IS JESUS CHRIST THE “ONLY WAY” TO GOD?

Dear Friends:

This past weekend I was reading a Men’s Vogue Magazine, and came across an article about the well known actor, Will Smith. The article made mention of Will’s success as an A-1 actor in Hollywood, but also, it spoke about his new found spiritual interest, Scientology. Most of us are aware of several major Hollywood actors who claim Scientology as their religion of choice; Tom Cruise and John Travolta are perhaps the most famous. Will, says that he has been studying with Tom Cruise and feel that he is on the right track. He makes what I believe to be a very interesting and controversial statement as it relates to equating major religions as one and the same. He says,

“I studied Islam for Ali, I grew up in a Baptist household, I went to Catholic school, he reasons. I’ve studied Buddhism and Hinduism and I’ve studied Scientology through Tom. And nobody is saying anything different! Look, I use the Bible to explain the ideas of God, and life, and love, and relationships, and the life of Jesus Christ to teach my children how to defend their spirit. But in all of the experiences I’ve had with Tom and Scientology, like 98 percent of the principles are identical to the principles of the Bible.” (Men’s Vogue Magazine, page 188, Dec/Jan 08)

Wow! That is amazing to read isn’t it? From these words, it seems clear to me that Mr. Smith is advocating that there are more ways than one to get to God and to have a relationship with Him. Therefore, I wanted to put this question to you, the readers, and see what you think: Is Jesus Christ the only way to God? I realize that this is a hot topic in America, and that there are strong feelings on all sides of the matter. However, the bible alone has the answer to this all important question.

Our Lord, Jesus Christ made several statements that speaks to the exclusivity of Him being the only way to God! In John 14:6, He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Also, in John 10:1-2, He says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who dos not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the Shepherd of the sheep.” Jesus later explained to His disciples what these words meant. In verses 7 -9, He expounds: “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

From these verses Jesus is making very exclusive statements concerning himself being the only way to God. He makes no apology for these and other statements concerning His identity and the role He plays in the lives of Believers. As for me, I am absolutely convinced that Jesus is indeed the only way to God. I make this judgment for several significant reasons:

1. The Claims of Jesus
2. The Death of Jesus
3. The Resurrection of Jesus
4. The Post-Resurrection Ministries of the Apostles
5. The Written Word of God
6. The Christian Church

Unfortunately, time and space will not allow me to expound upon these six items that I have identified. However, I do want to briefly say a few words about the claims of our Lord as I believe that everything begins and ends with His claims. What did He claim while He was on earth?

1. He claimed to be the Son of God (John 3:16)
2. He claimed to be the only way to God (John 14:6)
3. He claimed to be God Himself! (John 8:58; 10:30) Also, John says He was God (John 1:1-6, 14)
4. He claimed to have the authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:10)
5. He claimed that He would die and be resurrected (John 2:19-22)

These are just a few of our Lord’s claims about Himself and His mission on earth. In closing, I want to share the words of a great scholar and philosopher as it relates specifically to the significance of Jesus’ claims. In the book Mere Christianity, This scholar criticized the idea that Jesus was merely a human being, albeit a great moral teacher:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg–or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 1952, pg. 43)

I am staking my eternal destiny on the the irrefutable evidence of Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, the only way to Almighty God, and my personal Savior and Lord! How about you?

Blessings to All!