, although a man's depravity may make a man think they are such. The apostle John said: "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." (I John 5: 3 nkjv) 

The new testament does condemn various vices and promotes various virtues. For instance, it values humility and denounces pride and hubris. It promotes heavenly wisdom and condemns worldly or devilish wisdom. It promotes knowledge, but condemns "knowledge falsely so called." (I Tim. 6: 20) It also says that knowledge without love is useless. (I Cor. 13: 2) It affirms that the knowledge of God is to be prioritized above all other knowledge. It promotes love to God and neighbor as we have seen, but it also gives us a clear definition of love. Wrote Paul by the Spirit:

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." (I Cor. 13: 4-8 nkjv)

The Christian code of conduct and system of belief are not complicated but simple. So the apostle Paul warned Christians about having their "minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (II Cor. 11: 3 nkjv)

We also see the superiority of Christ's moral code in what are called the "beatitudes." These are given in Christ's first sermon in Matthew chapter five.

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (vs. 3-12 nkjv)

What an excellent and superior code of conduct does Christianity have!