Is Jesus the only way?

[Christian2]

I believe Jesus is the only Way to God.

I believe Jesus when He said:

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I believe Jesus when He said:

I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins."

I believe the NT when it said:

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

But here is the problem: I am finding more and more Christians who do not believe it. These people are in one of my Bible Study classes. Even a minister said: "I just can't believe Jesus is the only way."

Some say we only have to love God and love our neighbor and that is enough and there are plenty of people of other faiths who love God and show love for their neighbors. "I just can't believe that God would put them in hell just because they reject Jesus."

What is happening here?

I seem to be a lone voice in my class who believes Jesus is the only way.

I know God is the only judge, but how can I ignore the verses above and say "I just can't believe Jesus is the only way?"

What do you all think?

Thanks.

[Byblos]

As I understand it, Jesus is the only way and we ought not make any apologies for that. But God, in his infinite wisdom and with abundant graces, may save those who know Him through the natural light of reason even without knowing the Gospel (it's called invincible ignorance).

[Kurieuo]

People probably feel anxious going against what they've been culturally indoctrinated with via in their social groups, family, friends, news, TV, movies, education.

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." (Matt 7:13)

It really comes down to a failure to understand that God is absolutely holy.
So much so that our own righteous acts are like bloodstained rags to God. (Isaiah 64:6)
If you reject this premise -- that we're all guilty of something -- then Christ was needless. There are other ways.

Some Christians get around this by saying that it is through Christ, and Christ will apply Himself to others who are largely good.
Sadly, Scripture never says such things. And it also cheapens Christ and God's grace, like such is something that we can earn.
All emphasis seems to be placed on this life to make a decision, I suppose free from God's direct influence.

I bet there would also be many in your class who don't accept Jesus physically rose from the dead. And yet, they still call themselves Christian.
What hope is there for our resurrection if Christ Himself was not risen? Some great hope they have there.
I mention this one, because I had similar experiences to you during my own studies.

[Jac3510]

I think what is going on is the continued reduction of religion (and Christianity in particular) to a system of ethics. People are viewing faith as a means to make someone into a better person. That is closely tied to the whole idea that if you want to go to Heaven, you have to be good. If you are bad, you go to Hell. Or, put differently, moral people go to Heaven and immoral people go to Hell. So religion makes you moral so that you can "be saved." On that view, it is impossible to sustain the idea that Jesus is the only way. The objection becomes that there are good people who will go to Hell, at which point the Christian (who has bought into this system) either has to argue, counter our intuition and the evidence, that only Christians are or can be good, or else that there are other ways to Heaven other than through Christ. Or there is the more nuanced position that tries to eat its cake and have it to and argue that only Christ saves, but that He saves in other religions, too. So Christ is a sort of secret Savior.

Anyway, all this goes back at least to Kant (if if this article is right, and I think it is from my own knowledge of the subject), and the answer is the same now as it was then: Christianity is just not about ethics. It is not about morality. It is not about being good. It is not even about getting better. It's about the fact that this world is broken--because we broke it--and that God is fixing it in Christ, that in Christ, a new world is coming and even has come. That Jesus, through His death, burial, and resurrection, is the embodiment of the new creation, and that God is gathering a people together in Him in preparation for the inauguration (or, depending on your eschatology, consummation) of that new world. In Christianity, we ought to be better, be more ethical if you will, because we are no longer of this world but rather of the world to come. So ethics are related, and perhaps even essentially, but they are not the essence of the faith themselves.

But people don't get any of that. And why are we surprised? Most preaching has been reduced to meeting felt needs. It's about how to have a better marriage or why we should give or how to achieve health and wealth or how to anything. So people basically focus on "how to be good," and plenty of them, ministers included, see that people in other faiths (or no faith at all) can be good, too. And so their conundrum.

Tis my opinion, anyway!

[B. W.]

I think what is going on is the continued reduction of religion (and Christianity in particular) to a system of ethics. People are viewing faith as a means to make someone into a better person. That is closely tied to the whole idea that if you want to go to Heaven, you have to be good. If you are bad, you go to Hell. Or, put differently, moral people go to Heaven and immoral people go to Hell. So religion makes you moral so that you can "be saved." On that view, it is impossible to sustain the idea that Jesus is the only way. The objection becomes that there are good people who will go to Hell, at which point the Christian (who has bought into this system) either has to argue, counter our intuition and the evidence, that only Christians are or can be good, or else that there are other ways to Heaven other than through Christ. Or there is the more nuanced position that tries to eat its cake and have it to and argue that only Christ saves, but that He saves in other religions, too. So Christ is a sort of secret Savior.

Anyway, all this goes back at least to Kant (if if this article is right, and I think it is from my own knowledge of the subject), and the answer is the same now as it was then: Christianity is just not about ethics. It is not about morality. It is not about being good. It is not even about getting better. It's about the fact that this world is broken--because we broke it--and that God is fixing it in Christ, that in Christ, a new world is coming and even has come. That Jesus, through His death, burial, and resurrection, is the embodiment of the new creation, and that God is gathering a people together in Him in preparation for the inauguration (or, depending on your eschatology, consummation) of that new world. In Christianity, we ought to be better, be more ethical if you will, because we are no longer of this world but rather of the world to come. So ethics are related, and perhaps even essentially, but they are not the essence of the faith themselves.

