Penned by: Erlinda Mejia Olson
On Saturday, 9th of August,1998 at 12:05AM CST
Posted on Sunday, 12th of November, 2017 at 7:16AM CST
JOHN 14:6 ~ Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me"
ISAIAH 45:21 ~ "Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me."
HEBREWS 12:2 ~ "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
I have been reading and meditating on the above Scriptures. Mulling over, asking the LORD on what to write. Then I said, "LORD Jesus, which part of the John 14:6 verse, people don't understand that YOU are the ONLY way to God the Father? The Scripture is simple and straight to the point. Before I got saved, the first time David read this verse to me, I was stunned, speechless. I had no doubt, nor had any difficulty understanding, that You indeed, are the only way to Heaven, and I believed." So I went on...
How can Christians (saved in Jesus Christ) know they are true and everyone else is false? Does that ring a bell of arrogance? Realistically, it is impossible for all the major world religions to be valid ways to God the Father. As seen in the verses above, Christianity states that the God of the Bible is the Only true God and salvation is only possible by accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Judaism asserts that the God of the Torah (Old Testament) is the only true God, but that Jesus Christ is not the Messiah, placing it directly at odds with Christianity—either Jesus Christ is the Messiah, or He is not. If He is, then Judaism is not an acceptable way to God; if Jesus Christ is not, Christianity is not an acceptable way to God. The mutual exclusion only grows when other religions are added: Islam states that Allah is the only true God, and that anyone who says Christ is the Son of God will be condemned (Qur'an, 5:72, 9:30). Moreover, if religions other than Christianity are acceptable ways to God, then one of Christianity's basic principles is false. In that case, can it still be said to be a valid, trustworthy religion?
On Saturday, 9th of August,1998 at 12:05AM CST
Posted on Sunday, 12th of November, 2017 at 7:16AM CST
JOHN 14:6 ~ Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me"
ISAIAH 45:21 ~ "Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me."
HEBREWS 12:2 ~ "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
I have been reading and meditating on the above Scriptures. Mulling over, asking the LORD on what to write. Then I said, "LORD Jesus, which part of the John 14:6 verse, people don't understand that YOU are the ONLY way to God the Father? The Scripture is simple and straight to the point. Before I got saved, the first time David read this verse to me, I was stunned, speechless. I had no doubt, nor had any difficulty understanding, that You indeed, are the only way to Heaven, and I believed." So I went on...
1 Corinthians 15:14-19 says:
"And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable."
No matter what belief system you adopt, you will be saying that your system is right and that the billions of people who don't accept it are wrong. If Islam is correct, the billions of non-Muslims are wrong; if Orthodox Judaism is correct, the billions of Gentiles (non-Jewish) are wrong. If it is correct to approve of multiple belief systems because they are all valid ways of attaining spiritual enlightenment, the billions of Christians, Jews, Muslims and others who believe in exclusive religions are intolerant and therefore wrong.
The skeptics may ask …
How can Christians be 100% sure that their faith in Jesus Christ is the absolute truth? First of all, Christianity is not a religion, but is having a Personal Relationship with Christ, Himself, "the Author and Finisher of our faith," (Hebrews 12:2). A Pastor once said, "Christianity begins when all other religions in this world have died." Being born into a Christian family or growing up in a Christian community does not make one a Christian. Culture and ethnicity don’t authenticate one's relationship with God the Father. Instead, people become Christians because they are convinced of the truth of Christianity, and, or have had experiences with God—in other words, they have solid reasons for believing Christianity to be the absolute truth—God’s Word. God is not a liar, and His Word validates it. (2 Peter 3:9a). Christians are not saying that their personal ideas are true, but that the Christian God exists, and His words are true (Proverbs 30:4-6; 1 Corinthians 15:14-19, 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Furthermore, Christianity is unique among religions because it addresses the fact that we can never be good enough to be in the presence of a perfect, Holy God. In order to be perfectly good, we would have to be doing good all the time. If we do something wrong, we cannot undo it, thus we can no longer be considered perfect, nor can we do more good to make up for our wrongs—for perfection requires doing the most good possible at all times, and the absolute truth is, we cannot be more than perfect to make up for when we are less than perfect. If perfection is attainable then God wouldn't have sent His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ to save us from our sin; and Christ death on the Cross would be useless. In this case, God is contradicting His simple plan of Salvation through Jesus Christ alone. Other religions teach that we can somehow do enough good to earn heaven or nirvana, but they don't address the fact that we continually make mistakes. Christianity teaches that our sins were paid for by Jesus Christ's death on the cross, and that by accepting His payment and believing in Him we can be forgiven. We don't have to earn our way into Heaven, which is a good thing, because WE CANNOT DO IT. Jesus Christ is the only way to God the Father. Without the forgiveness that comes through His death and resurrection, there is no way for us to be able to stand before a Holy God. Aren’t you glad that our God is an unchangeable God? "Not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9).
Claiming that Christianity is right does not mean that Christians themselves are right about everything, or that they are innately superior to non-Christians. What Christianity teaches is that both Christians and non-Christians "have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23) and need salvation, which comes only by the grace of God, not the individual's actions or merits (Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 Corinthians 1:26-31).
