True religion, the Bible, and a proper life of faith

True religion was created by the one and only God. In every generation, he chose one person to write and convey his words on his behalf. The Bible, the divine book of God, was recorded by people whom God chose. Although the Bible was spoken and written down by people, God is still the source of the words, the one and only author of the Bible, and the founder of true religion (2 Tm 3:16; Gal 1:11-12; 2 Pt 1:21; Rv 1:10-11). No person can claim to be the founder of religion nor can anyone claim to be the author of the Bible. People can only write and speak on behalf of God.

For believers, hearing and reading the Bible is the same as hearing and reading the words of God (Jn 12:44-45; Jn 14:24). All of today’s major religions (i.e. Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism, etc.) have their own scriptures. If the history of Christianity is counted beginning in Jesus’ time, it goes back 2,000 years. If the prophets who promised Jesus’ birth are included (Ps 2; Is 7:14), the history of Christianity stretches back roughly 3,000 years. In fact, since Christians worship the same God as the Israelites in the Old Testament, Christian history can be traced back 6,000 years. Confucianism and Buddhism, on the other hand, each have only 2,500 and 2,600 years of history, respectively. Among the Old Testament prophets, there were many who prophesied about Christ before Confucius or Buddha came. In addition to these Old Testament prophets, even Buddha and Confucius wrote about a coming savior. Although Jesus came according to all these prophecies, the descendants of Moses, Buddha, and Confucius believed only in Moses, Buddha, and Confucius—they refused to believe in the one their teachers promised would come. In other words, they believed in their teachers, but they did not believe in the words of their teachers. Religious people think of the words of their teachers as simple scriptures, but if the spirit of God leads a person to speak God’s words, then the words of that person are the words of God. Faith and salvation can only be attained through God and God's word.

Apostle John referred to Jesus, in whom God was dwelling, as the word itself and as the advocate who spoke on behalf of God (1 Jn 1:1; 1 Jn 2:1). Jesus said, “I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message and believes the one [God] who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, but has crossed over from death to life,” (Jn 5:24). Since Jesus is the son of the creator of heaven and earth (Mt 3:16-17; Jn 1:32-34), neither Buddha nor Confucius can really be compared to Jesus. Buddha, Confucius, and the Old Testament prophets spoke about things that were revealed to them by God—they were given the gift of prophecy, but were they able to resolve their own sins (i.e. their original, hereditary, and personal sins)? On the other hand, Jesus, who was fundamentally without sin, came and bore the cross to atone for our sins and to grant us salvation (Jn 1:29; Heb 9:28).

Jesus, the son promised by God, fulfilled the Old Testament (Jn 19:30) and prophesied about future events in the New Testament. Today, the promises Jesus made in the New Testament are being fulfilled. Furthermore, the scriptures of Christianity (the Bible) are more valuable than the scriptures of Buddhism or Confucianism because the Bible actually records the physical fulfillment that appeared according to the prophecies (Jn 14:29). Thus, the Bible is invaluable as a book of scriptures of personal experience. Through the Bible believers are able to witness for themselves how God has fulfilled his prophecies. By experiencing the physical fulfillment of biblical prophecies, believers can accumulate solid evidence for their faith.

In this world there is knowledge of the physical world and there is biblical knowledge of heaven. No matter how many good deeds people do, they cannot be considered righteous by their actions alone, nor are their sins washed away. Unless our sins are washed away, God (the holy spirit), who is life, cannot be with us. No matter how hard they pursue it, it is not wealth or authority that the sinners of this world really need. These things are nothing but empty dreams. The only thing we really need is God. Therefore, our sins must be atoned so that we can meet the necessary qualifications for God to dwell in us. To receive atonement for our sins, we must meet the pastor promised in the New Testament. The way to meet this promised pastor is recorded in the Bible. It is only when people look to the Bible that people can see him and know him.

There is no heaven and no eternal life if people’s sins are not atoned; they will receive only punishment. The only place in the whole world that has mastered the revelation and the Bible through the promised pastor is Shinchonji Church of Jesus. The congregation members of Shinchonji keep the new covenant (Heb 8:10-13) and have become walking Bibles. They carry out acts of love instead of persecution; they believe and act according to the revelation of heaven, instead of believing in words that men speak of their own accord. Our congregation members are the true believers whom God acknowledges and whom all people need. They are the people of the twelve tribes who have mastered the way—the word of God (Rv 5:9-10; Rv 7). They are the promised do tong gun ja (도통군자: 道通君子)—literally, the virtuous individuals who understand the way. They are those who practice righteousness and fairness without adding words to or subtracting words from the Bible.