One Hundred Dollars and the Church

There are hundreds of Christian churches in the world which sometimes don't get along with each other. But Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is only One, and He has only one teaching. The Bible also speaks about God's Church in the singular. What is the reason of this great and, as Christ warned, dangerous diversity: "...Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided agaist itself shall not stand" (The Bible, New Testament, Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 12, verse 25).

When the US government was putting into circulation the one hundred dollar bill issued in 1996, the population of practically all the world had been informed beforehand about the distinctions of the new bank note: how the watermark looked and where it was situated, and the same thing about the guard stripe, microprint, etc. Thanks to that, an average user of American money, especially in the countries of the third world, was protected in case some crude imitations came up. And, like dollars, the church established by God possesses some guarding distinctions.

The Bible says: "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (The Bible, New Testament, Gospel of John, chapter 8, verse 32). Free from lies and delusions. Here is one of five definitions of truth in the Holy Scripture: "...Your law is the truth " (The Bible, Old Testament, Psalms, psalm 119, verse 142). And here is the Law itself, which was given to man by God - the ten commandments which practically all of you have heard of:

1

"...You shall have no other gods before Me.

2

You shall not make to yourselves any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them. For I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation of those that hate me, and showing mercy to thousands of those that love Me and keep My commandments.

3

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. For the LORD will not hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain.

4

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. You shall not do any work, you nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and sanctified it.

5

Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God gives you.

6

You shall not kill.

7

You shall not commit adultery.

8

You shall not steal.

9

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10

You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is your neighbor's" (The Bible, Old Testament, Exodus, chapter 20, verses 3-17).

Now, in order to find out what relations with God some church has, using Christ's name, check to see if the organization you are researching replies "Yes! We will fulfill!" to every one of God's commandments, to each of these ten commands from our Heavenly Creator. You will see that quite a number of denominations will have problems with the second commandment, and the overwhelming majority of modern Christian churches - with the fourth. But, you see, the Word of God says: "For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." But if you do not commit adultery, yet if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law" (The Bible, New Testament, the General Epistle of James, chapter 2, verses 10-11). Besides, elementary disregard of the strict position of Jesus Christ takes place, who once said: "Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass from the law until all is fulfilled" (The Bible, New Testament, Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, verses 17-18).

Andriy Silenko

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