Why Jesus Is the Only Way to Salvation
Eddie Snipes
In our post modern culture, the question frequently arises, "Why do you
say Jesus is the only way?" or "Who are you to say Jesus is the only
way?" We can expect the culture to ask questions like this, but in the
last few years the Christian church itself has begun to ask these same
questions. I watched an interview on MSNBC with a very prominent
ex-politician who has always claimed to be a Christian. In an answer to a
question he stated that all religions served the same God in different
ways.
We have all heard similar statements -- all roads lead to the same God
and all religions worship the same God in different ways. One
illustration was made popular a few years ago by a Buddhist parable. Men
who were blind from birth were gathered together in a room with an
elephant. Each man was led to a different part of the elephant -- one
felt the head, one the legs, tail, ears, and trunk. Afterward they were
asked, "What is an elephant"? They began arguing when one claimed it was
a plowshare, or a tree trunk, a brush, etc. The conclusion is that they
all saw one part of the greater whole. In other words, we who argue
about truth are arguing about the same god that has been revealed to us
in different ways.
It is a very clever parable but holds one truth that I'm sure the author
did not intend. Each one of these men was blind and each one was wrong.
Until God reveals Himself to us, we all grope around in the darkness
vainly searching for some semblance of truth. However, as long as we are
blind, we remain in the darkness and what seems true is complete error.
In Christianity, God reveals Himself to us and we receive His truth and
experience a relationship with our Creator. In world religions, man
seeks his own truth and creates his own god. He may call the thing he
worships a god, but that does not make it God. As we will see shortly,
the Bible gives concrete pointes of reference that place it squarely in
contradiction with all world religions. Two contradicting points cannot
be one in truth. Let's take a moment to look at three points which show
scripturally that Jesus Christ alone can offer salvation.
All sin is against God alone. There is not a religious leader on earth
that can forgive sins. Only God can forgive because we only sin against
Him. Look at Psalm 51:
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your
sight -- That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when
You judge.
This is the prayer of King David who was mourning over his own sin when
he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had Uriah killed to cover his
transgressions. God sent Nathan the prophet to confront David and he
repented. Even though David committed the transgression against Uriah,
the Bible makes it clear that the sin was against God a ...
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