I assume that you mean “right” in terms of doctrine. A simple listing of Orthodox doctrine would be the measure to examine a particular church denominational or otherwise.
Summary:
1) That God is the Sovereign Creator, upholder, and ruler of the universe, and that He is eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.
2) That the Godhead, the
Trinity, comprises God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
3) That the Scriptures are the inspired revelation of God to men; and that the Bible is the sole rule of faith and practice.
4) That Jesus Christ is very God, and that He has existed with the Father from all eternity.
5) That the Holy Spirit is a personal being, sharing the attributes of deity with the Father and the Son.
6) That Christ, the Word of God, became
incarnate through the miraculous conception and the
virgin birth; and that He lived an absolutely sinless life here on earth.
7) That the
vicarious, atoning death of Jesus Christ, once for all, is all-sufficient for the redemption of a lost race.
8) That Jesus Christ arose literally and bodily from the grave.
9) That He ascended literally and bodily into heaven.
10)That He now serves as our advocate (mediator) in priestly ministry and mediation before the Father.
11)That He will return to the earth in a second advent.
12)That man was
created sinless, but by his subsequent fall entered a state of alienation and depravity.
13)That salvation through Christ is by grace alone, through faith in His blood sacrifice.
14)That entrance upon the new life in Christ is by regeneration, or the new birth.
15)That man is
justified by faith.
16)That man is sanctified by the indwelling Christ through the Holy Spirit.
17)That believers will be resurrected and those alive will be translated.
18)There will be a final judgment of all men.
19)That the gospel is to be preached as a witness to all the world.
I plagiarized most of this from the 7[SUP]th[/SUP] day Adventist 19 beliefs (per Wikipedia), with very minor modification. This encapsulates, in my mind, Christian Orthodoxy.
As a senior citizen, I have over the years attended both denominational and nondenominational churches. I always examine the doctrinal belief as stated by that particular church before I join it. Currently, I am a member of a Presbyterian Church which adheres to the above list of doctrines.
As an addendum I would like to add that there is no perfect church or perfect person in the church; this should be self-evident. Also when engaging others with regard to Christian matters I like to be clear on what are salvation issues and what are simply differences in belief that do not threaten a person’s salvation.
Even though translations are not
per se the topic of this thread, I would make the following comment: the intent of any Bible study is to discern the mind of God as he teaches us. Translations of the Bible have been offered in a variety of ways and languages to help us to do that. If I am dealing with a difficult passage I always look at two or three additional translations and perhaps a commentary. It is a particular translation that is important, but rather how can we best discern the mind of God.