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Brother Bob Pellien: Thank you very much everyone for joining us in our studio audience here for That’s in the Bible Live. We appreciate [you] joining us in our study, and we believe that we will spend this time together and it will be beneficial for everyone. On this show, That’s in the Bible, we explore the Bible’s teachings on just about any topic imaginable and questions come into us from places all over the globe. We always get the answers to all these questions directly from here–the Holy Scriptures, also known as?

Audience: [Mixed answers]

Brother Bob: The Bible, yes. You’re a very funny audience. I can tell this is going to be a very nice session. Our question for today, let’s take a look at it first. It proposes a very interesting question that we’ll address and talk about today. Let’s take a look at it.

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Why are there so many different Christian teachings and Churches?

Feraidoon Hezoda

Feraidoon Hezoda: So many church[es], but so many bibles. So many teach the people. Why don’t [they] teach the people one thing if one Bible [comes] from God?

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Brother Bob: Well we thank Mr. Hezoda for that really wonderful question. We’d like to thank him for his question and we hope to receive many more questions as we go along. It’s really not surprising from someone, or anyone, viewing Christianity from outside of it. They would be perplexed or even confused when they see all the different denominations, all the different churches, all the different religions, so a full spectrum of religious beliefs all under the umbrella of so-called Christianity. And that’s very confusing to many people. So, we’re very thankful for that question because it’s a really relevant question in the minds of many people nowadays. 

A Bible-based Church where there’s only one God

It’s our belief, inside the Church Of Christ, that there is only one true faith, one set of true doctrines, and one true service to God. Not many. We believe in that adamantly. Only one basis of faith, one sole basis of faith, and that, of course, is the Bible.  Although the Bible may be translated—it’s been said in an article not too long ago, it’s been actually translated into 1,854 different languages and dialects all over the world. It remains for us the absolute sole basis of our faith. Why do we believe that to be the sole basis of our faith? Why do we believe that there is only one faith that one must embrace when wanting to serve the one true God? Okay, let’s turn to the Holy Bible and begin researching the responses to the important question posed by Mr. Hezoda. In Ephesians chapter 4:4-6:

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

[Ephesians 4:4-6 New International Version]

Brother Bob: There are a lot of times in that verse where the word one, o-n-e, is used. I would like to ask the studio audience here this afternoon, reading the verses along with us on the screen, how many faiths are there based on what we just read? How many faiths, studio audience?

Audience: One.

Brother Bob: One faith. How many bodies, studio audience?

 Audience: One.

Brother Bob: How many Lords?

Audience: One.

Brother Bob: We believe there is only one true faith. Why? Because?

Audience: That’s in the Bible.

Brother Bob: We believe that there is only one true God because?

 Audience: That’s in the Bible.

 Brother Bob: We believe that there is only one body because?

 Audience: That’s in the Bible.

Brother Bob:  Because that’s in the Bible. What’s being referred to as that one body? We often read in Colossians 1:18 , here in this program: “And he is the head of the body, the church;…”

Brother Bob:  What is it?

Audience: The church.

Brother Bob:  The church. One faith, one body, one church according to the Holy Scriptures. And that’s what we believe. Again, once more, studio audience. Why? Because?

Audience: That’s in the Bible.

Brother Bob: Here’s the thing, if all of that is so clearly indicated in the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, why do things get all twisted up? Why do things become confusing and why do people become so perplexed as they view the religious scene of the world nowadays? What’s happened? What we read was not so complicated. That’s pretty direct. Do you agree?

Audience: Yes.

Brother Bob: What has transpired? Allow me to cite, this time, the writings of Apostle Peter. II Peter 3:16 :

Speaking of this as he does in all of his letters. There are some things in those [epistles of Paul] that are difficult to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist and misconstrue to their own utter destruction, just as [they distort and misinterpret] the rest of the Scriptures.

[2 Peter 3:16 Amplified Bible]

Beware of people trying to mislead you

Brother Bob: Why is it all so perplexing for so many people who are trying to serve God and understand the truth? Answer of the Bible, what was it? Because there are preachers who are misinterpreting, there are preachers who are twisting, and there are preachers who are misconstruing things that they see and read. And, of course, therefore leading people away from the truth. And they do so because they are not understanding what they are reading. So, what was the warning? Verse 17 will explain. We will continue reading:

Let me warn you therefore, beloved, that knowing these things beforehand, you should be on your guard,…

[2 Peter 3:17 Amplified Bible]

Brother Bob: Dear friends, that’s a very important warning from the Lord. That’s not from me or from the kind of individual that invited you to join our study here this afternoon. That’s the Lord Himself through the apostle Peter saying, let me warn you, you need to guard against something. What? Let’s continue:

Let me warn you therefore, beloved, that knowing these things beforehand, you should be on your guard, lest you be carried away by the error of lawless and wicked [persons and] fall from your own [present] firm condition [your own steadfastness of mind].

[2 Peter 3:17 Amplified Bible]

Brother Bob: What was the warning? The warning was that there could be those that would mislead you and try to carry you away from the spiritual condition you need to remain in. It happens because there are preachers who are teaching but not understanding what they are teaching. So what do they end up doing? They end up misinterpreting, as we all read it together, and twisting the message. 

So, by show of hands, how many of you have seen preachers online, or turning on the television on a Sunday morning, and you could see them preaching the most confusing and perplexing ideological principles and trying to convince people to believe? How many of you have seen this confusion that we just read about being done by preachers in the world nowadays? A lot. That’s why the question from Mr. Hezoda is such a common question. Why [are there] so many religions? Why are [there] so many things being taught? And there’s the Bible’s answer. There are those who are twisting and teaching false things. 

The question now we pose together is this: well if that is what is transpiring, why [are] there are so many people that are becoming so easily victimized and led by such individuals who have unscrupulous ideologies and unscrupulous intentions when they put and hold the Bible in their hand? Why are people allowing themselves to become victims? Okay, you’re with me on the question, right? 

Follow along, as God inspired the apostle Paul to give an answer to that. In Apostle Paul’s letter to Timothy. Here in II Timothy chapter 4, let’s read together verse 3:

For the time is coming when [people] will not tolerate (endure) sound and wholesome instruction,…

[2 Timothy 4:3 Amplified Bible]

Brother Bob: Allow me to pause. What was the prediction of the Lord, here, through the apostle? Prediction about people? What did he say? They’re not going to tolerate sound doctrine. They are not going to want