The only way to Heaven is through Jesus Christ

Yesterday in a discussion with my father about our faith, he expressed his beliefs that every religion believes in a supreme being, and that supreme being is God. To him, Jews, Buddhists, and even deists are all God made religions, all worthy of eternal life.

Looking closer into these religions, we see that Judaism states the God of the Torah (Old Testament) is the only true God, but that Jesus is not the Messiah, putting it directly at odds with Christianity. Jesus either is the Messiah, or he is not. If he is, Judaism is not a valid way to God; if he is not, Christianity is not a valid way to God. The mutual exclusion only grows when other religions are added: Islam says that Allah is the only true God, and that anyone who says Christ is the Son of God will be condemned (Qur’an, 5:72, 9:30).

How can Christians be sure their religion is the right one? Being born into a Christian family or growing up in a Christian community doesn’t make one a Christian; culture and ethnicity don’t determine one’s relationship with God. Instead, people become Christians because they are convinced of the truth of Christianity and/or have had experiences with God – in short, they have good reasons for believing Christianity to be true.

Furthermore, Christianity is unique among religions because it addresses the fact that we can never be good enough to be in the presence of a perfect, holy God. In order to be perfectly good, we would have to do good all the time. If we do something wrong, we can’t undo it, and we can no longer be considered perfect. Nor can we do more good to make up for our wrongs, for perfection requires doing only good at all times – we can’t be more than perfect to make up for when we’re less than perfect.

Other religions teach that we can somehow do enough good to earn heaven or nirvana, but they don’t address the fact that we continually make mistakes. Christianity teaches that our sins were paid for by Jesus’ death on the cross, and that by accepting his payment and believing in him we can be forgiven. We don’t have to earn our way into heaven, which would be a great accomplishment, because we can’t do it. Christ is the only way to God, because without the forgiveness that comes through his death and resurrection, there’s no way for us to be able to stand before a holy God.

Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me“. (John 14:6)

Saying that Christianity is right does not mean that Christians themselves are right about everything, or that they are innately superior to non-Christians. What Christianity teaches is that both Christians and non-Christians “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and need salvation, which comes only by the grace of God, not the individual’s actions or merits (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Is refusing to call a belief false always the right thing to do? For instance, is it right to say that racism and Nazism are simply alternate belief systems that we shouldn’t pass judgment on, or should we condemn these beliefs as being morally wrong? If someone believes they have the right to rape or kill whomever they please, should we accept their beliefs as an alternate lifestyle, or denounce them as Satanists? Tolerance is an admirable virtue in many circumstances, but tolerating wrong by refusing to say it’s wrong is in itself wrong.

If Christianity is true, then there is only one God and salvation comes only through Him, and religions that deny this are not merely alternate forms of spiritual expression, but systems of belief that prevent their adherents from obtaining salvation. If Christ is in fact the only way to God, then to claim that he’s not is blasphemous.

We would all like to think that we and our loved ones will go to heaven. Yet if everyone automatically goes to heaven, this includes evil people as well as godly people. Should an unrepentant killer go to heaven? Should someone who enjoys torturing people, or who molests children and feels no guilt, go to heaven? If not, then there are cases when it’s morally right for people to be excluded from heaven.

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13)

Christianity does not teach that only Christians deserve to go to heaven. Rather, it teaches that no one deserves to go to heaven, because we have all done wrong during our lives.

We can gain admittance to heaven by repenting of our wrongs, accepting Jesus Christ’s death as payment for our wrongs and deciding to follow and worship him as Lord.

Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

My father has a lot to learn about Christianity and about other cults. Then again, so do I. I hope and pray the Lord will continue to provide me with answers to issues such as this one; that the only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

The good news is anyone can pray the sinner’s prayer, accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior then through God’s grace, enter heaven. I invite you to follow this link to find out more about this miracle.

Let’s pray!

Father God;
We thank you for your blessings in our lives
And for inspiring us to seek shelter in you,
We thank you for keeping your promises
And for inviting us to rejoice with you in heaven.

Lord father we pray that you will continue to look over us,
Our families, our friends and those in need
And that you will feed the hungry around our world,
Both physically and spiritually.

Lord we thank you for your love, your strength and your promise
We praise you father for your word the bible,
For all that is in it and all it’s prophecies
That came true and that will come true until your return.

God we ask you to bless those who believe in you
And inspire those who do not,
For they continue to be blinded by darkness
And cannot see your light everlasting.

Praise God,
Amen!

This message was written by Daniel St.Pierre
Email: DanielStPierre@ThriveThroughChrist.com

Posted in Bible Studies.

Daniel St.Pierre