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John 14:6 (KJV) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Not too long ago the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life published a major study on religious affiliation, beliefs, and practices in the United States. One of the most significant of their findings was that 70% of all Americans surveyed believe that many religions lead to Heaven and eternal life. Among the self professing Christians interviewed 65% believed that are many ways to Heaven. Of the professing Christians 56% of Evangelicals believed that there are many paths one can take to get to God. Religious pluralism (a belief in many gods) is rampant, even in the Church.

When I thought about this the Lord began to speak to my heart. Are there really many ways to God? What about those who have never heard of Christ? Will they die and enter eternity orphaned from God because they never heard that Jesus Christ is the “door of the sheep” (John 10:7)?

The answer to our question – just as the answer to all questions – is in the Bible, the Word of God. I was not on this earth when Jesus walked among us, but we have a record of what He declared in the Scripture.

How do I answer the critic who asks me “Why do you believe
that faith in Christ is the only way to know God the Father?”

The Nature Of God Demands Christ Alone

Who is God? What is His nature? The Bible tells us several great truths about God. First of all:

1 John 1:5 (KJV) This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

• God is LIGHT. God is without darkness. There is absolutely no sin in God. God is HOLY, set apart from evil. The angels of Heaven constantly cry out:

Isaiah 6:3 (KJV) … Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

God is the Creator of physical light (Genesis 1:3) and the Source of spiritual light (John 8:12) and truth. There is
NO unrighteousness in God.

Psalms 99:5 (KJV) Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.

1 Peter 1:15-16 (KJV) But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; [16] Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Hebrews 12:14 (KJV) Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

God is pure, holy, without sin. This is His basic nature.

• God is also UNCHANGING and ETERNAL. God does not mature as we do, but is wholly complete. God does not learn as we do, but knows all things. The Bible says:

Psalms 90:2 (KJV) Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

James 1:17 (KJV) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Malachi 3:6 (KJV) For I am the LORD, I change not …

God does not give His Word then forget what He gave. What God has said stands forever. What God has promised has no expiration. The Bible says:

Titus 1:2 (KJV) In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

Numbers 23:19 (KJV) God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

God is unchanging, and unable to forget what He has promised. He cannot go senile. He is everywhere, and sees all that goes on.

• God is also LOVE. God loves the Creation that He has made. God loves each person ever born. God made man in His image, and in His likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). He made us to be with Him, to serve Him. The Scripture declares:

1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. [8] He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

God loves you, for God made you. This is why the Bible says “God is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”. God loves every person, but His nature is holy.

The Nature Of Man Demands Christ Alone

The Bible teaches us that God made man and woman perfect and without sin, and placed both in a beautiful sin free garden called Eden (the Paradise of God). God put our fore-parents in this place to worship Him and to walk with Him. God gave Adam but one NO. He told Adam:

Genesis 2:16-17 (KJV) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: [17] But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

God made a covenant with Adam. The covenant was very simple. You Adam, can eat ANYTHING Adam BUT ONE THING … do NOT eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. What was the penalty for disobeying God? God was very clear. The very day you eat of it you shall SURELY DIE. Now if I or you made such a contract with another human, perhaps the contract would become negotiable at a later date. Perhaps I would use a lighter touch that death if you disobeyed. But God made the covenant with Adam. This is the God Who:

Is LIGHT
Is HOLY
Is UNCHANGING
Is ETERNAL
And Is LOVE

This God Who created all things gave a very clear directive, one that He was not going to ever invalidate. Though God is love, He is foremost HOLY. He cannot lie. So what happened when Adam did as God said NOT to do?

Romans 5:12 (KJV) Wherefore, as by ONE MAN sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that ALL HAVE SINNED:

Man was made to walk with God in holiness. But Man sinned against God, and brought sin into creation. The Scripture declares “… by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation..” (Romans 5:18). Adam polluted the human race that would spring from his loins. Adam’s children would all be born with a sin nature, a desire to walk apart from God. The Scripture declares:

Romans 3:23 (KJV) For ALL HAVE SINNED, and come short of the glory of God;

ALL have sinned. ALL are born sinners. Even before a child can be accountable for sin that child is prone to disobey, to lie, to try and be like a god in the family. When God looks at the world what does He see?

Psalms 14:2-3 (KJV) The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. [3] They are ALL gone aside, they are ALL together become filthy: there is NONE that doeth good, no, not one.

The nature of God is to be holy, righteous, just. But the nature of man is to sin, to walk in the darkness rather than the light. You may say “Well, aren’t there moral people in the world?” Absolutely. There are moral, decent people who try to do the good thing. But when tempted, even these moral people can sin. We are predisposed to sin. God is predisposed to holiness. The natural state of God therefore is at odds with the natural state of man.

How do the warring factions come together? How can God offer mankind a hand up without defying His own nature? God needed to raise up a sinless mediator who could stand between us and Him. That Mediator is Christ.

