Why we must find truth with not only our hearts, but also our minds according to Paul

Many religions in the world claim to be the true one. Of course we know that not all them can be true, because they contradict. Islam says Jesus isn’t God, Christianity does. Hinduism says hell doesn’t exist, western religions do. Buddhism says this world is an illusion, Judaism says that God created the very real world that we see. So how do we determine which one is true?

When talking with Mormons you will find that they believe the best way to discern that Mormonism is true is by reading the book of Mormon and asking God with a sincere heart if it actually is the Word of God. They will all testify to feeling God reassure them that it is in fact God’s Word. Similarly, Islam claims that if you read the Quran in its original Arabic you will know that it be the Word of God because it too beautiful to be anything that is written by man.

1 Corinthians 11:2-15 gives us an important warning to find the truth. Paul says “And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” 

Paul is warning us here that there will be those who pretend to speak for God who are false teachers. He warns us that Satan himself can appear to be an angel of light and so we must not trust everyone who claims to be with us. In this we know that not only should we make sure that someone is claiming to be with us, but with their words they prove it as well.

We can discern this by discerning the truth of what they speak like anything else. Mormonism claims it is true because you will know and feel it, but Satan could very easily make you have these same feelings. The Quran may be too beautifully written to be made by man but perhaps it was made by Satan as well. These tests that Mormonism and Islam propose can’t be trusted, Satan is the Great Deceiver and could be deceiving us in them.

This is where apologetics comes in. We must look at history, science, philosophy, as well as examining the scriptures and so-called scriptures only then we will be able to perceive the truth.

Jehovah Witness’ claim that the Watchtower Society speaks for God as a prophet. This is exactly the type of thing Paul is warning about in Corinthians. As we study the teachings of Islam, Jehovah Witness’, and Mormonism, we can see that they do not preach the same gospel as Paul and the apostles so they must be false as Paul very clearly states (Gal 1:8, 2 Cor. 11:4). It is not only by our hearts that we determine truth, we must look at how they compare what we already know is truth.