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Why Is Jesus Christ the Only Way to God?

One of the most common objections and criticisms of Christianity is that its too narrow. Many people look at all the different religions in the world and cannot agree with the Christian’s claim that there is only one way to heaven.

Its important to note that the reason Christian believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven is because He Himself said it: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me (John 14:6).

If we could reach God in any other way, Jesus wouldn’t have had to die on the cross as our substitute, our stand in. His voluntary death clearly illustrates the fact that there is no other way.

"There is salvation in no one else. There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them." Acts 4:12 The jailer…asked: "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved…" Acts 16:29-31
Aren’t All Religions Basically the Same?

"Don't all roads lead to God?" people often ask. "If a person is sincere in his or her beliefs, won't he or she get to heaven?" In reality, all belief systems cannot be true, because they contradict one another. Many would like to think that all religions blend together beautifully, but they do not. Look at the differences between what the followers of three major world religions believe compared with what Christians believe.

The Existence of a Personal God

* Buddhists deny the existence of a personal God.
* Hindus believe in two major gods, Vishnu and Siva, as well as in millions of lesser gods.
* Muslims believe in one God named Allah.
* Christians believe that God is a being who created humans in his own image and who loves them and wants to have a personal relationship with them.

The Subject of Salvation

* Buddhists believe salvation is by self-effort only.
* Hindus believe you achieve salvation by devotion, works, and self-control.
* Muslims believe that people earn their own salvation and pay for their own sins.
* Christians believe that Jesus Christ died for their sins. If people turn from their sins and follow Jesus, they can be forgiven and have the hope of being with Jesus in heaven.

The Person of Jesus Christ

* Buddhists believe that Jesus Christ was a good teacher, though less important than Buddha.
* Hindus believe that Jesus was just one of many incarnations-or sons of God. Yet they also assert that Christ was not the unique Son of God. He was no more divine then any other man, and he did not die for people's sins.
* Muslims believe that Jesus Christ was the greatest of the prophets below Muhammad. In addition, they do not believe that Christ died for people's sin.
* Christians believe that Jesus is God as well as man, that he was sinless, and that he died to redeem humankind.

The bottom line is this: you cannot accept all of the major religious beliefs. They are mutually exclusive and contradictory in their claims. Therefore, one is right and the others are wrong, and you must choose. If you take time to look at what each religion teaches, you'll find that only Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on a cross for our sins, that He paid that debt in our place, and that if we will turn from our sin and follow Him, we can be forgiven and know that we will go to heaven.

Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me" John 14:6 NLT.

If God is good & loving, why does He allow evil?

This is a flawed premise since it implies that we are in a position to say what is good and what is not good about God. We ourselves do not know what good is naturally, for we are not basically good. How then can we judge God? Still, the question of evil persists, and we often hear the question "why?" in the aftermath of some tragedy.

First, you need to remember, when God created the world, He created it perfect. That includes His creation of man. Yet, this "perfect" man was also given the freedom of choice, or an ability to choose. So when Adam chose to disobey God sin, death and suffering became an inevitable part of life. Romans 5:12 states, "When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned" (NLT). The evil in this world is a result of that original sin.

You may say, "Wait a minute, I didn't choose to sin. Adam did." Yet, the Bible teaches that we all have sinned (Romans 3:23). We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners. We have a natural bent in us to do what is wrong. James 4:1 says that there is a "whole army of evil desires at war within you." At the same time, God gave us absolutes to live our lives by--standards that are found in the Bible. When we make choices that are contrary to those absolutes and standards, evil is the result.

C. S. Lewis put this question in proper perspective. He observed that it is idle for us to speculate about the origin of evil. The problem we all face is the fact of evil. The only solution to the fact of evil is Jesus Christ. Once you surrender your life to Jesus Christ, you enter into the master plan that God has for you. For that reason, you can be assured of the promise in His Word, that "everything works together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them" (Romans 8:28 NLT).

Sometimes what appears horribly evil and tragic can result in something good. Consider Joseph's assessment of his brother's wicked act of selling him into slavery. Understanding that God had allowed this to happen, Joseph said, "God turned to good what you [my brothers] meant for evil. He brought me to the high position I have today so I could save the lives of many people" (Genesis 50:20 NLT). Joseph learned what the Apostle Paul later wrote: What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will give us later." Romans 8:18 NLT.

We may not always understand the "why’s" of a certain tragedy, but we know the "Who" that will carry us through it. He promises, "Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand." (Isaiah 41:10 NLT).

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean that He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity or persecution, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? No…and I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from His love. Death can’t. Life can’t. The Angels can’t and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell itself can’t keep God’s love away." Romans 8:35, 38.
How can a "loving" God send someone to hell?

God doesn't send anyone to hell. It was never His design to send people to hell. It breaks the heart of God to see man, made in His image, make the deliberate choice to go to hell. Hell was not made for people; it was made for the angelic beings that rebelled against God. In Matthew 25:41, Jesus says the everlasting fire was prepared for the devil and his angels.

Scripture also teaches, "[God] is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). That is why God sent Jesus to die on the cross in our place--to bridge the gap between sinful man and a Holy God. The gates of hell are locked from the inside. If you end up in hell, you will practically have to climb over Jesus and His cross to get there.

Why should I become a Christian and join a church full of hypocrites?

While it is true that there are some hypocrites in the church, Jesus does not say, "Follow the church," or, "Follow the people." Jesus says, "Follow me" (Matthew 9:9; Mark 8:34; John 12:26). Jesus is not a hypocrite. He will never let you down. Yet, as we follow Jesus, we all stumble and fail. Remember, church is not so much a holy huddle of saints, but a hospital for sinners. So yes, you will find hypocrites in the church because we all mess up and sin. But you will also find people who are seriously trying to follow Jesus. Why not join us on the journey?

What if I’ve tried this Christian life stuff and it didn't work?

What did you try? Did you read the Bible? Did you go to a church? Did you profess to believe in God and agree with the facts about Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection? While Bible reading, church attendance, and agreeing with the facts about Jesus are good things, they can’t substitute for a relationship with God.

Listen, the devil knows the Bible (Matt. 4:1-11), the devil in a sense attends church (Acts 5:1-11), and the devil believes in God (James 2:19) and knows all about who Jesus really is (Mark 1:23-26). Yet, neither the devil nor his demons enjoy a saving relationship with God.

Let’s start at the beginning, with the love relationship God wants to have with you. God loves you, and He proven His love for you on the cross (Romans 5:8). All He asks in return is that you turn from your sin, trust Jesus to save you from your sin, and love Him with all that's within you: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Mark 12:30 NKJV).

Give God a try, and you’ll find that He works when "it" doesn’t!

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