The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life - GOD'S QUALITIES AND WHY WE WORSHIP HIM ALONE

 What does the Bible itself tell us about God? It tells us that "God is Spirit." (John 4:24) A spirit is not composed of flesh and blood, nor other material substances that can be seen or felt by human senses. (1 Corinthians15:44, 50) So, human eyes have never seen God. (John 1:18) He is far superior to anything our eyes behold. The majesty of the mountains, the brilliance of the sun, and even the glory of the starry heavens are nothing as compared to him. -ISAIAH 40:25,26. 

No wonder that in the heaven the song is sung: 'Great and wonderful are your works, Jehovah God, the Almighty. Righteous and true are your ways, King of eternity. Who will not really fear you, Jehovah and glorify your name, because you alone are loyal?" (Revelation 15:3, 4) As the Creator of all things, Jehovah God, the King of eternity," existed before all others. He is "from everlasting to everlasting," meaning that is he had no beginning and will have an end. -1 TIMOTHY 1:17; PSALM 90:2, AV [89:2, Dy].

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The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life - Who Is God?

 In Hebrew, the language in which the first thirty-nine books of the Bible (AV) were written, God's name is represented thousands of times by four Hebrew letters, YHWH. In ancient times the Hebrew language was written without vowels, the reader supplying the vowels as he read the words. So, the problem is that today, we have no way of knowing exactly which vowels the Hebrews used along with the consonants YHWH. Many scholars think the name was pronounced "Yahweh," but the form "Jehovah" has been in use for many centuries and is most likely known. 

Because there is uncertainty as to the exact pronunciation of God's personal name, some clergymen say that you should not use it at all, but instead simply say "God" or "the Lord." However, they do not insist that you should not use the names, "Jesus" "Jeremiah." And yet these commonly used pronunciations are quite different from the Hebrew pronunciations "Yesh' and " and "Yirm iah'." The vital point is not what pronunciation you use for the Divine Name, whether "Yahweh," "Jehovah," or some other, as long as the pronunciation is common in your language. What is wrong is to fail to use that name. Why? Because those who do not use it could not be identified with the ones who God takes out to be "a people for his name." (Acts 15:14) We should not only know God's name but honor it and praise it before others as God's Son did when he was on earth. - MATTHEW 17:6, 26.

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The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life - Who Is God?

 Man's need for God and his help has never been greater than now. Our lives depend upon knowing him. But, strangely enough, there is much confusion as to who he is, for today, as in the past, there are many gods worshiped in different lands. Yet, the Bible makes clear that there is only one TRUE God. - 1 CORINTHIANS 8:5, 6. 

To distinguish himself from the many false god's, the true God has given himself a person name. This sets him apart from all others.  "Is not 'God' his name?"  some may ask. No, for "God" is merely a title, just as "President," "King" and "Judge" are titles. God's personal name is made known to us through his Word, the Bible, and that his name is JEHOVAH. In many translation of the Bible this name is found at Psalm 83:18, where we read (AV): That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, are the most high over all the earth." And in almost all translations the name is found at Revelation 19:1-6 as part of the expression "Alleluia" or "Hallelujah." This means "praise Jah" (a shortened form of Jehovah). The Catholic Encyclopedia (1910, Volume VIII, p.3290 says of the divine name: "Jehovah, the proper name of God in the Old Testament." However, The Jerusalem Bible, a recent Catholic translation, regularly uses the name Yahweh," as do a number of other translations. Why is that? 

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The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life - Why It Is Wise to Examine Your Religion - Conclsusion

 As you examine God's Word, you will learn that your love for God will put to the test. There may be individuals, perhaps even close friends or relatives, who will approve of your examining the Scriptures.  (1 Peter 4:4; Matthew 10:36, 37) They may try to discourage you. They may do this in all sincerity, because they do not know the marvelous truth found in the Bible. Perhaps you can help them.  In other cases the opposition may come from persons who no love for God. If this should occur, remember, having God's approval is far more important than having the approval of men. It is God, not man, who will give you eternal life if you love him above everyone and everything else. - MATTHEW 22:37-39. 

Always look to God for his help and guidance. Keep on praying, as the psalmist: "O Jehovah, hear my prayer . . . Teach me to do your will, for you are my God." (Psalm 143:1, 10 [142:1, 10, Dy] If you sincerely want to know and practice the religion that he approves, he will answer your prayer. And he will bring you in association with those who really do "worship the Father with spirit and truth." - JOHN 4:23; see also MATTHEW 7:7, 8. 

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The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life - Why It Is Wise to Examine Your Religion - Continue

 Jesus said that you could recognize whether a man practices true religion by his "fruits," that is the things he does. (Matthew 7:20) In the same way we can recognize a religion by the kind of people it processes. True religion ought to produce better persons-better husbands and fathers, better wives and mothers. It should produce sons who are honest, who stand out among others because they do what is right. Is that not what you would expect of a religion that draws only one close to God? God looks for these things too, and they determine whether a religion is approved of God or not.

