On the surface the claim that Christians are narrow minded stating that Jesus Christ is the only way to God even bothers me; a born-again Christian. If it were up to me, I might change the rules on how on to get to God and heaven. However, the exclusivity claim was made by Jesus himself when He made statements like we find in (John 14:6), “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” The New Testament is literally full of similar verses claiming that Jesus is the only way to God. While the claim that Jesus is the only way to God may seem audacious and politically incorrect, I hope the following comments may show you that this claim made by Jesus himself is reasonable.
Most people would agree that when they hear the name Jesus, they think of Him as a gentle, kind and loving person who was a great moral teacher. One way of viewing Jesus, which was made popular recently by the Christian apologist Josh McDowell, is called the trilemma. The trilemma states that Jesus is either the Lord, a liar, or a lunatic. The analysis goes something like this. Since Jesus made the claim, He is either right or wrong. If He was wrong, He either knew it or He didn’t know it. If He knew He was wrong that would make Him out to be a liar. And if He did not know He was wrong but believed He was the only way to God He would be a lunatic. But if Jesus was right the only other option would be that He is the Lord.
Let’s look at the claim that Jesus is a lunatic. This just doesn’t fit the account we see of Him written in the Bible. He seems so sure of himself and is always doing good. In addition, if you ask just about anyone today, they would tell you that Jesus is just about the sanest person around. What about the claim He was a liar. This seems just as far-fetched. Just listen to the words of Josh McDowell: “If, when Jesus made his claims, he knew that he was not God, then he was lying and deliberately deceiving his followers. But if he was a liar, then he was also a hypocrite because he told others to be honest, whatever the cost, while he himself taught and lived a colossal lie. More than that, he was a demon, because he told others to trust him for their eternal destiny. If he couldn’t back up his claims and knew it, then he was unspeakably evil. Last, he would also be a fool because it was his claims to being God that led to his crucifixion.”1 Thus the claim of liar just doesn’t seem to fit the evidence. Therefore, if He wasn’t a lunatic or a liar, He must be the Lord.
Another way to look at the claim that Jesus is the only way to God concerns another equally unpopular belief and that is we are all sinners. I think if we are all honest with ourselves, we all must admit that we have moral failings. The Bible has another name for these moral failings and it is called sin. I also think if we are all honest with ourselves, we would admit we should receive some form of punishment for these crimes. As a result, most of us, if not all, would love to receive clemency for these wrongs we have committed. And here is the problem with all other religions. They have no solution for dealing with the problem of sin. Jesus Christ is the only way to God because He is the only one that has dealt with the sin issue.
Clearly someone has to pay for our moral failings (our sin). That’s just the way justice works. Since we have already admitted we are guilty either we have to pay or Jesus has to pay. And this is where the clemency comes in. When Jesus died on the cross, He offered us a pardon for our sins. We are responsible for our sins but God is so good in that He allowed Jesus to pay the price for our sins.
At this point you may object that you are a good moral person. But this goes contrary to what we all know about ourselves deep inside. We all know what we read in the Bible in (Romans 3:23) is true about ourselves, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Therefore, since we are all sinners we all need a sin substitute and that is Jesus Christ. But what about sincere people. Well they can be sincerely deceived and sincerity is irrelevant if we break the law.
You may ask but why does Christianity alone claim that it is the only way to God. But this isn’t true. Basically, all religions have their own unique way to God. For example, if you ask a Muslim, they will tell you that their religion is the only true way to Allah. In fact, most religions make mutually exclusive claims that clearly contradict one another.
Finally, the Christian claim of only one way to God is seen by many as not only narrow minded but self-righteous. But perhaps it is the other way around. Christians admit that they are sinners and have nothing they can bring to God to get right with Him. They admit that their only way to heaven is through a sin substitute. On the other hand, non-Christians who admit they are sinners seem to believe that on balance their good deeds will outweigh the bad, making them right with God; and this will be their ticket into heaven. However, when we stand before a judge with charges on a particular crime it will do us no good to tell the judge we do other things right. We will be tried on the crime at hand and my friends in that case we will all fall short when it comes to facing a holy God!
1 Josh McDowell and Bill Wilson, The Best of Josh McDowell: A Ready Defense. (San Bernardino, CA: Here’s Life Publishers, Inc., 1990), 242.
really good article Curt! can i share this on FB so others can read it?
blessings!