How to Identify True Religion

Of course, God could make his message obvious to everyone. But has he chosen to communicate in this way?

The Way God Shares Truth

Throughout history, God has delivered his message in a form that asks people to look for it sincerely. Psalm 14:2 describes how God observes those searching for understanding. When you look at the message given through Jeremiah, you see this pattern. Jeremiah warned the people about the coming destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (Jeremiah 25:8-11; 52:12-14).

At the same time, others, like Hananiah, claimed to speak for God and promised peace—contradicting Jeremiah’s warning. So people faced a decision: Should they trust Jeremiah or those who disagreed with him? (Jeremiah 23:16, 17; 28:1, 2, 10-17).

To decide, people had to come to know Jehovah. They needed to understand his values, his laws and how he views wrongdoing. By doing this, they could recognise that Jeremiah spoke the truth. Regarding those in Jerusalem at the time, the Bible says:

“They did not turn back from their badness.” (Jeremiah 8:5-7)

This situation did not end well for Jerusalem. The city was destroyed by the Babylonians in 607 B.C.E. (Deuteronomy 28:15-68; Jeremiah 52:4-14). Even though warnings had been given in advance, people had to make the effort to see that God was about to act.

The Truth Jesus Taught

When Jesus Christ taught in Israel, not everyone accepted his message as coming from God. Even when he was present performing miracles, most people failed to recognise him as the promised Messiah.

When the Pharisees asked when God’s Kingdom would arrive, Jesus replied:

“The kingdom of God is not coming with striking observableness. The kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:20, 21)

Jesus was right there among them, yet many refused to see the evidence that he was the Christ, the Son of God (Matthew 16:16).

The disciples in the first century faced similar reactions. Even with miracles showing God’s support, people did not always recognise the truth. (Acts 8:1-8; 9:32-41) Jesus told his followers to “make disciples” by teaching. Those eager to listen and learn from the Scriptures became believers (Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:42; 17:2-4, 32-34).

The same thing happens today. The “good news of the kingdom” is being preached worldwide (Matthew 24:14). This isn’t done in a way that makes it instantly clear to everyone. Yet God’s truth is recognisable to honest people who want to worship him in the right way (John 10:4, 27).

If you’re reading Bible-based material, you are probably someone sincerely searching for truth. How can you find out which group is really teaching it?

A Practical Approach

The apostle Paul praised the people of Beroea for how they responded when he taught them. They did not accept his words straight away. Instead, they listened with respect and checked the Scriptures carefully before deciding if what he said was true.

The Bible records:

“Now the [Beroeans] were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with the greatest eagerness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so. Therefore many of them became believers.” (Acts 17:10-12)

Their search was not shallow or rushed. They did not expect to understand the truth after one or two talks with Paul.

Their approach is also worth noting. The Beroeans showed eagerness, but they were not gullible or closed-minded. They did not dismiss what Paul said, but neither did they accept it blindly.

The idea of Christianity was unfamiliar to them. It might have sounded too good to be true. Still, rather than reject it, they checked everything against the Scriptures. Many in both Beroea and Thessalonica who took this careful approach became believers (Acts 17:4, 12). They did not give up or assume the truth could not be found. They identified the true religion.

The Impact of Finding Truth

When you find the truth, as the Beroeans did, you feel moved to share it. Some might say it is more modest to believe that all religions could be correct. However, Bible truth brings confidence. It does not leave you unsure if salvation can be found through any path. Finding truth starts with honest examination, which calls for humility.