Does God Accept All Forms of Worship?

Does God Accept All Forms of Worship?

Common answers:

▪ “All religions are paths leading to God.”

▪ “It doesn’t matter what you believe if you are sincere.”

What did Jesus say?

▪ “Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.” (Matthew 7:13, 14) Jesus did not believe that all roads lead to God.

▪ “Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ And yet then I will confess to them: I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:22, 23) Jesus does not accept all those who claim to follow him.

MANY religious people treasure their own beliefs and traditions. But what happens if these teachings are not in harmony with what is found in God’s Word, the Bible? Jesus showed the danger of following man-made traditions when he said to the religious leaders of his day: “You have made the word of God invalid because of your tradition.” He then went on to quote these words of God: “This people honors me with their lips, yet their heart is far removed from me. It is in vain that they keep worshiping me, because they teach commands of men as doctrines.”​—Matthew 15:1-9; Isaiah 29:13.

Conduct is also important, not just beliefs. The Bible says of some who claim to worship God: “They publicly declare they know God, but they disown him by their works.” (Titus 1:16) In fact, the Bible says of those living in our time: “Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure. Even though they will make a show of being religious, their religion won’t be real. Don’t have anything to do with such people.”​—2 Timothy 3:4, 5, Contemporary English Version.

Sincerity is required, but more is needed. Why? Because a person can be sincerely wrong. So accurate knowledge about God is vital. (Romans 10:2, 3) Taking in this knowledge and acting in harmony with what the Bible says will enable us to be pleasing to God. (Matthew 7:21) Really, then, right religion involves right motive, right belief, and right action. And right action means doing the will of God daily!​—1 John 2:17.

If you would like to know more regarding what the Bible tells us about God, contact Jehovah’s Witnesses for a free home Bible study.