I walked into a Burger King yesterday and asked for a porterhouse, medium rare. The guy looked at me like I was crazy. “That’s not on the menu”, he said. I said, “But you serve beef here, don’t you?”. “Why yes, but only hamburgers”. I huffed, “What have you got against steaks!? How intolerant! I’m going to report you to the politically correct police!” And I stormed out.**

Did that happen? Am I that crazy? No, not at all. I just made it up. When I was preaching yesterday I asked the crowd “Did anybody come in here looking for a hamburger?” One little girl laughed. What a silly question – why go to Church to get a burger? But that was my point.  I’m sick and tired of the foolishness prevalent in our world today. I’m sick and tired of political correctness and selective tolerance. 

Tolerance. Everyone loves to shove tolerance down the Christ followers throat. Make the statement that “the only way to God is through faith in Jesus Christ” and you are called a bigot, intolerant, or worse. Yet these are EXACTLY the statements that our Lord Jesus Christ made, and died for. He said:

John 14:6 …. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

“but by ME”. That’s very clear. Either you come to the Father through Christ, or you don’t come to the Father. Or consider Christ’s words in …

John 8:23-24 … Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. 24  I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

“ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I AM HE”. Christ is God’s method for salvation. Faith alone in Christ alone is the only way to be saved. Or else:

John 3:16-18   For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

You are condemned “already” if you have not “believed IN THE NAME of the only begotten Son of God”.  How did the early Church regard what Jesus said? Peter stated:

Acts 4:10-12    Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 11  This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Read verse 12 again and tell me that there are many ways to God and salvation. Can’t do it, can you? Paul told the seeker who asked “how can I be saved”:

Acts 16:31 ….. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

and to the Romans he wrote:

Romans 10:9 ….  if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Confess CHRIST as Lord and BELIEVE God raised Him and ONLY HIM from the dead, and you shall be saved. How intolerant! Yet this is the testimony of Scripture, of Christ, and of the early Church. And yet the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life/ U.S. Religious Landscape Study concluded that 70% of all Americans who are affiliated with a religious tradition say that many religions lead to eternal life. As Dr. Jim Denison wrote:

“Even more frightening, 57 percent of evangelical Protestants agree. Only among Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons do a majority believe that their own religion is the one true faith”.

The Holy Trinity of God – Father, Son, and Spirit – have been replaced with the triune god of this age – relativism, pluralism, and universalism. Relativism decrees that “There is no absolute truth”. Pluralism cries, “There are many ways to God”. Universalism comforts “All are going to Heaven anyway”. All three are whispers, lies from Satan. No, friends, you can’t “Have It Your Way”. You cannot enter into a relationship with God without going through Christ. He is the Door (John 10:7), the Good Shepherd (John 10:14), the Light of the world (John 8:12), the Bread from Heaven (John 6:41), the Messiah sent from God, and the only Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). You’ve got a better chance of getting a medium rare porterhouse from a Burger King than you do of getting into Heaven without Christ. Believe on Him and you shall be saved!

** I used Burger King in my illustration because, IMHO, they are the best burgers.