Do Not Follow The Crowd

   The majority is not a safe guide for us to follow in religious matters. Just because a particular idea or practice may be popular or widely accepted does not mean it is approved by God. Morality is not determined by vote. God determines what is right and wrong. We only discover it by carefully studying His word. Human tendency is to follow the crowd. Because of this, most people will be lost. Sounds harsh, but soft-pedaling the truth will not save souls.

Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me” (Jn. 14:6). Access to the Father is available only through Jesus. In Acts 4:12, Peter says, “there is salvation in no only else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.” Salvation is not possible apart from Jesus Christ. Therefore, the Christian religion is exclusive in nature.

But, even among those who claim to be Christians, there are specific requirements which must be met before an individual can be saved. In Hebrews 5:8-9, we read that Jesus “learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation….” Jesus is the source of eternal salvation only to those who obey Him. Implied is the fact that all others of accountable age and aptitude will be rejected.

In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus says, “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.” Will the majority of people enter into eternal life? Absolutely not! This is why we must reject the rule of the majority in religious matters. Only an objective study of God’s word, along with earnest obedience to its precepts, will lead us in the direction of heaven. Jesus warns us that “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 7:21). Determine to follow only God’s word as your pattern for religious faith and practice. God’s word means everything. It is the lamp that guides our feet and illumines our path to heaven (Ps. 119:105).

Glen Eliot

Greenbrier Church Of Christ