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Is Jesus the Only Way? By Massimo Lorenzini
Suppose the wise men only dreamed that
guiding star whose
light glows down through the centuries. Suppose. Suppose Christ never walked
here in men’s sight, our
blessed way, the truth, the light. Suppose He counted all the cost and
never cared that you were lost, and
never died for you and me or
shed His blood upon that tree, upon a cruel cross. Suppose that having died He never rose
and there was
none to save our souls from darkness and the grave. As far as unreached
peoples know, these
things that I’ve supposed are so. While we joyously anticipate the second coming of Jesus,
over half the people living right now have never heard of or understood His
first coming. Jesus said, “Go into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature.” This is not something we MIGHT do but
something we MUST do! John 14:6 – Jesus
said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through Me.” Do you believe that?
There used to be unity on this issue among Evangelical Christians.
Not anymore. We live in an age of Tolerance… Three kinds:
i.
Old – “recognizes and respects the beliefs of
others without necessarily agreeing with or sympathizing with those beliefs.”
ii.
New – also “positive tolerance” – “everyone’s
values, beliefs, lifestyles, and claims to truth are equally valid.” No one is
right and no one is wrong.
i.
People have a right to never hear something they
disagree with.
ii.
People have a right to never have their ideas contradicted
or negatively criticized.
iii.
People don’t have the right to dialogue and seek to
persuade others of their own views.
iv.
It all comes down to who can intimidate and shout the
loudest: I call this neo-barbarism. 1. Today
political might makes right. 2. Truth
doesn’t exist. It’s just the construct of our own agenda to gain power over
others. Evangelical Christians are increasingly being influenced by
postmodernism. Let’s take a short test and see if these biblical truths are
jarring to your ears at all. The Bible teaches:
Just try to advocate these positions on the Oprah show and
see how far you get! Who is the most dangerous person in So, what about this claim that Jesus is the only way to God?
Islam:
The Difference between Islam and Christianity:
Is Jesus Really the Only Way to God? The New Testament is
quite clear on this issue:
If someone thinks this is arrogant, try this one on them…
Is Jesus the Only Way? Back
to our question. Is Jesus the
only way? We have to answer three questions: 1. Who is Jesus? 2. What did He do? 3. What did He tell His followers to do? 1. Who is Jesus? –
God. Not just like God, or the way to God. 2. What did Jesus do?
– He died to provide the only way of salvation for the whole world. 3. What did He tell His
followers to do? – To go and make disciples of all the nations (people
groups) I. 1st Question: Who is Jesus? Answer: Jesus
is God. He existed eternally – John 1:1 “In the beginning was
the Word . . .” There was never a time when Jesus was not God. His virgin birth - Behold,
the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,”
which translated means, “God with us”
(Matt His sinless life – Jesus never sinned in thought,
word, or deed. His vicarious, substitutionary atonement – At the
cross He didn’t die for His owns sins, but for your and mine. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin
on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor His victorious resurrection – The Jews then said to
Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for
doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three
days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It
took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You
raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body (John
His glorious ascension – He ascended back into
heaven, right hand of God (Acts 1:9-10). Healed the sick, raised the dead. Turned
water into wine. Calmed the storm. He walked on
water. All these teach us that Jesus is God. Jesus forgave sins. We look up and we see a hole in
the roof, 4 faces looking in. Man lowered on pallet. Jesus says, “Son, your
sins are forgiven you.” Cold-hearted scribes & Pharisees – blasphemy – who
can forgive sins by God alone! “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins
are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet
and walk’? “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said
to the paralytic, “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet
and go home.” Jesus is God. Do you
believe that? His enemies recognized His claim to Deity. Why did they hate
Him and eventually kill Him? Not for miracles or competition in popularity. It was for
His claim to be God. John stone Him. Jesus answered
them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone
You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be
God.” John 5:18 – For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking
all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but
also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. – Gk. Patera idion – “peculiar, unique” - His own in a sense not
