Apr 26 2010
Why just Jesus?
Why Just Jesus?
If you ever want to drive to the top of Mount Haleakala in Maui, Hawaii, there is only one road that will get you there. Route 378 is the only way to the top of the mountain, but once you have made the long and winding ride, the view from the top is worth the effort. Some might even describe the views, especially at sunrise, as heavenly.
Most people these days seem to think that there are many roads up the “mountain” to heaven. Is it true that we’re all heading in the same direction, just by different roads? Is it true that all roads lead to heaven? Or, is the road to heaven like the way to the heavenly view of Haleakala? Is there only one way to get there, whether by Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, or someone else?
The Religious Pluralism Debate
The view that there is only one way to God is becoming more and more unpopular in our day. If you say that Jesus is the only way to heaven and other people are wrong, you are likely to be called “narrow-minded” or “arrogant.” However, are those who claim that there are many paths to God really any different?
Many people in our culture today are religious pluralists.They want to say, “Well, you can be a Christian, and someone else can be into the New Age movement, and someone else can say that there is no God, and everyone is right. You can believe what you want to believe and I can believe what I want to believe, and no one can say someone is right and someone else is wrong.All that matters is that you are sincere in your beliefs.”
Hopefully you can see very quickly how this view defeats itself. Although it pretends to make all religions and worldviews equal, it really only puts all religions and worldviews beneath itself. By saying that all worldviews are equal, or that there is one God but many paths lead to him, you are really saying that Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, atheists, and agnostics are all wrong.
You might protest, “No, no, no! That is the exact opposite of what I am saying! I am saying that all religions are right.” Well, consider this. Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to God, and Muslims believe that there is only one God and Muhammed is his prophet, and atheists believe that God doesn’t exist.So, you come along and say, “Both Jesus and Mohammed lead to the same God.” In that case, both Christians and Muslims are mistaken.
Or you might say, “Well you can believe in Jesus, and I can believe in Mohammed, and that is fine for each of us.” If you are saying this, not only are you claiming that the individual is mistaken about the nature of reality, but you are reducing their religion to the level of mere preference or taste.
It’s like saying, “You can believe that McDonald’s has the best French fries and I can believe that Burger King’s are the best, and that is fine for you.” That might work for French fries, but it doesn’t work for religious truth claims. As a religious pluralist, you are either claiming that everyone has a piece of the truth, while you see the whole truth; or, you are saying that religion is just opium for the masses.
If you think that somehow everyone is right, then truth has no meaning.Jesus cannot be who Christians claim he is and who Muslims claim he was and who atheists claim he was all at the same time.To think otherwise is to embrace utter nonsense.No one would invest their money in the First National Bank of Pluralism.Teller number one might tell you that the $10,000 you deposited equals $10 and teller number two, $100 and teller number three, $1000.$10,000 cannot simultaneously equal $10, $100 & $1000.To say otherwise is to become the reference point for meaning in the world.This gets really fun when you realize that every single pluralist in this world is attempting to be the reference point for meaning in the world.
Jesus’ Exclusive Claims
As mentioned earlier, Christians who claim that Jesus is the only way to heaven are often called “narrow.” But if you are going to level that accusation against Christians, then you are going to have to call Jesus narrow too. The only reason that Christians claim that Jesus is the only way to salvation is because Jesus claimed this for himself.
Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). He also said speaking of himself, “Whoever believes in him [the Son] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18). In these two verses, Jesus clearly says that belief in him alone is how someone is saved.
Jesus instructed his followers to make disciples of all people on the earth (Matthew chapter 28). Jesus also said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14). So was Jesus just some nice moral teacher that we can all respect?
If he was wrong, and there are many ways to salvation, then he is the most conceited, misguided, intolerant bigot that ever lived. But if he is right, then belief in him alone will lead to life and all other paths will lead to death. So Jesus is either wrong and a bigot, or right and the only Savior of the world. But please don’t call him merely a good religious teacher, a social revolutionary or a wise man.He didn’t really leave room for those options.
Did Jesus really claim that He was the only way?
You might say, “Well, how do we know that Jesus actually said these things?” That question is really asking if the New Testament is a reliable record of what Jesus said and did. Well, consider this. The New Testament is attested to by about 5,000 different manuscripts in the original language. That makes it far and above the most documented piece of writing in ancient history. Many other accounts of history from about the same time period are not nearly as documented as the New Testament is; yet no one ever questions whether or not the histories about Caesar are reliable.
You still might say, “Okay, but what if Jesus’ disciples made up the whole story about him?” That is very improbable because of at least three reasons.
