Why would Jesus be the only way to God?

  

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This is a common question that comes up when talking Christianity and how to "get to" heaven. There are many different faiths and many different ideas on what to expect after we shuffle off this mortal coil. Many people believe that all roads lead to "heaven" (whatever that means for each individual). So, why should Christians believe that Jesus is the one and only way to get to heaven?

Obviously, the short answer is because Jesus said so. Unfortunately this may not be a particularly compelling answer for someone who does not see the Bible or Jesus as an authoritative source. Authority is a fairly significant issue and is beyond the scope of what I want to cover here, but will certainly attempt to address that at another time.

For now, assuming that the Bible is actually authoritative, let's take a look at how this remains a very important doctrine from within the Christian faith. For many, the fact that Jesus said so is sufficient. But how and why is that the case?

Do Christians decide if God is real?

A while back, I wrote about whether it is appropriate for Christians put reason above God's Word when it
comes to belief in Christ. You might think I'm repeating myself, here. I assure you, this is a different thing. The other post had to do with prioritizing reason above God's revelation. This one has to do with our role in belief.

In other words, while the previous post discussed whether or not reason should be prioritized over God's Word when it comes to understanding what is true and what is not, today I want to look at whether God's existence is dependent on our own personal beliefs about Him. It is an important distinction to make and hopefully it is one which can be understood properly. It essentially comes down to the question, "Do we create God by believing in Him?"

The Word Became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us

I know that this really isn't a question. For some people, it may be questionable, but for the sake of today, I am going to simply assume that it is true rather than address the question. Mainly, this is because of what day it is and what the Church at large comes together to celebrate every year at this time.


Greg Koukl has said, multiple times, that he believes John 1:14 is perhaps the most important verse in the entire Bible. It speaks of a moment in human history when the almighty Creator of the entire universe - the One who made time, space and matter - humbled Himself by taking on a human nature for the express purpose of living a sinless life and dying a violent death in order to restore the broken relationship with His creatures.

What Am I? An Argument for Dualism over Materialism

Many atheists in the world would, almost by definition, have to be considered materialists. A materialist is a person who believes that the physical matter in the universe is all there is. There is nothing that exists which does not exist in the material world. Therefore, a materialist does not believe in the existence of a supernatural God or of a non-material soul.

It is upon this basis that I would like to make a case for the fact that we, as human being, indeed have a non-material aspect to our nature. Call it a spirit, a soul or a "center of consciousness" or whatever. Regardless of the terms you prefer to use, what I want to present here is primarily the conclusion that, whatever we are, we are more than our physical bodies.

Is it Arrogant for God to Demand Our Love and Obedience?

The God of the Bible is a self-absorbed, narcissistic egomaniac. That's what some accuse Him of. I suppose I can see why. He wants us to worship nothing but Him. He says He's a jealous God. He gets very angry when people put anything in a higher place than Him.

Does this really make God arrogant, though? Does it actually make Him an egomaniac? If you or I were to be that way, these things would certainly be true of us. Why? Because we are not the ultimate things! We are not the ultimate anything!

Do we need to earn salvation?

Rather than just answering that question up front, why don't we take a look at what the Bible says about this question. Depending on what theological background you come from, you may have a different answer. However, there seems to be only one answer that fits with biblical, orthodox Christianity.

Two main passages will be looked at to answer this question. One passage is used to favor the concept of what is called "works-based righteousness." The other is often used to refute the idea of works as it relates to salvation. In the end, what we get out of this is a couple of passages where one seems to indicate that works are required, another that seems to say they're not and the concept that people will claim that the Bible contradicts itself.

Is Theism More Dangerous Than Deism?

Before I get to answering that question, for the sake of those who may not be entirely familiar with certain terms, I suppose I should take a few moments to provide some clarity regarding some of the terms and concepts. The first of which is the ideas of "theism" against "deism."

Most people of various faiths would be considered "theists." That is, they believe in a personal God of some sort and this God is compatible with the Christian concept of the God. It is also compatible with the gods of many other faiths such as Islam, Mormonism, Judaism, etc. Theism encompasses not only a supernatural creator of the universe, but one who acts in the world and takes an interest in creation.