The Litmus Test of True Religion
Audio Transcript
If it is true, if the book is true — big if at this point in this series — if it is true, the message of the Bible is the only message of eternal life because it says it is. If it’s not true, it may not be, but if it is true, then it is. For example, Psalm 96:5: “For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.” All of them are idols — that’s a sweeping statement.
John 14:6: “I’m the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.”
John 6:67: “Jesus said therefore to the twelve, ‘You do not want to go away also do you?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’”
Acts 4:12: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
John 8:42: “Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me for I have proceeded forth and have come from God.’” In other words, If you don’t love me you don’t know God, you don’t love God. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.
First John 5:12: “He who has the Son has life. He who does not have the Son of God does not have life.“ This is a sweeping rejection of all other religions. This is an intolerable thing to say in public in Minneapolis. They have really ugly names for people that believe this.
Luke 10:16: This is Jesus talking: “The one who hears you hears me. The one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me,” Jesus says, “rejects him who sent me.” If you reject Jesus for who he is, you can’t create him in your own image and say, “Oh I believe in Jesus as a teacher.” That’s not what he means — not accept me on your terms. No. Accept me for who I am, then you accept the Father. Reject me for who I am, you reject the Father.
Jesus Christ is the litmus paper that you put in the chemical of every religion. If when you put Jesus Christ in the chemical of that religion, they say, “I don’t believe,” then they don’t know God. That’s big. That’s really big.
So we need to know, am I going to stake my reputation on this and be called an absolutely foul-mouthed, fundamentalist, obscurantist, intolerant, obscene pastor? Those are all words that have been used of me in the newspaper or in personal letters from other pastors in this city.
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