DOES EVERY MAN HAVE A RIGHT TO HIS OWN
BELIEF?
INTRODUCTION:
1. Philippians
1:9-11.
2. Commonly
held belief that it does not make a difference what a person believes.
3. If
it makes no difference what a person believes:
a) Jesus
would not have warned against false prophets (Matthew 7:15; II Peter 2:1; I John
4:1; II John 7).
b) There
would be no such thing as error (Ephesians 4:14; II Peter 3:16).
c) Error
(if it did exist) would be as valuable as truth. But consider John 8:32.
d) There
would be no need to teach others.
e) The
scriptures would not be needed for correction (II Timothy 3:16-17).
4. Consider
the prevalent notion that every man has a right to his own belief.
5. Examine
incidents in the lives of three individuals. The Biblical record of these events
clearly teaches it does make a difference what we believe.
DISCUSSION:
I. Cain
did not have a right to his own belief.
A. Genesis
4:3-5.
B. Abel
offered his sacrifice by faith (Hebrews 11:4; Romans 10:17; Acts 10:34-35).
C. Cain
offered his sacrifice according to his own idea, his own opinion. Consequently
God rejected Cain’s offering (Genesis 4:5).
II. Naaman
did not have a right to his own belief.
A. II
Kings 5:1-14.
B. Naaman
wanted to follow his own ideas instead of the simple instructions relayed to
him by the prophet. Consider II Timothy 4:4:1-4.
C. Naaman
was not cleansed of his leprosy until he submitted to God’s commands.
III. Paul
did not have a right to his own belief.
A. Acts
26:9-10.
B. Paul
did the things he did with a good conscience (Acts 23:1).
C. Paul
could not be saved until he learned and obeyed the truth (Acts 22:10, 16).
CONCLUSION:
1. Those
persons who claim that every man has a right to his own belief often do so in an
attempt to justify rejecting the plain teachings of the Bible.
2. They
do not want to comply with Christ’s simple teaching concerning matters such as
the terms of pardon, wearing Christ’s name, belonging to Christ’s church,
etc.
3. The
only way we can be pleasing to God is to surrender to God’s will.
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