Certainly you do not want to be classed with those who are refused entry into the Kingdom of God because of failure to do God's will. It will be to your benefit, then, to get well acquainted with the Bible. The book you are now reading is designed to help you do that. Follow the course of those ancient  Beroeans whom God's Word approves because they "received the word with the greatest eagerness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so." - ACTS 17:11.

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The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life - Why It is Wise to Examine Your Religion - Continue

What, then, of the religions that take the name of Christ and profess to accept him as their Lord? Does their preaching in his name guarantee that they meet with God's approval? In view of the scriptures already considered, perhaps you have concluded that it does not. If so, then on this matter you agree with Jesus Christ, the one whom God has appointed as heavenly judge; because he warns us saying: "Not everyone saying to me 'Lord, lord,' will enter into the Kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name . . .  ? And yet then I will confess to them:? I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness." - MATTHEW 7:21-23. 

Knowledge of the Bible and of God's will will is essential for God's approval.  But as Jesus said, it is the doing of that will that counts. One must have works that are consistent with that one has learned. (James 2:26) To please God, then, one's religion must be in full harmony with the Bible and be applied in every activity of life. - LUKE 6:46-49.

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The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life - Why It is Wise to Examine Your Religion - Continue

 We need to examine, not only what we personally believe, but also what is taught by any religious organization with which we may be associated. Are its teachings in harmony with God's Word, or are they based on the traditions of men? If we are lovers of the truth, there is nothing to fear from an examination. It should be the sincere desire of every one of us to learn what God's will is for us, and hen do it. -JOHN 8:32. 

The mere fact that church members may have the Bible or that it is occasionally read to them from the pulpit does not of itself prove that all the things that are taught are in the Bible; each and every person should. But we must also know what it says and believe it. If a really accepts the Bible as God's Word, it is going to use certain parts of it and reject other parts. "All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight." (2 Timothy 3:16) Since this is so, the religion that is approved by God must agree in all its details with the Bible. 

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The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life - Why It is Wise to Examine Your Religion - Continue

 Probably you find yourself readily agreeing with the fact that much religion is not approved by God. No doubt there are many things done in the name of religion that you do not approve. For example, if you look around in the churches and observe persons who live immoral lives but who make a pretense at being righteous, you know that something is wrong. (2 Timothy 3:4, 5) And when you read in the newspaper that some clergymen are publicly approving of sex relations between unmarried persons and that they are saying that homosexuality is all right under certain conditions, you are well aware that this is not what God says. You may remember that God destroyed the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And why? Because they practiced such things! So you know that God is going to approve of a religion that tells people it is alright to act like that. -JUDE 7.

However, you have no doubt heard people say: "
It doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you lead a clean moral life and deal kindly with your neighbors."  But is that all there is to worshiping God in an acceptable way? These things are necessary, but God requires more. Doctrines are also involved. The Bible informs us that "the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth." (John 4:23) If our worship is to be acceptable to God, it must be firmly rooted in God's Word of truth. Jesus reproved those persons who claimed to serve God but who relied heavily on the tradition of men in preference to God's Word. He applied to them God's own Words from Isaiah 29:13, saying: "It is in vain that they keep worshiping me, because they teach commands of men as doctrines. (Matthew15:9) Since we do not want our worship to be in vain, it is important for each one of us to examine his religion. 

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The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life - Why It Is Wise to Examine You Religion

 We have good reason to think seriously about our standing with God. Why? Because the evidence proves that God will soon destroy the wicked and establish his righteous new system. So we need to ask: "Am I worshiping in the way that he approves?" It is not any man but God, who is the judge of what pleases him. To get God's viewpoint, we need to go to the Bible. There he plainly tells us the course to follow if we want to gain eternal life. (Proverbs 3:1. 2) If we take to heart what he says and apply it in our lives, it will result in marvelous blessings for us, both now and in the ages to come. 

When we examine what the Bible says on this matter, what do we find? Does it teach that the hundreds of millions of persons who practice religion in so many different ways are all pleasing to God? Does it show that all religion is good? To enable us to know how he views the matter, God had this plain statement recorded in his Word: "Broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are finding it." (Matthew 7:13, 14) How clearly those words answer our questions! They show that many people are not worshiping the true God (not the traditional god) in a way that pleases him. Only a few are on the road leading to life. 

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The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life - THE TRUTH THAT LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE

 The coming world change will affect every person on the face of the earth, including you. If you love life and want to live, you should hasten to take in accurate knowledge of God, his purposes and his requirements. That is what God wants you to do, for it is his will that "all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth." (1 Timothy 2:4) Accurate knowledge from God's Word of truth will enable honest-hearted persons to survive the end of the present wicked system. (Zephaniah 2:3) It will also reveal the way to eternal life in God's grand new system: "This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one you sent forth, Jesus Christ." - JOHN 17:3; see also JOHN 4:14. 

How encouraging it is to know that soon will see the end of the world's troubles! How thrilling it is to know that we have the hope of shortly entering a new system where we can forever enjoy life to the full! This should give every one of us strong reasons for wanting to learn the truth from the Bible. By seeking this truth we begin to lay a find foundation for the future, in order [to] get a firm hold on the real life," "eternal life" in God's new system of things. - 1 TIMOTHY 6:19; AV. 

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