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Most people have heard the statement, "Attend the church of your choice," so often that many
may believe it is actually in the Bible. And, although it is not in the Bible most people in
our society accept it as truth anyway. The statement, "Attend the church of your choice"
implies that Christianity is like a cafeteria where one can choose to accept any of God's
Truth which he likes and reject any which does not suit his taste, like he would select the
food of his choice.
Cafeteria choices are fine, but practicing a "Cafeteria Religion" implies that man — not God — is the final authority. Is that what the Bible really teaches? The answer to that question is, "no." The Bible does not teach that Christianity offers multiple choices for man which God will accept. While it is true that there are many different churches from which to choose, it is also true that Christ built only one church (Matthew 16:18), purchased only one with his blood (Acts 20:28) and will save only that one church (Ephesians 5:23). It is also true that men have the freedom to choose because God made man a creature of free will. But that does not mean God accepts every choice man makes. God has plainly revealed His will in the Bible and expects all men to choose what God has commanded. He won't prevent us from making wrong choices, but He will not accept religion that He has not prescribed in His Word. The Bible is full of examples of men who made choices. Some of those pleased God and some did not. For instance, Noah did not have the "wood of his choice" when he built the ark. God told him to, "Make thee an ark of gopher wood" (Genesis 6:14). When God specified "gopher wood," He eliminated all other kinds. Suppose Noah had reasoned that pine was a light wood and easy to work with and would do just as well as gopher wood. This would have been the wood of Noah's choice. But God gave Noah no choice in the kind of wood he was to use, and Genesis 6:22 says Noah, "did according to all that God commanded him." Had Noah used any other type of wood, he would not have obeyed God. In order to save himself and his family from the flood's destruction, Noah had no other choice. If we go back to man's earliest existence, we also see that he had no choice in how he would serve God even then. Cain had no "sacrifice of his choice" in Genesis 4. The Bible says, "And in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect" (Genesis 4:3-5). Have you ever wondered why God accepted Abel's offering and rejected Cain's? According to modern thought about the "religion of one's choice" Cain should have been accepted also. After all, he was sincere in offering the sacrifice of his choice. But that was the problem. It was the offering of Cain's choice — not God's. "But," someone says, "God didn't tell those men what to offer." But, God did tell them, according to the New Testament. Hebrews 11:4 says, "By faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain." Now, what does the phrase "by faith" mean? According to the entire 11th chapter of Hebrews, it means doing what God says as God instructs us to do it. Paul wrote, "So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). When Abel offered his sacrifice, he did so "by faith" which means he did so as God's word instructed him. On the other hand, Cain did not offer his "by faith" but by his own choice. Actually, man has only two choices when it comes to his relationship with God. Those are to do what God specifies in His word, or to do what man chooses to do, disregarding what God has said. Jesus made it plain that the overwhelming majority of the human race will be lost because they travel the way of man's choice instead of God's. He said, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:13-14). God's word is plain regarding what He expects of us in order to be saved. God's choice is that we believe on Him and His Son Jesus Christ (Heb. 11:6; John 8:24) repent of our sins (Acts 17:30) confess our faith in Christ (Acts 8:37) and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). These are the things of God's choice, and when men obey Him, he adds them to the church of His choice — not those of men (Acts 2:47). Won't you make God's choice your choice in order to be saved and go to heaven at last? |