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Is One as Good as the Other?
If you are calling a doctor, is one as good as the other? If you are
seeking a wife, is one as good as the other? If you are buying a
prescription, is one as good as the other? If you are buying a car, is
one as good as the other? If you are buying a house, is one as good as
the other? If you are needing a mechanic, is one as good as the other?
If not, then why be so particular in material things and so careless and
"broad minded" in matters pertaining to your eternal destiny? How
often do we hear someone say "one faith, one way, one worship, one religion,
one baptism, one church, one name or doctrine is as good as another."
Faith
Is one faith as good as another? If so, then why did the apostle teach "one
lord, one faith, one baptism." (Ephesians
4:5) Also, a dead faith would be as good as an active one.
The Bible speaks of both kinds. (James
2:26)
Way
Is one way as good as another? If so, why did Jesus say, "I am the way." (John
14:6) Furthermore, Proverbs 14 says, "There is a way that
seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Is
this way as good as the straight and narrow way that leadeth to life
everlasting? (Matthew
7:13-14)
Worship
Is one worship as good as another worship? If
so, then why did God reject Cain's worship and accept Abel's? (Gen 4)
Again, why did He kill Nadab and Abihu in the act of worshipping, if one
worship is as good as another? (Leviticus
10) And, if one worship is as good as another one, then an
ignorant worship (Acts
17:23), a vain worship (Matthew 15:9), and a will-worship (Colossians
2:23) would be as good as true worship. (John
4:24)
Religion
Is one religion as good as another? If so, why does the book of Acts record
thousands of cases of conversions from one religion to another? In fact,
almost every conversion in the book is a conversion of a religious
individual! Why make the change if one religion is as good as another?
The Bible discusses pure religion, the only kind to have, in
James 1:17.
Baptism
If one baptism is as good as another, then why were those who had been
baptized with John's baptism rebaptized in
Acts 19? For our
baptism to be valid, it must be based on a genuine faith (Mark
16:16) preceded by a repentance from sin (Acts
2:38) and administered upon a proper confession (Acts
8:36-38)
Church
Is one church as good as another? If so, then those built and
established by man (Matthew
15:13; Psalms 127:1) would be as good as the one established by the
Lord. (Matthew 16:18)
Yet, Matthew 15:13
tells us that every plant the Father hath not planted shall be rooted up.
Name
Is one name as good as another? If so, why did the Lord change some names,
as in the cases of Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel, etc.?
Also, why did the Lord teach in
Acts 4:12 that there
was salvation in no other name then in Jesus' name?
Doctrine
If one doctrine is as good as another, why would John have written,
"whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath
not God." (2 John 9)
Surely we can clearly see that one
is not as good as the other.
Written by Wendell Winkler
Published in 4-State Gospel News
November 1978
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