“I’m just living my truth” is a statement that is becoming more and more popular today in our society. Sadly this has even made its way into the church. Yet, the Bible teaches that there are not multiple truths but only one accurate truth shown to us by God. Likewise, there is only one way to live for God in accordance with His inspired word. If we want to be counted among the children of God and receive salvation we must live out what His word says. There are not multiple ways to Heaven nor are they many different ways to serve God. The way our lives look may differ but the ways in which we receive salvation and live out our faith are the same at the core. Scripture makes it abundantly clear that you cannot serve God in your own way.
No passage in scripture better illustrates this than that in which we are told the story of Nadab and Abihu. These brothers were the oldest sons of Aaron and in line to become the next high priest. However, scripture tells us that they attempted to worship God in a way that He had not prescribed in His law. Instead of serving God how He had laid out for the people, they went about worshiping God their own way. Their act was met with death and sent a strong message to the people of Israel. Teaching them that they were not able to choose the way they served the Lord. But needed to follow the instructions He gave them.
Leviticus 10:1–2 (ESV)
1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.
God even emphasized to Aaron shortly after the death of his two sons that he could not enter the Most Holy Place whenever he wanted. Even though he could have had the best intentions in entering God forbid it. Even making it clear that Aaron was required to do everything He instructed him. Or he would face the same fate as his sons. God wanted to ensure that Aaron understood that He desired obedience to His word. Any act that went outside of what God wanted no matter how good the intention was seen as wicked in God’s eyes.
Leviticus 16:1–2 (ESV)
1 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died, 2 and the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.
King Saul had to learn this lesson the hard way early in his reign. Before fighting the Amalekites Samual gave Saul the Lord’s instructions for the battle. In which he was told to simply destroy everything: people, animals, possessions, and so on. Yet, Saul chose to try and serve God his own way by keeping the Amalekite king alive. As well as preserving certain items to offer to God. An act that caused God to remove His favor from Saul and place it on soon-to-be King David. Saul believed he did the right thing even though he didn’t do it according to God’s word. It seems as though he had good God-centered intentions. But Samuel made it clear that God was more concerned with obedience to His word than anything else.
1 Samuel 15:13–16 (ESV)
13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” 14 And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” 15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”
1 Samuel 15:18–23 (ESV)
18 AND THE LORD SENT YOU ON A MISSION AND SAID, ‘GO, DEVOTE TO DESTRUCTION THE SINNERS, THE AMALEKITES, AND FIGHT AGAINST THEM UNTIL THEY ARE CONSUMED.’ 19 WHY THEN DID YOU NOT OBEY THE VOICE OF THE LORD? WHY DID YOU POUNCE ON THE SPOIL AND DO WHAT WAS EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD?” 20 AND SAUL SAID TO SAMUEL, “I HAVE OBEYED THE VOICE OF THE LORD. I HAVE GONE ON THE MISSION ON WHICH THE LORD SENT ME. I HAVE BROUGHT AGAG THE KING OF AMALEK, AND I HAVE DEVOTED THE AMALEKITES TO DESTRUCTION. 21 BUT THE PEOPLE TOOK OF THE SPOIL, SHEEP AND OXEN, THE BEST OF THE THINGS DEVOTED TO DESTRUCTION, TO SACRIFICE TO THE LORD YOUR GOD IN GILGAL.” 22 AND SAMUEL SAID,
“HAS THE LORD AS GREAT DELIGHT IN BURNT OFFERINGS AND SACRIFICES,
AS IN OBEYING THE VOICE OF THE LORD?
BEHOLD, TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE,
AND TO LISTEN THAN THE FAT OF RAMS.
23 FOR REBELLION IS AS THE SIN OF DIVINATION,
AND PRESUMPTION IS AS INIQUITY AND IDOLATRY.
BECAUSE YOU HAVE REJECTED THE WORD OF THE LORD,
HE HAS ALSO REJECTED YOU FROM BEING KING.”
All of this is still true for us today albeit it is unlikely that God will send fire to destroy us if we try to serve Him in our own way. Nor will He completely turn away from us and move on to someone else. But it will have an effect on our salvation. Scripture is clear on what is required to be saved. How we are to live after salvation, and how God expects the people to worship Him. If we try to create new ways of serving him, change the ways He has already given, or omit certain acts we will not be serving the God of the Bible. Nor will we receive the gift of salvation described in the Bible.
Jesus Himself told of those who would cry out to Him on the day of judgment claiming to have served Him that would simply be told He never knew them. This is because they didn’t do the will of God but tried to draw close to God in their own way. The path to heaven is clearly defined in scripture. We do not have the options to forge our own paths. We can’t choose how we live for God we can only live the way He has called us to live through His word.
Matthew 7:21–23 (ESV)
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
You see this very thing play out in the book of acts. Those who are counted as righteous, fathers of the faith, and believers all came to God in the same way. Their circumstance may have been different but the way they all served God was the same. They placed their faith in Jesus Christ, then repented. Which means to turn away from sin with no intention of turning back to again, for their sins. Then they were baptized in the name of Jesus and received the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:37–38 (ESV)
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:41 (ESV)
41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
Acts 8:12 (ESV)
12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Acts 8:36–38 (ESV)
36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
Acts 9:17–18 (ESV)
17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized;
Acts 16:30–33 (ESV)
30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.
After receiving salvation in like ways each continued to live new lives doing their best every day to serve God. Doing so through acts of love, charity, and by sharing the gospel. The same way in which we are taught to live today throughout the New Testament. No one in our Bible’s did things their own way and were counted among the saved. Instead, they submitted themselves to the Lord and lived according to His inspired word.
Galatians 5:19–26 (ESV)
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
If you believe in the God of the Bible and want to receive the salvation He freely offers then know you can’t go about receiving it your own way. Everything you need to know and do is all right there within the pages of scripture. All you have to do is live out its teaching with your brothers and sisters in the faith. There is no guessing what God desires He makes it easy by telling you everything He expects. Those who try to find their own way to God will only end up on the wide path to destruction. But those who come to Him in the way He has prescribed will find the narrow way that leads to life.
Matthew 7:13–14 (ESV)
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
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