true of others. John 8:58-59 – Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say
to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Therefore they
picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. Others versions say “I tell you the truth,” “most
assuredly,” “verily verily.” Greek: amen, amen – When used at the beginning
it means it is true. At the end of a statement it means “so be it,” “may it be
fulfilled,” “I make that prayer my own.” It doesn’t mean “the end.” The Greek word amen
is repeated for emphasis and only in John and only by Jesus. He said it only when He said something He knew His listeners
would not believe. Imagine Him sort of
under His breath saying, “I know you’re not going to believe this, but it’s true, it’s true!” Nicodemus . . . (You’re not going to believe this, but) it’s true, it’s true, unless a man
is born again He cannot see the John that one of you will betray
Me.” The disciples began looking at one
another, at a loss to know (or
doubting) of which one He was speaking. Back to John 8:58 – Jesus said to them, “You’re not going to
believe this (but it’s true, it’s true), before Abraham was born, I AM.” Could He not say before “before Abraham was born I was?” Yet Jesus could say He was, is, and will be all at the same
time! He cannot say that if He is not God. Omni attributes. Omni-present not just in
space but in time. He is was, is is, and is will be! The Jewish religious leaders knew exactly what He was
saying. See the next verse. John Why? Because they knew Jesus was claiming no less than to be the
almighty, sovereign, creator God of the universe. I. 1st Question: Who is Jesus? Answer:
Jesus is God. Bottom Line: You Must Believe Jesus is the
Only Way Because of His Authority as Son of God II. 2nd Question: What did Jesus do? Answer: Jesus died on the cross
providing the only way of salvation for the whole world. 1 John 2:2 - and He Himself is the propitiation for
our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. 2 Questions: 1) How could one man die for all? And, 2) did He pay the full
penalty for sin? 1) How could one man die for all? All human
illustrations are always one for one. In the civil war, during a cease
fire, prisoner of war exchanges – 1 captain for 100 privates. 2 Sam 18 - And the king said to the people, “I myself will
surely go out with you also.” But the people said, “You should not go out; for
if we indeed flee, they will not care about us; even if half of us die, they
will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. In Heb 2:10, Jesus is the (archegos) captain of our salvation – 1 for 100? No! 1 for 10,000? No! 1 for ALL! How can that be? 2) Did Jesus pay the full penalty for sin on the cross? The Bible says the penalty or wages
of sin is what? Death (Rom “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezek
18:4). “In the day you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen Three kinds of death in Bible: 1. Physical death - Ever
been to a viewing when someone dies (open casket)? James 2 “Body without the
spirit is dead.” Separation of the spirit from the body. 2. Spiritual death – Eph 2:1
“And you He made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins.” Stillbirth . . . we are all
stillborn spiritually. Separation of the spirit from God. 3. Eternal death – Rev. “the
2nd death.” Matt Eternal
separation of the body and the spirit from God forever. If these 3 kinds of death is the penalty for sin, did Jesus
pay for the full penalty? 1. Did Jesus die physically? Yes, soldiers didn’t have to
break legs. 2. Did Jesus die spiritually? Yes, “My God, My God, why have
you forsaken Me?” 3. Did Jesus die eternally? How long was Jesus dead before
the resurrection? Two answers: 1) Three
Days 2) Eternally – because Jesus is God,
everything He does is an eternal act. Jesus died not only in history,
but in eternity. Rev 13:8, “The Lamb of God slain from the
foundation of the world.” Jesus, God Almighty, paid the full penalty for sin for the
whole world. The only way He could do that is because of who He is. So when we say Jesus is the only way it is not
an expression of bigotry, it is a declaration of deity! Bottom Line: You Must Believe Jesus is the Only Way Because of His Atonement as
Savior III. 3rd
Question: What did He tell His followers to do? Answer: To go and make disciples of all the nations (people groups) Matthew 28:18-20, 18 And Jesus
came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching
them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you
always, even to the end of the age." Amen. Notice the four “ALLs”
1. All authority: Christ’s Authority. “all
authority in heaven and on earth” – “authority” in the Greek is exousia. This can also be translated “privilege,”
“right,” “power,” “authority.” It can be defined as, the freedom
to do whatever you wish. Jesus is free to do what He wants, when He
wants, where He wants, with what He wants, to whomever He wants. Jesus has
sovereign authority, absolute authority. We don’t have to look around and ask,
“Who’s in charge here?” Jesus displayed authority over disease and sickness, over
demons, over wind and waves, over death. He taught the people as one having
