The Bible is a beautiful tapestry, with many threads woven through it, one of those threads being the truth there is only one way to get to heaven.
Jn 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." Some people get offended when they hear Jesus told us He is the only way to get to heaven. If someone told us the only way to get from Seattle to South Africa in less than 30 hours was by plane, should we be offended? American Airlines flight 6907 has a flight time of 26 hours and 50 minutes. We could drive there in 11 days, if we could solve the traveling over water problem, drove 24 hours a day and averaged 40 mph. A cruise ship could get us there in 19 days. Walking, riding a horse or a camel would all require more than 200 days. Why would anyone be offended by the truth? Having someone tell us this truth does not force us to fly, we could still choose to take a cruise. However, we will not get there in less than 30 hours.
So, the real question should be, "How do we know Jesus told us the truth?" We could read the Bible to learn Jesus never lied and that He told us not to lie, Col 3:9, "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;" We could obey Jesus' commandments, to see if they really do lead to the best possible life, Jam 1:25, "But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." The path to salvation is a personal one, however, Jesus told us He is the only way. He has left us a way to prove this truth, 2 Tim 3:16-17, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." and for those skeptics among us, Jn 7:17, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself."
For years this blog has been reasoning with what God has told us in His Word. Reasoning, not hoping or wishing. This is how we verify the truth. We have learned that God never lies and always leads us to the better life. A joyful life surrounded by His love, peace, and joy; and our current circumstances can never destroy it. His Word leads us to His eternal family. Some have tried to convince us that there are many ways to God, our almighty creator. They are ignoring all of the truth God has given us on this subject. So, here is a sampling of that truth, directly from God.
Gen 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
1 Cor 8:6, "But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him."
Jn 1:3, "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."
Is 44:6, "Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God."
Jn 1:14, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
Jn 1:29, "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
1 Tim 2:3-6, "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."
Acts 4:12, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
Rom 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
1 Jn 2:2, "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
Heb 1:1-2, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;"
Jn 10:30, "I and my Father are one."
Jn 14:9, "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?"
1 Jn 5:20, "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."
Jn 10:9, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."
Jn 6:35, "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."
Jn 6:50-51, "This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
Jn 8:12, "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
Jn 11:25, "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:"
Matt 7:13-14, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
Acts 16:30-31, "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
Eph 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Rom 10:9, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
Matt 10:32-33, "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."
1 Jn 1:7, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
Jn 8:24, "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."
Jn 8:51, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death."
1 Jn 2:23, "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also."
1 Jn 5:11-12, "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."
2 Pet 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
Heb 12:2, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Heb 5:8-9, "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;"
Jn 20:28, "And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God."
Matt 25:41, "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:"
Rev 1:17-18, "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
It might just come down to a very simple question. Do we believe the God of the Bible is really the God He says He is, the one who created everything? If He did create everything, then He is the only God and we can accept the truth He is the only way to get to heaven. This is the most important question we face in this life, it demands our attention and ignoring it is the same as deny God's existence.
Even though He is the only way, He has left us many doors, which lead to Him. He is pleading with us to reason with Him, Eze 33:11, "Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" There are 340,000 Christian congregations and 200,000,000 people in America who describe themselves as Christians. God tells us the Holy Spirit dwells within every Christian, Acts 2:38, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." and each one of us is yet another door to Christ.
God has placed us in unique places throughout this world.This blog is about sharing His Word; please share it with those who you believe would be blessed by hearing it.Bless you!If you would like to receive the weekly blog, email us at bill@reasoningwithgod.com.