Date - Feb/66

Contributor - Roelof De Vries

Title - Christ - The Way, The Truth and The Life

Topic - Youth

What is religion? Religion is a system of faith - that is to say or it might have been said, to believe is to hold firmly onto something with confidence and conviction. But the common use is active, meaning to believe something or in someone. This then may be an idol or an image. As we so often see so many young people, especially boys, putting their whole confidence and conviction in a car. They no longer care or want to have anything to do with anything else. This then, is all their desire for at least a time being. What do we call this? In my opinion an idol-worshipper. An idol-worship may also be the "love of money" and as the Bible says "the root of all evils" (I Tim. 6 : 10). By putting your faith, that is your trust in money, using it only for your own glory is to boast in oneself, which is all vanity - striving after the wind, not knowing where it is going or where it has come from.

Maybe we could use another example: what about the Jehovah's Witnesses? That started in the year 319 A.D. with Arius of Alexandria a learned teacher and presbyter of the Alexandrian Church in Egypt, who affirmed that "he" was merely the first and greatest of God's creatures, created in time and elevated to the rank of a "god", thus contradicting the "Trinity" the God-head, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. Here is a great challenge to the Christian Church, the Church of Jesus Christ our Lord of which He himself is the Head, the Governor, and Counsellor by the perpetual guidance of the Holy Spirit. Faithful Christians today, as in the days of Arius Athanasius and the Nicean Council, reject the Arian rationalistic approach to theology which would rob God of His -eternal relationship with Christ and the Holy Ghost and accept instead the absolute pronouncement of the Lord Jesus himself, "Before Abraham was, I am and if ye believe not that "I am, ye shall die in your sins" (John 8 : 24, 8 : 54). Maybe there are many young people even within our Reformed Church circle who believe that there is not such contrast or big differences between the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Christian Church, but there certainly is. We may look at the mission fields where the Gospel of Salvation has just been proclaimed, where lost souls or sheep have found the way.

What do we see next? The "cults" come along with their false material, misleading the people into the bottomless pit with brimstone and fire. Although the name has been changed several times from "Arianism" to the title Charles Taze Russell gave it, "Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society". However the present organization received the title "Jehovah's Witnesses" at the hand of the late Judge J. F. Rutherford at a convention held in 1931. Now we ask ourselves, well were did they get their name? Let us then just take our Bibles and look up a passage of Scripture (Isaiah 43 : 10-11) "You are my witnesses", says the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen, that ye may know and believe me and understand that I am He. Before Me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after Me. I am the Lord and besides Me there is no saviour." The Christian Church was only about three hundred and twenty five years old when the Jehovah's Witnesses came along with their false teachings. Have they then not changed their ideas about the Trinity"? My answer would simply be "No!", because they will still refer back to "Pastor" Russell as he then was often called. Russellism came into -existence in the years of 1852-1916, or they may even (and will) go back to the, Arians". But in one way we may give them credit, the wandering ones will be given room in their hearts, where wandering will turn into walking.

Let us then as Christian Young People build a bridge and bring the wandering ones across, so that it may turn into walking, walking with Christ. In this one thing the Christian Church lacks greatly. Here we come to an end, on one f our major "cults". In my opinion the other three are Mormonism, Seventh Day Adventism and Christian Science. What then is the solution? For this reason I have added verse eleven of Isaiah 43: "and besides Me there is no saviour", and as the Bible teaches, namely Jesus who is the Christ. These are then all religions based on no hope (salvation) after this life here on earth.

Let us just take another close look around us! What about the secular trade unions? Are they not being religions in their own ways of thinking, acting for and demanding from the working men. Are the average working men (Christian or not Christian) not putting their confidence in this movement, so that they will get better wages and other related benefits? Now then, let's be honest, they are religions. The average working men are putting their whole trust in this movement so that they will get what they want, and if not - then you had just better watch out for yourself or else! No one would deny that the secular unions have done a lot of good, even in this country, but this is no longer so. Now it is "amen", this being the only way for the working man. Today the unions have gone too far in their dictatorial ideas or false teachings.

Now what are we, as Christian Young People, going to do about it - or are we just going to sit there and do nothing? Are we then not disobeying the law of God? In my opinion, "Yes!", we most certainly are because the law reads, "thou shalt have no other gods before me". So if we break the third law we also break the seventh one and of course the whole law will then be broken. Then we also break the new law of Jesus when he summarized the old law, "Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all your whole heart mind and soul, and your neighbour as yourselves". Even now we are living in a period of "grace". We must try our ultimate best to do what God is commanding us to do. We are only capable of doing this by listening to our quiet inner voice when the Holy Spirit speaks to us, through His divine Word.

Now, it is going to be hard when you know and understand these things and believing these truths but Jesus has said, "Ye are my witnesses", - even at union meetings. Probably you will be slopped and kicked around but for Christ's sake we must suffer these things. How many Christian Young People will open their mouth at union meetings as well as on the job? As God watched over the children of Israel when being led by the "light" out of Pharaoh's land through the Red Sea into the promised land of Canaan what did children of Israel do? They celebrated and sang a song of thanksgiving unto the Lord. This song we can read in Exodus 15 : 1-22. "I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea". Christ has said: (Math. 5 : 17) "Think not that I, have come to abolish the law and the prophets; but I have come to fulfill them".

Now then is there any hope for the world today? The answer would simply be, "Yes indeed". Paul writes to the Ephesians, chapter 2 : 8-9: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; not that of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not because of works, lest any man should boast." Thus here we see that there is hope (salvation) if we are willing to come to the foot of the cross; and there repent and make a commitment unto Him who has won the victory over hell and death. This is precisely what one of the malefactors also has done after he rebuked the other one quite sharply. Then he turned to Jesus and said, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom," and Jesus answered, "Today you shall be with me in paradise."

By now I think you will have caught on what truly TRUE religion is. True religion is, as James writes in his letter (Chapter 1 : 27): "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." So here we see what pure religion is. This can only be done when you have had the experience at the foot of the cross. When you have given yourselves and dedicated your lives into His service totally. Let us then listen to the quiet inner voice within us to hear God speak through His word by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Let us then hear what the Spirit says unto the Churches, even to us Young People of this Reformed Church in Jesus Christ our Lord, who is our strength and shield, at all times - because without Him we can do nothing.