A
New Year usually brings a fresh wave of optimism. There appears to be an
opportunity for a fresh start, a chance to get your house in order, the
possibility of doing something different.
Each
year people resolve such things as losing weight, giving up smoking, not drinking
as much, going to the gym, or learning a new language. None of these are bad in
and of themselves, but very few people will continue these activities much beyond
February. Why is it that people resolve to try and change themselves?
Change
Did
you hear of the small boy who swallowed a pound coin? When his mother called
the doctor to ask of her son’s condition, the doctor said: ‘I’m afraid there
has been no change’.
There
is something deep within us human beings that causes us to be dissatisfied with
our lives. We know things are not right and so we seek to change. Realising the
truth of this, the American author, Henry David Thoreau said that: ‘The mass of
men lead lives of quiet desperation’, meaning that most people are unfulfilled and
discontented with their lives.
The
early church theologian, Augustine of Hippo, also recognised that happiness and
contentment are not easy to find. He believed that the world cannot ultimately give
people the change they truly seek, and that people will always be restless
until they find their rest in the Creator. He said:
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord,
and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
Without a relationship with God people will always be
discontent, crawling around in the dark seeking to find meaning and purpose. Longing
to look and be different, people tend to look in all the wrong places. True peace
and happiness can never be found in the gym, the pub or at a Weight Watchers
session.
Of course, here I speak of those who probably have little/no
religious affiliation. It is a gloomy truth, that the last place in the world
they would look for a fresh start is God.
The Religious
What of those who are of a religious persuasion? By the
term ‘religious’ I mean those who seek meaning and purpose outside of Biblical
Christianity. They also may find themselves resolving to do some of the things
previously mentioned (again nothing wrong with that) but ultimately, they will usually
seek to derive their peace through their religious profession and practice.
As they follow their religious leaders and sacred
texts, they are seeking to please their Creator and, through their efforts,
they would hope to be on their way to their version of heaven. But they are
wrong. How dare I say this? Who am I to make such a declaration? Surely this is
not an opinion to be voiced in 2022.
The Way
But my words on this matter are not my own rather they are
the words of the One whom I seek to follow.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the
truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:1-6)
Jesus makes a clear statement. He is the WAY, He is the
TRUTH, He is the LIFE, and NO ONE comes to the Father except through HIM.
They are many, that is the religious, who would agree that
they have a need of Jesus, but are they trusting Him alone for their salvation?
Same Problem
As they begin a New Year, such people will not be
resolving to find and follow the biblical Jesus, for they trust they already
have him. In believing this, they carry over into a new year the same old problem.
What is the problem I speak of? They will unwittingly seek to find meaning,
purpose and peace through a religious system that offers them a false Jesus and
another Saviour.
Yes, they see a need for Jesus, and may speak fondly of
Jesus, but theirs is a different Jesus. A non-biblical, non-orthodox, non-historical
Jesus who is only a bit part player, an added extra, one who comes very much
second to their real saviours.
The ‘Real’ Saviours
For Mormons the real saviour is Joseph Smith. It is he
who restored true Christianity, it is of him that a Mormon must have a
testimony, and it is to him that Mormons ultimately look for their salvation.
NO SALVATION WITHOUT ACCEPTING JOSEPH SMITH. If Joseph
Smith was verily a prophet, and if he told the truth when he said that he stood
in the presence of angels sent from the Lord, and obtained keys of authority,
and the commandment to organize the Church of Jesus Christ once again on the
earth, then this knowledge is of the most vital importance to the entire world.
No man can reject that testimony without incurring the most dreadful
consequences, for he cannot enter the kingdom of god. It is, therefore, the
duty of every man to investigate that he may weigh this matter carefully and
know the truth. (Doctrines of Salvation 1:189)
For the
Jehovah’s Witnesses salvation cannot be found through faith in Jesus alone, but
more importantly a belief and trust in the Governing Body (the Faithful and
Discreet Slave) is needed.
"Come to Jehovah's organization for
salvation" Watchtower 1981 Nov 15 p.212
"Consider, too, the fact that Jehovah's
organization alone, in all the earth, is directed by God's holy
spirit or active force. (Zech. 4:6) Only this organization functions
for Jehovah's purpose and to his praise. To it alone God's Sacred Word, the
Bible, is not a sealed book." Watchtower 1973 Jul 1 p.402
"Demonstrating trust in Jehovah also involves
trusting his organization and those whom he is using to take the lead ... Now
more than ever before, it is important to demonstrate complete trust in
Jehovah" Elders Meet With Regular Pioneers, Special Pioneers, and
Field Missionaries Oct 2020 S-211-21-E 10/20
Whilst
these groups, and many others like them, resolve year after year to have the
same old problem, there is a work for Reachout Trust to do. In 2022 we will
continue, and find it necessary, to contend for
the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. (Jude 3).
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