Whenever you meet someone who has a “my way or the highway” type attitude, your initial reaction is probably to be turned off by their apparent arrogance and lack of humility. How then can Christians say that Jesus is the only way to heaven and expect people to not be turned off by it? This is a struggle many people have with Christianity and I think it’s a big part of why Christians are “persecuted” the way they currently are in our society. I myself have struggled with this idea, and even after thinking I’ve sort of figured it out, I have struggled to articulate my thoughts/research/experience- so here’s me attempting to do so.
First things first.
My “arguments” are based on Scripture and the acknowledgement that God is real and is Sovereign. In order to use the Bible as a basis for an argument, I must believe it is a reliable source. The Bible is the Word of God- meaning I believe it is the truth and has authority over all else (of course, there is some subjectivity in interpreting the Bible, but some Truths are written plain as day, various times throughout Scriptures, directly translated from the original manuscripts).
So, what makes Jesus so special? What makes him different than Mohammed or Buddha? Why is my God the one true God?
I’ve spent pretty much my whole life as a Christian. Yet I’ve never so clearly understood the reason why Jesus is the only way until a few days ago. As I read Colossians the other day, the Holy Spirit revealed, so simply, the plainest truth (I can’t believe I haven’t made the connection ever before in my life): a holy God needs His people to be holy.
If we believe in God, that He is the creator of everything and in control of everything- we surely believe He created humans. Humans are the only creatures made in God’s image (scientists marvel at the “statistical improbability” of such creatures coming into existence… almost as if it were not left up to chance…). We have an intelligence like no other living thing- surely God had a plan for us. From Scripture, we see that the plan was to have us be in relationship with Him (there is lots of scripture on this, but let’s go with Revelation today:
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”)
Revelation 3:20
…But He is holy, and we are not (we’re stained with sin from the choices we make- because of the free will He gave us so that we might choose to truly love Him, not be forced into it). So, if we are to be in perfect relationship with an Almighty, perfect and holy God, we must become holy. Seems like a tall order. Before Jesus, the Jews made animal sacrifices as a payment for sin. But this was not a sustainable method, and only did so much… Enter Jesus- the perfect sacrifice, God made flesh, a way to wash us white as snow so we can be blameless in God’s sight:
“But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”
Colossians 1:22
Of course Jesus is the only way to heaven/eternal life with God. He is the only perfect sacrifice to make us holy enough to be in His presence. Duh Jody. Also, cool. (I’ve been told these things and have understood them separately my whole life, but for some reason had an “ah ha!” moment about it the other day). Check this verse out:
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.”
Colossians 2:9-10
Mohammed didn’t make that sacrifice, nor was He God’s son. How can we have access to Allah, a Sovereign Deity, if we are mere humans? Or if we are required to live out Magga (Buddha’s eight-fold path) in order to achieve Nirodha (the end of suffering), there is no way of doing this perfectly- we are human. Our salvation is then conditional on perfection, which is impossible to achieve. But with Christ as a sacrifice, we experience an unconditional grace from God, we just have to accept it. We can be so far from perfect, yet still approach God as blameless because of the Sacrifice Jesus paid, the most selfless act of grace imaginable. Wowza! PTL, THANK YOU JESUS!
… But what about those who never hear about Jesus? In the times of the early church, I think it’s safe to say the apostles were not reaching people like Indigenous North Americans. There are still tribes in remote places throughout the earth who have not heard about Jesus.
I hesitate to even talk about this because me and my little earthly brain know so little. When I look at Scripture like Romans 10 or John 14:6, it seems pretty clear that we must hear about and believe in Jesus to be saved. So then, how can we justify this exclusivity? That’s a tough one, and what I have to say may seem like a cop out, but it’s so far beyond my understanding. I think we tend to impose our human understanding on God and deem this exclusivity as “unfair.” God is so unfathomable, and His ways are so much higher than anything we can comprehend, so we have to trust that He knows what He’s doing. All I can say is, thank goodness He’s the final judge and not us. However, if we keep these things in mind, we as Christians should burn with desire to share the Gospel into all corners of the earth- we should want nothing more than for everyone to experience God’s love and grace, for them to come party with us in heaven.
(A quick note about evangelism- our sharing of the Gospel should be fueled by our experience of Grace and a desire for all to come to know and experience the love and grace of our God and King. If we start using scare tactics and condemning people to hell (another concept which we cannot fathom), we are lacking the grace and love of Jesus.)
So, if you’re reading this and you are not a Christian, or even if you are, I pray that Christ will be revealed to you and that you will see him as he is- a gift of grace from God, the sacrifice made for everyone (including you). I pray that you will desire that relationship with the perfect Creator who desires to be in relationship with us, even after the world as we know it ceases to exist. I pray that in these uncertain times where our security has been taken away, you will put your hope in the one true God, the one thing that will remain when all else fails us. I pray that you will experience His love and grace in ways you never imagined you could.
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:2
I love love love Christ and how He reveals more about His character the more we seek Him. I want everyone to know Him and experience grace to the fullest.
“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labour, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.”
Colossians 1:28-29
Jody Talkin' 