authority, He had authority to commission and delegate power over demons and
disease to His disciples. He had authority to forgive sin, authority to judge,
authority to lay His life down and take it back up again. He has authority to
take the title deed to the earth and take possession of all creation (Rev 5). “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of his Christ and he will reign for ever and ever” (Rev 11:15b). In Psalm 2
it promises that the nations will be Christ’s inheritance and the ends of the
earth his possession and He will rule them with an iron scepter. Philippians 2:9-10 says, Therefore God exalted him to the
highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name
of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father. It is important to begin with Jesus’ authority as we think
about making disciples of all the nations. Think about it. Why would this have been important to
the original disciples? Isn’t it sort of an overwhelming, almost paralyzing
command for those insignificant, impotent disciples to obey? And, Why is it important to us? John Stott said, The fundamental basis of all
Christian missionary enterprise is the universal authority of Jesus Christ, “in
heaven and on earth.” If the authority of Jesus were circumscribed [or limited]
on earth, if he were but one of many religious teachers, one of many Jewish
prophets, one of many divine incarnations, we would have no mandate to present
him to the nations as the Lord and Savior of the world. If the authority of
Jesus were limited to heaven, if he had not decisively overthrown the
principalities and powers, we might still proclaim him to the nations, but we
would never be able to “turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of
Satan to God” (Acts 26:18). Only because all authority on earth belongs to
Christ dare we go to all nations. And only because all authority in heaven as
well is his have we any hope of success.[1] 2. “All nations” panta ta ethne – “all the nations”
or all ethno-linguistic groups. A “people group” is defined as a group
of people that can begin a church-planting movement without encountering any
cultural or language barriers. According to the U.S. Center for World Mission, there are
currently 24,000 ethno-linguistic groups in the world. An Unreached People Group is “a people group
within which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians able to
evangelize this people group” (Winter 1989). 10,000 of the 24,000 people groups are unreached according to this definition. Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when
the Holy Spirit has come upon you; you shall be witnesses to Me in That phrase, “ends of the earth” is literally “to the last
part of the earth” (eschatou). Matt 24:14, This gospel of the kingdom shall be
preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end
will come. We should be concerned about the statistics. In 50,000 students in Evangelical seminaries.
90,000 total most of which are planning to go into full-time Christian ministry
(not counting Christian colleges). How many are planning to go into career, overseas,
cross-cultural, pioneer missionary work?
A church outside A church of 300 on There is one full-time, PAID Evangelical Christian
worker for every 200 people. Borden of Yale, gave up his wealth for Egypt, said, “If you
see 10 men walking down the road carrying a large California Redwood tree, 9
men at one end and 1 at the other, to which end do you go to help? Everyone here who is a Christian should be able to say they
are willing
to go but planning to stay. But some of us here should be planning
to go but willing to stay. What is missions? Missions is sending the church’s best servants to another
place to preach the gospel and start new churches. Where does missions start? Missions starts with ordinary Christians faithfully serving
God in their local churches. God will select from the church’s best soldiers
those He wants to send out. But we are all called to be missionaries in our own circles
of influence. The true test of a
missions-minded church is not how
big your missions budget is, but how many people have left your
church for the mission field. Where are the future missionaries? In
the local church. God is looking in your church to see who are the best servants, the
best soldiers and He wants to set those ones apart for the
mission field. Will it be you? SOME
GENERAL MISSIONS FACTS
THE
GOOD NEWS
THE
BAD NEWS
Many
sources are reporting the trend of declining interest in missions among North
American evangelical Christians. Ironically, this trend appears at the same
time that we have the greatest opportunity and finances for missions. There are
many reasons. Two of them are related to postmodernism influencing the church: (1)
The triumph of a self-centered lifestyle. (2)
The rise of religious pluralism, even among professing Christians, that denies
that Jesus is the only way of salvation for
all people, everywhere, for all time. 3. “All things” teaching them
to observe [obey] all things that I have commanded you James Montgomery Boice said, This command is particularly important
in our extremely superficial age. What we observe seems to be the opposite.
