Jesus.. the only way?

Many are offended by Christ's claim to be the only way to God. They say this is ¹narrow-minded and there are many ways to God; that all religions are good and should...

 together.

Sounds reasonable... however, when you consider that every other "path to God" is an attempt to garner ¹God's acceptance and alignment with Him through our efforts and goodness instead of receiving these as a gift, you understand what Christ offered is unique to every other religion or way or "path to God" i.e. in this very significant and specific way, Christ's offer is not the same as or equal to religion of any kind. Christ didn't simply claim to be unique, he did something unique. His claims weren't made out of thin air but are based on what he did and why He did it, as well as who he claimed to be. Included in this is His prediction of coming back to life. Only Christ resurrected and is alive today according to the gospel accounts. 

All religion is a prescription of practices or activities designed to put us in good standing with God or reach a state of "bliss." Christ, on the other hand, has done this for us and offers the fruit of his efforts - total acceptance now and bliss in eternity - as a gift to be received, not something to be achieved. 

All other "ways to God" are based on our efforts. Christ is the only way to God totally based on God's (through Christ's) efforts/works. No other "way" (or religious figure) makes this claim or offer. i.e. Christ's claim is not narrow per se, it's unique, one-of-a-kind. It is a gift from God when every other way is an achievement by us. 

Overall, these are two very different, diametrically opposed ways. We either are restored and united to God by our efforts - pick your religion - or solely by Christ's efforts. Every other way is based on the former, except Christ. Only Christ offers the latter. This distinction alone deserves our consideration for the validity of Christ's claim. 

A narrow or broad way?

Ironically, because it is a gift, it is actually not a narrow way but broad in that anyone who will come and receive his offer, can. No one is turned away who comes. If it were based on our efforts, some would have an ²advantage over others due to circumstances, upbringing, culture, abilities, etc -- not everyone would have the opportunity to obtain it since not all are equally "equipped" to do so.

Since it is based on Christ's efforts, we have a "level playing field"; everyone who accepts his offer will be given it, regardless of race, gender, intelligence, "breeding" talents, or geography. They are sure to be united to God and can know with absolute certainty they will be with him in bliss forever. This is why others can never claim to be the way to God but only a possible way - "hopefully" - in the event they meet the requirements. With Christ, everything needed to be restored and fully connected to God has been done for us. How much more generous and broad an offer can there be!? 

And this is why no other "remedy" works. Christ is the only true solution to our ³need/dilemma, we are not. We can not deliver ourselves from brokenness and shortcomings, we must be saved by another. Only Christ is that "other" since only Christ did what was ³necessary to restore us back to God. No other "religious" figure even attempted, much less accomplished, what Christ did. 

The true way to God is unique because it is absolutely certain since it's based 100% on the perfectly completed efforts of Christ and not on our imperfect, erratic, and inconsistent efforts of living by some prescribed ethic or teaching. 

The only question now is do we believe we can save ourselves by and through our own efforts or must we be delivered from the consequences of our shortcomings and given life by someone else (i.e. God) since our good efforts can never be ³good enough to earn God's acceptance/approval. 

If you believe you can (or must) find God on your own you will not only be offended by Christ and his claim but reject His offer that true life (nonstop/eternal life) is in and through him alone because only He did what was necessary to restore us.

This is good news only to those who recognize God and the fullness of the life he offers must be found outside of us/our efforts, not by or through them. For those who are counting on their own goodness/efforts, this is bad news, not good. 

This is exactly why the religious leaders of Christ's day condemned and killed him. They refused to accept his claim and the reality that their way was inadequate and therefore off the mark. It could never perfectly align them with God i.e. Religion, no matter which one (including ⁴"Churchianity"), can not and does not restore us to God because it is based on our inconsistent, insufficient efforts. Though every religion offers something of value that might benefit us, only a personal relationship with God, secured for us by Christ's perfect efforts, can restore and reconnect us to God.

"This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” - Acts 4:11-12

For a further discussion on why Christ is our only way to be in right standing with God click here

For a further discussion on our alienation from God and the solution, click here. 

For a further discussion on the difference between religion and Christ, click here. 

For a further discussion and what it means to be righteous click here

For a further discussion on why Christ is our only way to be in right standing with God click here

For a further discussion on our alienation from God and the solution, click here. 

For a further discussion on the difference between religion and Christ, click here. 

For a discussion on the meaning of the "broad and narrow way" click here. 

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¹this is due in part because society at large has rejected the idea of absolute truth i.e. What you believe may be your truth, but it's not the truth since there is no absolute truth.

²Or to use a heavily used word, some are born more privileged than others. Some are born into poverty or an environment of moral corruption or without a loving family network making it harder to live an honest or loving life. While others are born into a safe, loving, and secure (more privileged) environment.

³none of us perfectly honors God according to his infinite beauty and majesty i.e. our love for God is not equal to (match up with) the perfect loveliness of God. We all fall short of this i.e. his glory. 

