The Truth Can Change Your Life
YOU may have heard or been taught one of the lies about God that this series of articles has exposed. Still, you might hesitate to change your beliefs, especially if you have held them for a long time.
Such hesitancy is understandable. Some churches discourage the idea of comparing their teachings with what the Bible says. Others try to defend falsehood by saying that the Bible is complicated, not meant to be understood by everyone. Yet, most of Jesus’ disciples were ordinary people, without higher education, and they readily grasped what he taught.—Acts 4:13.
You could also hold back from scrutinizing your beliefs out of fear that doing so would display a lack of faith. But does it make sense that God would be displeased with you for looking into the Bible, his message to mankind, to understand what he asks of you? On the contrary, his Word encourages you to examine the Scriptures personally, saying: “Prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”—Romans 12:2.
Learning the truth about God is more than an intellectual exercise—it can change your life for the better. (John 8:32) Deanne, mentioned in the opening article, has now built her faith on God’s Word. She relates: “I never realized that the Scriptures were so clear until I began studying the Bible. Now I know Jehovah, not just as an impersonal God, but as my loving heavenly Father. I’ve found a real purpose in life.”
Maybe you studied the Bible before without feeling that you benefited. If so, do not give up. Trying to understand the Bible when you have been taught lies about God is like trying to assemble a puzzle using the wrong picture as a reference. You might put a few pieces together correctly but then give up in frustration when these do not match the overall picture you were given. Start with the right picture, though, and the pieces will fall into place.
Would you like to learn the truth about God? We invite you to contact Jehovah’s Witnesses in your community or write to the appropriate address on page 4 of this magazine for a free home Bible study.
[Blurb on page 9]
“Prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”—ROMANS 12:2