Instead of striving to teach all Christ commanded, many are tying to
eliminate as much of his teaching as possible, concentrating instead on things
that are easily comprehended and unobjectionable. But a core such as this is
distorted. It is usually grace without
judgment, love without justice, salvation without obedience, and triumph
without suffering. The motivation of some of these reductionists
may be good: They want to win as many people to Christ as possible. But the
method is the world’s, and the results will be the
world’s results. Robust disciples are not made by watered-down teaching.[2] Boice goes on to say that if we
asked many Christians what should be done to win the world they would likely
suggest literature campaigns, radio and TV, seeker-sensitive services,
recruitment of workers, and raising funds. In other words, to them, methods
rather than content would be their concern. By contrast, Jesus told us
to teach everything He commanded us. What would such teaching include? Boice offers the following as a
summary:
4. “Always” Christ’s Presence. End of verse 20: “And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Something we should
lean on a lot in carrying out the Great Commission is the promise of His
presence. “I” is emphatic. This One who has all authority in heaven and on
earth promises to be with us as we make disciples of all the nations. How
often? “Always” (lit. “all the days”). For how long? “To the very end of the age” or to the
consummation of the age when everything God is orchestrating in history closes
in a mighty grand finale with the return of Christ and the establishment of His
physical reign on the earth. He’s coming again physically, and until then, He’s
with us spiritually which is no less real. John Stott said, . . . he
attached [the promise of his presence] rather to their witness than to their
worship. It is not only when we meet in his name, but when we go
in his name, that he promises to be with us. The emphatic “I,” who pledges his
presence, is the one who has universal authority and who sends forth his
people.[3] Think it over. How does the promise of Christ’s
presence encourage us in carrying out the Great Commission? [We go in His name,
authority, and power, not our own.] Bottom Line: You Must Believe Jesus is the Only Way Because of His Assignment as
Sender This is why there is no other way outside of Jesus Christ; this
why we must take the Good News to those who have never heard. Who Jesus is, what
He has done, and what He commands us to do form the foundation of all that we
believe and all that we are doing as Christians. Sadly, these truths are being abandoned today. There are many Evangelicals who no longer believe that one
must consciously believe in Jesus as revealed in the gospel to be saved. Some say that a person no longer needs to know about Jesus
and the gospel to be saved. Many believe today that all that is needed to be
saved is to “moving in the right direction.” That is, that you are sincerely
seeking to do what you know is right and avoiding that which you know is wrong.
Or, in other words, that you are positively responding the light you have (even
though that light is not the special revelation of the biblical gospel). An even more subtle lie is to believe that all people are
saved by Jesus even though they have never heard of Him. The atonement of
Christ applies to all people regardless of the absence of personal awareness
and faith in Him. Even a champion of the gospel of Christ like Billy Graham
has succumbed to this error. In 1978, McCall’s
magazine quoted Graham as having said, “I used to believe that pagans in far
countries were lost if they did not have the gospel of Christ preached to them.
I no longer believe that.”[4] In 1997 Graham appeared on a television interview with Dr.
Robert Schuller, the promoter of a liberal
“self-esteem” gospel which he preaches at the Crystal Cathedral in When asked about his view of the future for Christianity,
Graham said the body of Christ would consist of, all the
Christian groups around the world, outside the Christian groups. I think that
everybody that loves or knows Christ, whether they are conscious of it or not,
they are members of the body of Christ…. They may not know the name of Jesus
but they know in their hearts that they need something they do not have, and
they turn to the only light they have, and I think they are saved and they are
going to be with us in heaven. Surprised by this, Schuller
was anxious for clarification: “What, what I hear you saying that it’s possible
for Jesus Christ to come into human hearts and soul and life, even if they have
been born in darkness and have never had exposure to the Bible. Is that a
correct interpretation of what you’re saying?” “Yes it is,” Graham responded in
decided tones. At which point, his television host tripped over his words in
his excitement, and exclaimed, “I’m so thrilled to hear you say this, ‘There’s a wideness
in God’s mercy’.” To which Graham added, “There is. There definitely is.”[5] If Graham and Schuller are right,
then what Jesus said to the Apostle Paul in commissioning him as the apostle to
the Gentiles is completely meaningless: Acts 26:15-18, 15 So I said,
'Who are You, Lord?' And He said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 But
rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to
make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of
the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17 I will deliver
you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send
you, 18 to open their
eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan
to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among
those who are sanctified by faith in Me.' Paul didn’t give his life to as a missionary to tell people
they were already saved! Here’s what Paul said about the necessity of gospel
preaching for salvation: Romans 10:13-15, 13 For
"whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." 14 How
then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they
believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a
preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent?
As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the
gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good
things!" Is Jesus the only
way? Yes! We have answered from the Bible three important questions: 1. Who is Jesus? – God. Not just like God,
or the way to God. You Must Believe Jesus is the Only Way Because of His Authority as Son
of God. 2. What did Jesus do? – He died to provide
the only way of salvation for the whole world. You Must Believe Jesus is the Only Way Because of His Atonement as
Savior. 3. What did He tell His followers to do? –
To go and make disciples of all the nations (people groups) You Must Believe Jesus is the Only Way Because of His Assignment as
Sender.
[1] John
R.W. Stott, “The Great Commission,” in One Race, One Gospel, One Task: World
Congress on Evangelism, [2] James
Montgomery Boice, The
Gospel of Matthew, vol. 2, The Triumph of the King, Matthew 18-28. ( [3] Stott, p. 49. [4] Quoted
in Iain H. Murray, Evangelicalism
Divided: A Record of the Crucial Changes in the Years 1950-2000 ( [5] Ibid., pp. 73-74. |
