I often have people tell me they “don’t believe we should evaluate or judge [criticize] other people’s religion,” nor  “should we evaluate or judge [criticize] what other churches are teaching and practicing.”

What do you think about those statements?  What about this statement:  “We shouldn’t evaluate or criticize what other people teach and/or practice, unless that belief or practice is displeasing to God.”

Should we not point out errors in religious belief systems that others hold to or teach?  Suppose you know that a murderer has broken into a friend’s house and is waiting for him, but your friend doesn’t know it.   When you see your friend walking toward his house, what should you do?  Warn him?Suppose your friend believes a false religious doctrine, perhaps something about works and rituals getting you into heaven.

Matthew 7:15-23 warns that many people will be so deceived that they will think they are saved; but the truth is they are really dead in their sins.

Most people don’t know they are lost, so, should we just let them die in their ignorance and go to hell?  Not if we love them…

If we love them, we should warn them by telling them truth, shouldn’t we?

What about Jesus and His apostles — did they speak out against false beliefs in the lives of others, or did they just “let other people’s beliefs alone”?

Here is an exercise that will allow you to correctly answer that:  Start reading through the New Testament and make a note of every passage where you find religious error being rebuked by faithful teachers of God’s word.  I have no doubt that you will have a hard time finding many, if any, pages in the New Testament where error is mentioned and then not openly rebuked, condemned, and/or corrected.

We should be willing to rebuke and reprove error, not out of self-righteousness and pride, but to love others on God’s behalf, speaking the Truth in love (John 4:24;  8:32; 14:6; 18:38; 1Tim. 2:3-4; 2Tim. 4:2-5; 1Pet. 2:11-17)

Jesus Christ is the Truth; everything He said and did is Truth. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth and lives in each and every believer of Christ.  The Word of God [the Bible] is Truth, it prepares and empowers us to speak the Truth of God.