Come to the Feast!

Seeking the Fullness of Truth

Which table to choose?

An enormous banquet hall is filled with large tables, ready for a Thanksgiving meal. Some tables are overflowing with a turkey and a great number of side dishes. Other tables have a turkey but seem to be missing quite a few dishes. Many tables do not have a turkey, but they do have some of the side dishes. Wouldn’t you want to be with your loved ones at one of the overflowing tables?

This is an analogy for Christianity and other religions.

The turkey would represent belief in Jesus and having a living relationship with him. The side dishes would represent all of the other truths that God has revealed about himself, and all the gifts that he wishes us to have for our journey with him. So there are tables that do not have a turkey at all; these are the non-Christian religions. And there are tables with a turkey, but with more or fewer side dishes; these are the different Christian faiths.

Are all religions the same?

One often hears, “All religions are equal, so it doesn’t matter what faith a person is.” But since the major world religions make different claims about objective truth, they can’t all be equally true. If Jesus is truly God who became man, then it matters whether one knows Jesus, and we would want to share him with non-Christians! But even the tables without turkey are not bare of all nourishment. This illustrates how Christians can recognize and appreciate that other religions can have certain aspects of truth, such as true moral teachings or insights into God.

Are all Christian faiths the same?

The different Christian churches all have a love for Christ, and share him in common. But there are also many areas of disagreement on important truths, such as doctrines of morals or salvation. This means that in such areas, some churches are mistaken and are unintentionally teaching error, and thus don’t have all of the “side dishes.” In other words, members are not receiving all the gifts and truths that God wants them to have on their journey with him.

Are you seeking the fullness of truth?

As with our banquet example, we want not only Jesus, but also all the other gifts and truths that he meant for us to have. This is what we mean by “the fullness of truth.” We can have many reasons to belong to a particular church, such as our upbringing or having friends there. But isn’t it even more important to search for the fullness of truth, and make sure that we are receiving all the gifts Jesus wants us to have?