1 Timothy 2:3-6 (KJV) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; [4] Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. [5] For THERE IS ONE GOD, AND ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN, THE MAN CHRIST JESUS; [6] Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

How can one Person mediate between God and man? That Person would have to be WITHOUT SIN. Why? Because God is sinless, Heaven is sinless, and God does not like to look on sin. When God looked down in Noah’s day and saw sin:

Genesis 6:5-7 (KJV) And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. [6] And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. [7] And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; …

When God looks on the sinful and unrepentant His holy nature demands that He punish them.

Ezekiel 18:4 (KJV) Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

God would not heed a Mediator Who was a sinner.

Isaiah 59:2 (KJV) But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

The Mediator would have to be without sin in order to bring us into union with God. The Scripture says of Jesus Christ that He is our Mediator:

Hebrews 4:14-15 (KJV) Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. [15] For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus Christ came to this earth in the likeness of sinful flesh (Romans 8:3). He was incarnated – came to this earth – through the virgin Mary. We are told in:

2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV) For {God the Father} hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Jesus entered this life born of the virgin, but He Himself is Eternal God the Son. In Him there was no deceit (1 Peter 2:22) and no sin. Jesus was not a son of Adam, but He was the Son of Man and Son of God. As God He has no capacity to sin. As Man Christ was not marked with Adam’s sin, for God is His Father. As God Jesus is in union with the Father and the Spirit. He told the Pharisees “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). When He said this the Pharisees tried to stone Him, saying “You, a mere man, claim to be God” (John 10:33). John tells us that Jesus Christ is The Word of God that was in the beginning with God (John 1:1-3). In the Book of Hebrews the Father says of the Son:

Hebrews 1:8 (KJV) But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.

As Perfect Man Jesus represents us.
He knows our suffering and our pain, having suffered while on this earth.
As Perfect God Jesus represents God.

1 John 2:1-2 (KJV) … if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: [2] And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

There is only one Mediator between God and Man, and that is Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5).

The Words Of Christ Demand Christ Alone

When Jesus Christ walked this earth He presented Himself as uniquely the only Way to God the Father. He did not just do this in John 14:6, but in a number of other passages:

Matthew 11:27 (KJV) All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, SAVE THE SON, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Jesus said “No man knows the Father but ME”. Then to make this even more restrictive Jesus said “You can’t know the Father unless I reveal Him to YOU”. Jesus is the only Way to know God. Muhammed may have been the Prophet of Allah, but he was not the Prophet of the Biblical God. Only Jesus knows the Father. Period. Jesus was asked …

“Jesus, How can we work the works of God?”

His reply is in John 6:29, 31-32, 33, 35 (KJV) … This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent. … [31] Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. [32] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. [33] For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. [35] And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Jesus made Himself exclusively the Bread that gives life to the world. When Jesus spoke of Himself He was very specific that He and He alone was the only way to salvation.

John 11:25-26 (KJV) … I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: [26] And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

The Apostles understood this great truth and so preached faith in Christ alone for salvation. Peter said:

Acts 4:12 (KJV) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

The Apostles were called “ignorant and unlearned men” for preaching this truth, and the world today calls us arrogant, backwards, and foolish for believing the same thing. Yet the Scripture stands with us when we are told that faith alone in Christ alone is the only way to be saved from damnation. Christ’s name is singularly the only way to God.

Philippians 2:9-11 (KJV) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: [10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; [11] And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

To affirm the uniqueness of Jesus Christ for salvation is not arrogance or boasting, but reality. I had a lady stop by the Church a few weeks ago asking me for directions to Dickson. I told her “As you leave our parking lot turn right. You will get to Dickson.” She said “So I turn left?” I said, “No, you MUST TURN RIGHT. There is no other way to get to Dickson from here.” That is not intolerant or hateful – it is the truth. Christ Jesus is the only Way to the Father. Jesus said it repeatedly. It is true. To be saved from hell and a wasted life, turn your eyes upon Jesus.

Matthew 12:50 (KJV)  For whosoever shall do the WILL of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

John 6:40 (KJV)  And THIS IS THE WILL OF HIM THAT SENT ME, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

God promises all … Romans 10:9-11 (KJV) That 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. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. [11] For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

God calls you into His Kingdom. Confess with your mouth Jesus is LORD! Give to Him your life. Follow Him. God does not call us to be His equal. God does not call us to be gods alongside of Him. God does not call us into a 50/50 partnership. God calls us to surrender, to acknowledge Christ as our Savior, to receive Him as Lord of all we are. We are called to FOLLOW HIM. Will you follow Him? Hear Him! “My sheep HEAR My voice; I know them, and THEY FOLLOW ME. I give unto them eternal life. (John 10:27-28). There is no salvation without the bended knee and the following heart.

Where He leads me, I will follow;
I’ll go with Him, with Him,
All the way!