The skeptics may ask …
How can Christians be 100% sure that their faith in Jesus Christ is the absolute truth? First of all, Christianity is not a religion, but is having a Personal Relationship with Christ, Himself, "the Author and Finisher of our faith," (Hebrews 12:2). A Pastor once said, "Christianity begins when all other religions in this world have died." Being born into a Christian family or growing up in a Christian community does not make one a Christian. Culture and ethnicity don’t authenticate one's relationship with God the Father. Instead, people become Christians because they are convinced of the truth of Christianity, and, or have had experiences with God—in other words, they have solid reasons for believing Christianity to be the absolute truth—God’s Word. God is not a liar, and His Word validates it. (2 Peter 3:9a). Christians are not saying that their personal ideas are true, but that the Christian God exists, and His words are true (Proverbs 30:4-6; 1 Corinthians 15:14-19, 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Furthermore, Christianity is unique among religions because it addresses the fact that we can never be good enough to be in the presence of a perfect, Holy God. In order to be perfectly good, we would have to be doing good all the time. If we do something wrong, we cannot undo it, thus we can no longer be considered perfect, nor can we do more good to make up for our wrongs—for perfection requires doing the most good possible at all times, and the absolute truth is, we cannot be more than perfect to make up for when we are less than perfect. If perfection is attainable then God wouldn't have sent His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ to save us from our sin; and Christ death on the Cross would be useless. In this case, God is contradicting His simple plan of Salvation through Jesus Christ alone. Other religions teach that we can somehow do enough good to earn heaven or nirvana, but they don't address the fact that we continually make mistakes. Christianity teaches that our sins were paid for by Jesus Christ's death on the cross, and that by accepting His payment and believing in Him we can be forgiven. We don't have to earn our way into Heaven, which is a good thing, because WE CANNOT DO IT. Jesus Christ is the only way to God the Father. Without the forgiveness that comes through His death and resurrection, there is no way for us to be able to stand before a Holy God. Aren’t you glad that our God is an unchangeable God? "Not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9).
Claiming that Christianity is right does not mean that Christians themselves are right about everything, or that they are innately superior to non-Christians. What Christianity teaches is that both Christians and non-Christians "have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23) and need salvation, which comes only by the grace of God, not the individual's actions or merits (Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 Corinthians 1:26-31).
Christianity is prejudiced towards other beliefs … ?
Is refusing to call a belief false always the right thing to do? For example, is it right to say that Nazism and racism are simply alternate belief systems that we should not pass judgment on, or should we condemn these beliefs as being morally wrong? If someone believes they have the right to kill or rape whomever they please, should we accept their beliefs as an alternate lifestyle, or denounce them? Tolerance can be an admirable virtue in many circumstances, but tolerating wrong, by refusing to say it is wrong—is in itself wrong. If Christianity is true, then there is only one God and salvation comes only through Jesus Christ, and religions that deny this are not merely alternate forms of spiritual expression, but systems of belief that prevent their adherents from obtaining salvation (John 3:18). If Jesus Christ is in fact the only way to God, then to claim that He is not, is both false and dangerous. If someone has a fatal disease, and telling them that they don't need to seek medical treatment is wrong. If someone can only have salvation by accepting Jesus Christ as their Saviour, telling them they don't need to accept Him is even more wrong, no matter how tolerant or well-meaning it may seem to be.
John 3:18 says:"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
Those who are outside of Jesus Christ are not saved, Christianity is exclusive ... ?
First of all, would a religion that taught that everyone goes to Heaven be a good religion? We would all like to ponder that we and our loved ones will go to Heaven. Yet if everyone automatically goes to Heaven, then this includes evil people as well as good people. Should an unrepentant killer go to Heaven? Should someone who enjoys tormenting people, or who abuses children and feels no remorse or guilt, go to Heaven? If not, then there are cases when it is morally right for people to be excluded from Heaven.
Christianity does not teach that only Christians deserve to go to Heaven. Instead, it teaches that no one deserves to go to Heaven, because we all have sinned during our lives (Rom 3:23). We can have admittance to Heaven by agreeing with God that we are sinners and lost, and realizing that Jesus Christ is the only ONE who can save us because He died for our sins. No church or denomination, not even praying to Mary or praying the rosary, or infant baptism, or any other good deeds you can think of can save anyone, but only through Jesus Christ (John 6:40). Thus, salvation is accessible to everyone and is intended by God for everyone: "Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." (Isaiah 45:22)
First of all, would a religion that taught that everyone goes to Heaven be a good religion? We would all like to ponder that we and our loved ones will go to Heaven. Yet if everyone automatically goes to Heaven, then this includes evil people as well as good people. Should an unrepentant killer go to Heaven? Should someone who enjoys tormenting people, or who abuses children and feels no remorse or guilt, go to Heaven? If not, then there are cases when it is morally right for people to be excluded from Heaven.
Christianity does not teach that only Christians deserve to go to Heaven. Instead, it teaches that no one deserves to go to Heaven, because we all have sinned during our lives (Rom 3:23). We can have admittance to Heaven by agreeing with God that we are sinners and lost, and realizing that Jesus Christ is the only ONE who can save us because He died for our sins. No church or denomination, not even praying to Mary or praying the rosary, or infant baptism, or any other good deeds you can think of can save anyone, but only through Jesus Christ (John 6:40). Thus, salvation is accessible to everyone and is intended by God for everyone: "Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." (Isaiah 45:22)
"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time," (1 Timothy 2:1-6)
To God be all the glory in Christ Jesus, the LORD and Savior!
