Matthew 7:12-23, Matthew 5:3-12, James 1:19-27
Jesus makes it very clear that religion can be our enemy. In the first passage he says we must avoid the fake preachers and false teachers and he tells us how to spot the blowhards.
The Sermon on the Mount contains what are called The Beatitudes and can be found in Matthew 5:3-10. The qualities listed here are the qualities you must look for in persons who say they are Christians or who are teaching others to follow Christ.
The people you can trust are humble, sensitive to the pain of others, gentle, trying to do the right thing, compassionate, pure in heart, peacemakers and willing to suffer for the cause of Christ.
James goes on to say that faith is measured not by what a person says but by what the person does. Living this all out means we are not to judge others and we need to be busy helping those who are less fortunate. That's it. Simple but not easy.