First, in Rome, just as today in America, any religion that set itself up as the only “true” religion was persecuted. The Romans didn’t care if you worshipped whatever local god you wanted to as long as you agreed to bow to the emperor as well. But if you wouldn’t accept the state religion along with your own, then you could lose your life! Now, is it likely that the disciples made up an entire religion around Jesus, knowing that they would die for it! How much more likely is it that Jesus actually said these things and his followers believed him and were willing to die for him?
Secondly, the immediate disciples of Christ were uneducated fishermen. Could they have possibly had the cleverness and evil intentions to pull of the biggest conspiracy the world has ever known (no offense to any fisherman out there - we’re just saying that this is quite the complicated conspiracy)?
Finally, Jesus taught and preached all over Israel and the surrounding area and died a very public death. How could his disciples have fabricated a record of what he said and get away with it when there were so many other people who also heard what Jesus said?
The bare fact remains that the New Testament is a reliable record of what Jesus said and taught, and Jesus said he was the only way to the Father. As Christians, we are not making him out to be the only way - he said so first.
Isn’t all this arrogant?
After reading this article, you might be saying to yourself, “Boy, you Christians have to be the most arrogant bunch of people I have ever met. You have to be so stuck up to say that only you have a corner on the truth.” Or you might be saying, “It’s fine for you to believe what you want, just don’t impose your views on me.” If that is the case, would you be willing to consider three things?
First, no Bible-believing Christian would say that they have arrived at the truth because they are smarter or better than anyone else. On top of that, we are trying to tell you that we didn’t make this up. We share what we know to be true because God has revealed it for the world to hear. God has not chosen to reveal himself to us because we are any smarter or more spiritual than anyone else. Rather, God reveals the truth to whomever he wants to, rich and poor, smart and slow, old and young alike. When a Christian shares his faith with another person, he is simply like one hungry soul (who has been fed by Jesus) trying to lead another starving soul to some bread.
Second, think of it this way. What if a certain laboratory in America discovered the cure for cancer? Now, would they be arrogant to want to share that good news with the whole world? And if some cancer patients stubbornly refused to listen, wouldn’t those scientists try to plead with those stubborn people again and again because their lives were at stake?
Christians see the truth about Christ in the same way. We are not sharing our faith because of pride or because we love convincing people that we are right. We are telling people about Jesus because we know the “cure” for sin and death, and we care enough to share that with people who don’t know.
Imagine that your neighbor’s house is on fire late at night after they have gone to bed. You run over to their house and yell and scream, hoping to wake them. If going in for them wasn’t an option, you might even throw a rock through their bedroom window in order to get their attention. Now, if what Jesus said is true, then there are many people who are asleep in the face of eternal danger. Even though a rock through the window is usually a very cruel thing to do; in this case, it is the most loving thing to do.Even though talk of death and hell and Jesus is not normal coffee pot conversational fare, avoiding these truths and remaining silent so as to not offend anyone is the most unloving thing to do. Is not the Christian obligated by love to share what he knows to be true?
Finally, every single one of us is a missionary whether we like it or not. Everyone is always trying to convince others of their points of view. Think about it. How often have you said, “Oh, you have got to try this restaurant, it’s the best,” or “You should really go here for vacation, there is no place like it.” Even in the area of religion, what are you saying when you say, “I don’t think Jesus is the only way - here’s what I believe.” Isn’t that trying to “impose” your viewpoint on someone else? Well then why is the Christian arrogant and narrow-minded when you are not?
You might object, “Well, when I share my religious views, I only present them as options.” Okay, fair enough, but when you are presenting options, do you mean that you haven’t decided for sure what you believe or that all religious beliefs can only be options? If the former, then why get upset if a Christian has come to a place of certainty when you have not? And if the latter, what you are dogmatically stating is that all religious beliefs are mere opinion. Why should others embrace your opinion that all religions are merely options of preference? That seems like quite an arrogant posture.
Finally you might say, “Well what I really object to is the manner in which Christians present their faith as the only way.” Okay, you might have a legitimate complaint in this regard.There are plenty of people who have represented Christianity in a pretty un-Christlike manner. It could be that you are reacting more to the attitude than the claims themselves. However, this fact does not make the claims true or false.
We don’t stop believing in the goodness and rightness of law and order because there are some crooked cops out there. As a society, we don’t throw out the whole judicial system because there are some unjust judges and lawyers who lack integrity. In the same way, you can’t ignore or write off the claims of Christ because of some Christians who have left a bad taste in your mouth. Go back to the source. Pick up the Bible and start reading the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John). See Jesus for yourself. Weigh his claims yourself. Let Him convince you. We don’t think you will be disappointed.