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One of the most cherished provisions in our constitution is this: “Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibit the free exercise thereof.” Of course, freedom of religion does not mean we must accept as valid every belief system in our country. Christians believe that the Bible is God’s unique revelation to us. It is our guide for what we believe and practice. We find in it that as ancient Israel emerged from Egypt, some tried to establish their own way of approaching God. Aaron made a golden calf and the people shouted, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” For trying to establish their own way to approach God in worship, God judged them by slaying 3,000. But we find in Exodus Chapter 39 that when they erected a worship center that God designed, they had God’s approval. Since God created and sustains all life, and determines the destiny of every life, He alone has the right to say how people can be acceptable to Him. In ancient Israel, God provided a Tabernacle with instructions on how people could use it to approach Him. Later, when Jesus Christ arrived, He said He came as God’s sacrificial Lamb for the whole world. By His atoning death, Christ paid the sin debt for all humanity. All who come to Him by faith receive God’s forgiveness of all their sins and eternal life.
