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Only one way? Isn’t that narrow-minded?
One of the objections against Christianity is that it is arrogant to say that Christianity is the only way to God. Many people would rather believe there are many ways to God and we should all just follow what works for us. You have your religion, I have mine.
Some have imagined that God is sitting on the top of a mountain and all the roads lead upwards to Him and we all just need to find our own path.
At first glance, this seems like an enlightened, compassionate, multicultural perspective. But we must note that this is a truth claim. It claims to be true and insists that anyone who disagrees is wrong. But isn’t that narrow-minded and bigoted? Obviously atheists and Buddhists deny that there is any God at the top of the mountain and Hindus would say there are millions of gods at the top of the mountain.
The nature of truth means that if we disagree, we can’t all be right. Truth always contradicts error and falsehood. And yet there is a deep longing within our hearts for ultimate meaning and purpose in this life and for hope beyond the grave. None of us want to base our lives or eternal destiny on fairy tales. We need a firm foundation for our faith.
So I certainly encourage you to search for the truth. Ask the hard questions. Challenge what you’ve been taught. But I would also encourage you to challenge the modern secular narratives and theories as well as the ancient religious ones. New is not always better.
You may say that science has rendered faith unnecessary. But let me ask you, “Are you a scientist? Have you done the science yourself? Or are you just putting your faith in the scientists? And are you sure you can just ‘follow the science’ and ‘trust the experts’? Have they ever been wrong? Are they ever biased? Do they ever have ulterior motives?”
I am convinced there are good reasons to believe the Bible. I don’t have the space here to make those arguments but would encourage you to examine the evidence for yourself. Some people have never found satisfying answers because they haven’t looked in the right places or asked the right people.
But actually, I’m not arguing that Christianity is the only way. I am arguing that Jesus is the only way. It has been said that there is only one way to God and that is through His Son, Jesus Christ. Your journey to Christ may be different, but He is the only one who can bring you to God. And that is because of who He is and what He has done.
So let me just share a few Scriptures that show that Jesus is both exclusive and inclusive and encourage you to examine them for yourself and see if they are true and trustworthy (Acts 17:11).
Jesus is exclusive
Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6
St. Peter said concerning Jesus: “Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
Jesus is inclusive
Jesus said: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Jesus said: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Jesus said: “Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24
Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26
St. John said: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.” John 3:36
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