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 align us with God and 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; religion is 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.
And this is why no other "remedy" works. Christ is the only true solution to our ³need/dilemma, we are not; religion is 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. It is even offensive to those who think their doing good at their religion (that often includes those who claim to be christians).
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).
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.
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.
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Grace to you
Jim Deal