But people don't get any of that. And why are we surprised? Most preaching has been reduced to meeting felt needs. It's about how to have a better marriage or why we should give or how to achieve health and wealth or how to anything. So people basically focus on "how to be good," and plenty of them, ministers included, see that people in other faiths (or no faith at all) can be good, too. And so their conundrum.

Tis my opinion, anyway!

Not an opinion but very true.

It is a return of the Pharisaic traditions that salvation comes viva by the merit of human birth (being simple human) and human works to get it right. This tradition takes on many forms today from the most legalistic to the most progressive liberal thought.

I am trying to recall this from memory: did not Omri mix paganism into Judaic religious thought and set up a monument on a hill in Samaria for this purpose - mixing the modern ethical notions of his day,as well as pagan religious concepts, into his version of ancient Judaism?

Looks like this is happening again in the modern time in which we live by the modern Omir's within the modern church that seek public approval for worldly respectability. How Laodicean
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[Christian2]

As I understand it, Jesus is the only way and we ought not make any apologies for that. But God, in his infinite wisdom and with abundant graces, may save those who know Him through the natural light of reason even without knowing the Gospel (it's called invincible ignorance).

I don't make any apologies for the exclusiveness of Christianity and I am not talking about people who have never heard the Gospel.

I am talking about people who have heard the Gospel and who reject Jesus as the Messiah -- Jews. People who say that Jesus did not die, much less rise from the dead -- Muslims.

[Christian2]

People probably feel anxious going against what they've been culturally indoctrinated with via in their social groups, family, friends, news, TV, movies, education.

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." (Matt 7:13)

It really comes down to a failure to understand that God is absolutely holy.
So much so that our own righteous acts are like bloodstained rags to God. (Isaiah 64:6)
If you reject this premise -- that we're all guilty of something -- then Christ was needless. There are other ways.

Some Christians get around this by saying that it is through Christ, and Christ will apply Himself to others who are largely good.
Sadly, Scripture never says such things. And it also cheapens Christ and God's grace, like such is something that we can earn.
All emphasis seems to be placed on this life to make a decision, I suppose free from God's direct influence.

I bet there would also be many in your class who don't accept Jesus physically rose from the dead. And yet, they still call themselves Christian.
What hope is there for our resurrection if Christ Himself was not risen? Some great hope they have there.
I mention this one, because I had similar experiences to you during my own studies.

I agree with what you are saying.

Yeah, "Jesus rose 'spiritually' from the dead" -- whatever than means.

I am absolutely dumbfounded by what I am hearing and from a PASTOR!!! I know some of these people have loved ones who do not believe -- so do I -- and they are looking for a way out for them.

If there is another way then Jesus died for nothing in my opinion.

[Kurieuo]

It's a little amusing in a sad kind of way.

Doing theology while checking God in at the door just seems counter-intuitive.

Why bother? Just admit its all pointless and move on.

[Danieltwotwenty]

So what constitutes being a Christian then?, if it is a positive belief in Christ then isn't that a reliance on you doing something??

[RickD]

So what constitutes being a Christian then?, if it is a positive belief in Christ then isn't that a reliance on you doing something??

No. It's relying on Christ. Trusting in who he is,and what he's done, for salvation.

[Danieltwotwenty]

So what constitutes being a Christian then?, if it is a positive belief in Christ then isn't that a reliance on you doing something??

No. It's relying on Christ. Trusting in who he is,and what he's done, for salvation.

That's what I mean't by positive belief, I tried to make it as simple as possible.

Anyhow, How is that not a reliance on the self, you have to trust in all those things.

If Christ died, he died for everyone, not just the people who have a positive belief in him and he will draw all people too him that desire it.

[Kurieuo]

So what constitutes being a Christian then?, if it is a positive belief in Christ then isn't that a reliance on you doing something??

Ephesians 2:8-9 — "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."

How such "faith" comes about (free will/pre-destination) and what it entails (rational belief/heart desire) are the issues of hot discussion.

[Danieltwotwenty]

So what constitutes being a Christian then?, if it is a positive belief in Christ then isn't that a reliance on you doing something??

Ephesians 2:8-9 — "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."

How such "faith" comes about (free will/pre-destination) and what it entails (rational belief/heart desire) are the issues of hot discussion.

Thanks K, this is what I was looking for, it is a heart desire, it is the condition of that heart, that is how you know Christ, it has nothing to do with knowledge or any works, this is why I believe in a universal reconciliation of everyone that desires Christ.

[LittleHamster]

This discussion reminds me of the (unverified) story of the Buddhist monk who sat around meditating for forty years. He was about to give up when Jesus appeared in a vision and told him he was on the wrong path !

[Kurieuo]

So what constitutes being a Christian then?, if it is a positive belief in Christ then isn't that a reliance on you doing something??

Ephesians 2:8-9 — "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."

How such "faith" comes about (free will/pre-destination) and what it entails (rational belief/heart desire) are the issues of hot discussion.

Thanks K, this is what I was looking for, it is a heart desire, it is the condition of that heart, that is how you know Christ, it has nothing to do with knowledge or any works, this is why I believe in a universal reconciliation of everyone that desires Christ.

What if they believe Christ isn't God? Or they believe we can be "gods" like Christ?
Is there a sense is which their knowledge of Christ requires some truths?