Every man could be religiously right if God had said just be religious. The question arises, do we have a religious standard from God? If we do, then we must follow it. If we do not have a standard from God in religion, then each man is free to do as he wishes religiously and still be saved in the end.
I will not be arguing in this article about the reliability of the Bible. I shall assume that we all believe the Bible to be the Word of God for the sake of answering this question with more clarity and brevity.
Does the Bible claim to have all the answers to direct us in a life that will please God? It certainly does. The Bible says that it perfectly, thoroughly furnishes the man of God unto all good works (II Tim. 3:16-17). God has given us everything that pertains to life and godliness (II Pet. 1:3). There can be no question about the Bible affirming that it has the answer for a man to live in such a way as to please God.
Does the Bible condemn human creeds and manmade guides in religion? The answer to this is that it does. Whoever does not live by the Bible does not have God (II John 9-11). If we add to or take from the Bible, we will be lost in hell (Rev. 22:18-19). Jesus said men worshipped God in vain because they worshipped according to tradition and not according to God’s law (Matt. 15:8-9).
How does one know he is adding to or taking from the Bible? We may know this by studying the Bible prayerfully and carefully. We may also know that we are adding to or taking from the Bible when we seem to have the Bible conflicting with itself. The Bible does not cross itself. It does not say one thing in one place and then another thing contrary to what has been said in another. So if we seem to have the Bible crossing itself, we had better check for we have misunderstood something some place—we have not properly interpreted the Bible.
Is a man a bigot because he says two plus two equals four? Or is a man narrow minded when he has the ability to work math above those who are around him? Some men can work problems in math or calculus that I could not begin to work. Should I become angry with them because they have this ability? Of course I should not! I should be very happy that we have men with such ability.
Why then do men get mad when a person can give a correct Bible answer and another cannot? I know for a fact that some men are wrong and that all men are not right in religion. We cannot all be right in religion and hold to completely different views of Bible doctrine. The Bible either teaches a thing or it does not.
What would you think of me if I said you must be baptized in water to be saved one day and the next day I said right the opposite? Suppose I said one day you must work out your salvation by works of merit and the next day I said you are saved by faith only? Suppose I did this type of thing on three hundred different things in religion? Could you have any confidence in me? Of course not! If it is wrong for one man to teach three hundred conflicting things in religion, would it not also be wrong for three hundred men to teach three hundred different doctrines in religion? If your answer is yes, then you have what is taking place in this country and throughout the world.
Who is right in religion? The man who properly divides the Bible and lives by and teaches it. We will all see the Bible alike when we all rightly divide the Bible (II Tim. 2:15).
–Malcolm L. Hill January 12, 1934 – June 26, 2012