Tues Inspiration

Morning Inspiration with Pastor Merritt

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6)

I don’t have to tell you that one statement raises more blood pressures, angers more people, and causes more controversy than anything else Jesus ever said. It flies in the face of what the vast majority of people, both in this country and around the world believe.

Do a Goggle search for religious beliefs and you will find there are 37,177 different religious beliefs in the world. People like Tommy Tolerance and Danny Diversity say that every one of these beliefs are equally valid and they all lead to God. They just take different paths. The opinion that Jesus is just one way among many is a very popular concept.

Lets just all get honest today. Some of us squirm when we hear this statement. There are many people who claim to be Bible-believing, Christ-following evangelicals who believe that Jesus is one way to God (even a good way to God and maybe even the best way to God), but not the only way to God.

Among all the countries in the world that practice freedom of religion we are the most religious country. Two-thirds of Americans consider religion to be very important in their lives, but 75% of them believe that many religions can lead to eternal life. Only 18% believe that they practice “the one true faith.” Listen to this. Nearly 50% of the most strongly committed evangelical Protestants believe that their faith is not the only path to salvation.

There is a rising cry that to believe there is only one way to God is not only difficult to accept and deceitful to hold, but it is dangerous to espouse. This is what one American theologian said, “I have come to believe that this exclusiveness tendency in my own faith tradition – and in other faith traditions – is a serious barrier to genuine peace-making in a world of religious pluralism. For Christianity, the claim that salvation is possible only in Jesus Christ is, in the end dismissive of other religious traditions and inherently divisive. [That is true] If Christians are to be instruments of the peace of God, we must develop a new Christian theology of religions that will enable us to see God’s revelation in Jesus Christ while at the same time rejecting any claim to exclusivism.

Let me put it another way. Of the 6 billion people on our planet, there are more than 1 billion Muslims, 650 million Hindus, 300 million Buddhists, and more than 200 million followers of Chinese folk religions. Only about 25% of the world’s population would even claim to be Christians. Most likely the number of real followers of Christ is much less. So, who is this minority to be telling the majority that they are lost and they are wrong?

Here is the good news. It is not us. It is not me. It is not you. It is not we. The One that is making that bold, audacious, dogmatic, exclusive, in your face, uncompromising, unbending, and unapologetic statement is Jesus Christ. If He ever made a statement that He had better be ready to back up it was this one.

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Let me make this simple. What Jesus said in effect was, you have exactly a zero chance of getting to God if you don’t go through Me. It is not that you have a little chance or some chance. You have no chance.