How Do I Know If a Church Teaches the Truth?
1) Direct Answer
Measure everything by the Word. A true church preaches the full revelation of Jesus Christ, holds to one God (not three persons), calls sinners to repentance and the new birth, follows the apostolic pattern, and produces a clean, Spirit-filled life that matches Scripture.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- The Word is the absolute:
- “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).
- All Scripture is given by inspiration (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Bereans checked the preaching by the Scriptures (Acts 17:11). Any other gospel is accursed (Galatians 1:8-9). Don’t add or take away (Revelation 22:18-19).
- The Godhead—one God revealed, not three persons:
- “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4).
- “God was manifested in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16). “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). “In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). It’s not three Gods; it’s one God revealed as Father (above us), Son (with us), Holy Spirit (in us).
- The apostolic salvation pattern:
- Repentance and remission of sins in His Name (Luke 24:47).
- Water baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5), burial with Him (Romans 6:3-4), and the promise of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:39).
- A life led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14) that keeps His Word (1 John 2:3-5) and bears fruit (Galatians 5:22-25).
- Holiness and order:
- “Follow peace… and holiness” (Hebrews 12:14). “Come out from among them” (2 Corinthians 6:17). Clean religion separates from the world (James 1:27).
- Be filled with the Spirit, not with wine (Ephesians 5:18). The Bible shows literal wine existed (John 2:10; 1 Corinthians 11:21), but drunkenness and bondage are sin. The safest walk is abstinence and sobriety, with a clear testimony and a Spirit-filled life.
- The Lord’s Supper is handled reverently (1 Corinthians 11:23-29), never in excess or lightness.
- Church leadership and discipline:
- Elders and deacons must be “the husband of one wife,” sober, blameless (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9). Men who came into the faith having more than one wife can be received as believers, but they do not hold office in the church. The pulpit must be clean.
- The supernatural in order:
- “These signs shall follow them that believe” (Mark 16:17-20). Gifts operate decently and in order (1 Corinthians 12–14), never against the written Word.
- The Bride taught correctly:
- They place the Bride as the great blood-washed multitude out of all nations (Revelation 7:9-17) and those who live and reign with Christ a thousand years (Revelation 20:4). They don’t confuse the Bride with the saved nations.
- No traditions over Scripture:
- Beware of “tradition of men” (Colossians 2:8). “In vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:7-9).
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- Ask: Where did any apostle preach “three co-equal persons”? The Bible declares one God, and says God was manifested in flesh.
- Ask: Who in the Bible baptized using titles instead of the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ? The record shows the apostles used His Name.
- Ask: If a church explains away the supernatural, where did God ever change? “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8).
- Ask: Do they put creeds on level with Scripture? Jesus condemned that (Mark 7:7-9).
- Ask: Do they ordain men who are not “husband of one wife,” or who are not sober and blameless? That contradicts 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
- Ask: Do they treat the Lord’s Supper carelessly, or use it in a way that leads to excess? 1 Corinthians 11 rebukes that.
- Ask: Do they teach the Bride according to Revelation 7:9-17 and 20:4, or do they mix the Bride with the saved nations? Let Scripture draw the line.
4) Short Reinforcing Statement
Now notice, the Holy Spirit will always lead you to the Word and then live that Word through you. Stay with the Bible. A true church will preach Christ the Word, keep the apostolic pattern, and produce a life that matches the Scriptures. You see, that’s the proof.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
There is only One Way provided by God for anything
63-0731 §61
...then they had another injection. And then, after John Wesley, they had another injection. And they just ... so forth, a council meeting, until they got to a place until the churches has become hybrid by the ethics of man's teaching. And there's a great falling away now. The church needs a scriptural-sign truth in this last age. It needs something. Look at the different denominations, the twistings (as we close now, before we have the prayer line). Look at the twistings of the Scripture. Think of our different denom...
A deceived Church by the world
59-0628M §34
And today they've took all the street workers off the streets. They've took the tambourine out of the church. They've taken all the glory out of the church, and got seminary preaching, little old rooster-comb preaching, all polished in society, and their women wearing shorts and dresses that they're skinned into, and men smoking cigarettes, and gambling and telling dirty jokes. It's a disgrace in the sight of God! I know that's rough, but it's time somebody said something. Compromising, giving in, acting like the w...
Just one more time, Lord
63-0120E §65
...hat do you need divine healing in the millennium for, when you're immortal? Today is the day! This is the day. Say, "Well, we have revivals." Look at the moral decay in the church. Look how corruptible it's getting every year. Look at our Pentecostal groups, how it's fallen. Shut your eyes and think of it fifteen years ago when I was here, then look out and see what you got today. You know that's the truth! It's a sin and shame. That's right. Getting further and further away from the Word of God, all the time.
Take the rod and gather the people
50-0827E §14
And now, many of you here, no doubt, is suffering, some to be in my prayer line here. I do not know. When they come and call forth the prayer line... go forth from here and... That, I cannot say. But I know this one thing, friends. I do not know very much. But what I do know, I know it's the truth. That's all that I consider. And if God doesn't confirm that to be the truth, then I've told wrong. But if God says it is the truth, then I've told the truth. It's right. But that ought to be to every human here. Now, whe...
Doors in door
65-0206 §18
...back here in the back of the book, who put $1500.00 in it just to get it out to the public, let the public read them. So it's free, and it's a nice little book. And I don't know what the contents is. I've never read it. The Father knows that. But see, it was... To me, it's absolute truth. That's what we look for is truth. Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth, the truth shall set you free." And he is that truth. He is, Jesus, the Son of God, is the truth of the Word because he was the Word made flesh. "In the beginn...