Perfect love and loveliness - God's - can only be appropriately acknowledged by a perfect response i.e. perfect faithfulness on our part. God's perfection calls for and requires our perfection (i.e. perfect faithfulness). Because God is perfect in love, beauty, and majesty, anything less than perfect recognition of this, and total loyalty and faithfulness to him is inadequate.

(Christ alone was perfectly faithful, even to death, which is exactly why he alone is the way to God. He earned it when no one else could or did).

Why does this matter? To not live fully for God's infinite glory steers others away from Him (whether intentionally or not) i.e. it says to others there is something other than God more significant/valuable and worthy of our pursuit and loyalty when in reality there is not.

This not only dishonors God and his true worth and significance, but it's untrue because nothing is more important/vital/essential than God (anything we pursue other than God only exists because of Him and is dependent on him for its ongoing existence). For us to live as if something other then God is more valuable, vital, and necessary ultimately leads others away from God (who alone is true life) resulting in their harm and ultimate destruction i.e. their missing true life which is only found in God. This harm/loss has eternal significance and consequence and must be remedied to restore honor/respect/dignify to those harmed (both God and our fellow image bearers). 

Since we couldn't resolve this, God (in and through Christ) did this for us and offers to us removal of the consequences of not living according to our design and restoring a relationship with him as a gift. Because of our less than perfect faithfulness to him, it is the only way we can be in good standing and have access to an unobscured love relationship with God.

⁴Many within the Christian church have turned the gospel of grace into a gospel of performance i.e. they try to earn God's love and acceptance through their "good deeds." This in effect says Christ and his efforts are not necessary or inadequate. For more on this click here. 

Mankind...infinite or finite?

We all have the same basic dilemma. We are ¹finite yet infinite at the same time. 

How? We are ¹finite in resources yet infinite in ²need.

We are infinite in need because we are designed to participate, engage in and experience the ³infinite. 

To experience and appreciate the infinite as much as possible we had to have the capacity to experience it, without being God at the same time i.e. we have to have a capacity that matches or is equal to the infinite fullness of God. 

The greater our capacity the greater our potential to partake of and experience the infinite i.e. God who is infinite in every way - in love, wisdom, power, and goodness.

To meet an infinite need requires an infinite source. The only one who can meet this must be ³infinite.

This means we must also depend on someone or something outside ourselves that is infinite (an infinite source) in order for us to function ⁴optimally. 

This requires trust. Why?

We must trust because we are finite. i.e. We don't know nor can we see everything to be certain God is that source. He says He is and we have evidence He is but intially to act as if He is by faith. 

We also must trust someone who, unlike us, not only knows what is best for us and wants that for us but also has and can offer this to us without limits i.e. infinitely. God claims to be that someone and more. 

For a discussion on how to address the dilemma of our finite state 

click here, 

here and 

here.

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¹limited in ability/internal resources i.e. we are not all powerful, all knowing, everywhere present or all seeing.

²our need for value, meaning, purpose...in a word love.

³in value, purpose, beauty, love etc.

⁴as a bird can not function optimally without unlimited sky or a fish without unlimited water, neither can we without unlimited value, meaning, purpose, beauty etc i.e. love

Addressing fear

Some significant keys in addressing fear: 

• Shift your identity (your sense of who you are; your significance, importance, value, safety) from the approval of others and base it on God's glory i.e. your true identity is based on who God is (the supremely valuable and most glorious of all) and His assessment of you as his beloved, not the assessment/opinion, actions of others or even (and sometimes especially) your own self-assessment.

We are designed to live in honor of God, not to ¹protect ourselves (physically or emotionally) i.e. our design (and therefore our purpose) is to uphold God's honor, not our own. In so doing, God says he will honor us (which includes ultimately protecting us and providing what we ²need most, though not necessarily what we want most at the time).

"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted..." – Jesus, Mat 23:12   

Our living for his glory impacts others.

The most important thing we can do is bring to others the most important "thing" i.e. our greatest accomplishment, value (and fulfillment) is in bringing awareness of God and his great worth to others. 

If our conduct (vs our words) says God is most important to us, we are proposing by that conduct He should be most important to them as well. How we conduct our everyday lives will either indicate He is or isn't most important, worthy of their trust and commitment, not just ours.

• We must understand the real lack of control we have in order to learn to trust in God's providence/ sovereignty/control, i.e. God does, is, and will provide what we need most and what is best as we live to honor him. Seek 1st the Kingdom of God and all these other things will be added. 

• You ultimately combat fear through action, not reasoning/thinking, only i.e. taking action on what you fear instead of convincing yourself you have nothing to fear. Your mind (reasoning) is necessary to assess the best course of action, but once assessed, step forward in faith and act. 

Doing the thing you fear confirms the fear is often far worse than the reality. Knowing God is with you regardless sustains you. He will never forsake us no matter what we go through or how much it appears otherwise. We are assured of this because God's commitment to us is based on Christ's perfect efforts/work on our behalf, not our imperfect efforts.

For several posts discussing the significance of our being designed for God's glory, click here.

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¹This is not to say we are not to take reasonable steps to care for ourselves. This simply means self-protection is not our focus. God is. i.e. how do we best honor him in all we say and do. 

