Is There No Other Way Of Salvation?
Is there no other way of salvation?
Can the message of the Gospel hold its own in the global marketplace? Technology has closed the distance between human beings and has exposed a pluralism with respect to the origin, purpose and meaning of life. For our belief in the Gospel of Jesus Christ to not only hold its own, but thrive, it must answer one fundamental question to the satisfaction of the inquirer: Why do you claim Christianity to be the only way to reconcile humanity with God our creator?”
Taken in the context of modern society, rife with fear, anger, and hostility, “the only way” is interpreted as arrogant and ludicrous. Islam claims the same thing and religious dogma is the source of much strife. The contention that all religions are the same, simply different flavors, is a major stumbling block to unbelievers.
As believers, called to live ‘the way’ and spread the Gospel to all the nations, we must answer these two questions:
•What makes Christianity different?
•Can we really know the truth?
2 Corinthians 4:3 “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” This blinding of the mind takes many forms and although there is a plethora of variations, they fall under these four fallacies about the differences and the absolute truth of Christianity. First is the idea that Christianity is just one of several ways to discover God: Many-roads-to-one-destination. Second is the concept that all religions worship the same God, but just use different names: Many-names-for-one-God. Third is the notion that there are differing truths depending on your personal perspective (how can you say you know the truth and say others are false): Many-points-of-view. Lastly there is the position of how can you know that what is true for you is true for all: Many-truths-for-many-people.
So, what makes Christianity different? Although the Golden Rule is not unique in Christian teachings, it is deeply integrated in the Christian lifestyle of ‘precious metals’ rules that we are given. Luke 10:27 “…love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself,” demands an absolute love for God (the Platinum Rule) AND an absolute love for others (the Golden Rule) with the addition of not only loving your fellows but doing something about that love: ‘Do unto others as I have done for you.’ Not only are we commanded to love God and our neighbors absolutely, He in return loves USabsolutely! Christ defined this by demonstrating love that is the standard for our love for others and the motivation that drives this love. Unique is Christianity’s declaration that man is incapable of following the Golden Rule in his own strength and deserving of the judgment of God.
The issue that we are trying to resolve here is man’s separation from God. The bible tells us that God created man; how that relationship was broken and how man became set apart from God. For the purposes of this blog, the word sin is used to describe “anything that tarnishes your desire to live with and for God.” There are three dimensions that include not just action but intention in: our rebellion against God and the state of ‘lost’ – the spiritual dimension; self-destruction and judgment that harm to oneself and others – the personal dimension; and injustice and poverty that are the accumulated effects on human society – the social dimension.
Despite what some religions and popular opinion imply, man is not basically ‘good’ – the default for the human heart is NOT the Golden Rule. The inclination is to seek out what we want, when we want it regardless of consequence to anyone. It has been proven throughout the course of human history that without restraint or repercussion to our actions, human beings will sink to the lowest levels of depravity and complete disregard for others. We are in dire need of an absolute standard that insures we treat one another with civility and respect for human life. In a society where ‘self’ is supreme, all bets are off, and we can justify acting in any manner we see fit regardless of how it damages others (and ourselves). The saddest lie perpetrated by most says you are only worthy of such consideration if you believe the dogma of our religion. In that, Christianity is unique, for ALL fall short of the glory of God and yet Jesus Christ died so that ALL may be reconciled to God.
The message of the Cross of Christ is the reconciliation of the two most important elements of Christianity: the ideal of total love and the reality of total depravity. Without it, Christianity is merely powerless moral instruction. Jesus’ teachings aren’t unique, but His sacrifice for us has no parallel. The Golden Rule is the core requirement, but it is not possible to live it without the empowerment of God. Therefore, as Christianity is the only way to deal with sin in all dimensions, it is the only way to reconcile with God.
Is this arrogance or truth? Jesus himself declared in John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” You can’t embrace Jesus as a great religious leader yet believe any of what He taught to be a lie. Tailoring your faith to find a personal solution among the possibilities results in a belief system based on you in your own strength and is not really a religion. It is idolatry in its purest form – the love of YOU.
Can we really know the truth? The ‘all truths are relative’ worldview defies the scientific method by saying the result of an experiment doesn’t really matter if you believe it sincerely. But if the belief is false, the result certainly will matter. In the question of “red wire or blue wire?” in bomb disposal, does ‘It doesn’t matter what you believe, if you believe it sincerely’ make sense? Accepting this statement as truth requires knowing the risk if you’re wrong. Christians could say: ‘If I’m wrong, I’ve wasted my life. If you are, you’ve wasted eternity.’ It is imperative to know what you believe and why.
Alone among religions, the Gospel addresses the core human need – the reconciliation of man to God – and is a remedy for humanity’s powerlessness to live up to the moral standard taught by Jesus Christ. Decide, you must. For in this case with eternal consequence, “Not to decide is to decide.” Be blessed today.