This may result in taking actions that seem risky to some, such as doing ministry in a hostile environment, e.g. foreign missions in a region opposed to Christ, etc. However, pursuing God in a hostile environment is safer than pursuing safety itself. Just read the book of Jonah.

²Sometimes what we need most is to have what we depend on most, other than God, removed from us. Dependence on anything other than or more than God keeps us from experiencing our greatest good and joy, i.e. God himself.

man...saint and sinner

Have you ever wondered how we humans have such a great capacity for both harm and good at the same time? Humanity has these two very opposite and contradictory characteristics. This is not only addressed in the Bible but observable in human behavior (ourselves and others) now and throughout history.

Among humanity, we have observed, appreciated, and enjoyed the Michel Angelo's, Leonardo da Vinci's, Mother Teresa's, and Johann Sebastian Bach's of the world while at the same time being appalled at the ¹Stalin's, Hitler's, and Mao Zedong's of the world. We have observed man expressing the greatest beauty and kindness, while at the same time the greatest cruelty and destruction. How can such a great capacity for good and evil reside within the same being?

Humanity was designed to enjoy the greatest bliss possible through a relationship with the most blissful, magnificent, and ultimate being in the universe. But we seek to be our own god. In effect, this is to reject a relationship with this glorious being since He alone is God. We have cut ourselves off from the very source of life, love, purpose, and meaning. As a result, humanity no longer functions as God designed and intended.

Now we seek to fill the void that resulted from this disconnect by anything within our grasp, be it our natural gifts, power, wealth, fame, or pleasure …²fill in the blank. Mankind has an endless and insatiable need to feel significant, important, valuable, worthwhile ... loved. God ³created us this way. Not with a void -- that was our doing -- but with the capacity and desire to participate in the one who is infinite love, wisdom, majesty, and beauty.

When you combine

*great skill, ability, and talent -- all aspects of our being in God's image

 
*and great resources -- i.e. the incredible world with everything in it that God made, including other image-bearers with great ability and similar resources

 
*with the great void of God's absence, you have a formula for the greatest potential destruction.

The greater the vacuum in us for life, the greater the energy needed and exerted to fill it. And what would create a greater void than the absence of the very Source of infinite life, love, and all things?

Some seek to fill this by exerting power and control over others and some with power and control over the creation in general.

When men and women, however, are connected to the Source of life, love, meaning, and purpose, their God-given creativity and abilities are engaged and shine forth for great good, beauty, and joy. In short, they become conduits of the goodness and love of God, instead of emotional and spiritual black holes sucking in and destroying everything in their path.

They become fountains for good because they are filled with the good of the Creator or they become agents of evil to fill the infinite void of God's absence, the unending and inexhaustible source of life.

For a further discussion of what we are created for click here. 

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¹Number killed under the following according to http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/182h4jpdfjpaijpg/original.jpg

Stalin - 23 million
Hitler - 17 million
Mao - 78 million

²Man even uses attempts at "obedience" to win God's favor in order to feel significant and accepted by him. This is true of any religious system, be that so-called Christianity, Islam, or anything else.

I say so-called because true Christianity is CHRISTianity. It is about Christ's efforts on our behalf, not our efforts to win the favor of God and others. It's about knowing God's bottomless love for us, secured by Christ's efforts, and driven by His infinite love.

³God is the only endless and infinite source of love, life, beauty, joy, etc. For us to participate and enjoy him as he is, required us to have a capacity equal to God's infinite fullness, or at least as great a capacity as possible without us actually being God ourselves. Imagine how great a void there must be to have such a infinite capacity and be absent that which it was created to be filled with.

When are we most alive?

When are we most alive? When we are participating in the life of God. The more we participate in his life, the more we are restored to our original design and the more alive we become.  

And what is the life of God? It is the love and joy God has had from all eternity past and continuously experiences in the union and communion between the Father and the Son as they gaze upon, share in and show forth the beauty, majesty and glory of the other in, by and through the Holy Spirit; the Spirit of infinite and eternal passion of love and adoration. 

This very same life is freely extended to any and all image bearers (us) who will receive it. 

We will participate in and experience that life to the degree we turn away from trying to secure life by our own efforts through anything other than God and instead let him fill us with his Life-Spirit-Love.

To say it another way, the degree to which we look to something other than God for life, is the degree to which we will not look to and experience the infinite life offered and found in him. 

Jesus said:

"And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.


I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.

All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.

And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one." - John 17:3-11 

"...that they know you..." to "know" in this passage is not knowing information about someone but is relational knowledge (in the same way we intimately know someone we love dearly, such as our spouse). This would be the same kind of knowledge the Father has of the Son and the Son has of the Father ("...that they may be one, even as we are one..." vs 11); a knowledge that creates the joy of union/relationship - not totally unlike the joy a married couple experiences through physical entimacy. 

Also, note the number of times "give, given, or giving" (i.e. sharing/relationship) between the Father and Son is mentioned or alluded to (highlighted above). 

It is in this same knowing (the giving and receiving of God's love, life, value, glory) we find life in all its fullness because God is the source of life-love and all things.