In a world filled with a multitude of ways, it’s hard to determine who’s right. Everyone thinks that their way is the best way and by virtue all other ways are wrong! It’s true in everything from sports to music and politics to religion. We’ve all been there. We don’t want to make other people feel bad but we don’t want to compromise our personal convictions either. So how do you handle it? Which way is right? How firmly do we stand on the way we claim to be right?
Admittedly we’re not going to tackle the rights and wrongs of all areas of life in this post. We’re going to focus on one of the big ones – religion. The goal here is to answer a few key questions, like: Which religion is right? How do we know? Don’t they all just lead to the same place anyway?
In a recent survey of American’s of a variety of walks of life, the answer to the basic question Don’t they all just lead to the same place? is startling at best and terrifying at worst! You see our culture is one that values options. We like to have a multitude of ways to do something. We want to be able to choose between A or B. We like to broaden the path so as many people can enter as possible. We’re seeing it all over the place.
Last week we talked about sin and what it is. But there’s a trend in the world and even in the church, where we no longer call sin what it is! We’re dumbing things down to be more loving when actually that’s not loving at all! NO parent would tell their child that because of their great love for them there are no more rules, they can do whatever they want. That’s ludicrous!
The same is true for religion. You see in our culture there are a multitude of expressions of faith, a variety of religious traditions and paths to eternal life. But which one is right? Honestly there is an answer, and it’s a pretty easy one.
You want to know the right way? It’s often the hardest way. We all know it.The road paved with good intentions doesn’t always lead to the best places. It’s the same way with religion. Being all inclusive and welcoming every different faith tradition isn’t helpful! It’s broadening the path too much. It’s less than loving. It’s like making sense out of this mess of roads and saying that all of these roads go the same place. We all know that’s just not true! These gnarled up road systems come from and end up in a variety of different places. Everyone who’s ever been to a big city and made a wrong turn knows they don’t all go the same place! The same is true for religions throughout the world. They don’t lead to the same end!
Jesus was clear in the bible when he said
I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE, no one comes to the Father EXCEPT through me. John 14:6 Share on XThe basis for the Christian faith is that Jesus did it all. He is the reason for our salvation. One road. One way. One end. We don’t add to it or subtract from it, if we do it’s no longer His way. It’s time for our churches to start teaching this message again. Does it sound exclusive? Sure until you dig a little deeper. But when you start to read what the context of these verses say and look around at the rest of the Bible, you’ll see that what appears to exclude actually assures. The greatest assurance in the world is that there’s one way and you don’t do anything to pay the toll for this road because it’s already been paid for you.
So find an onramp, whether it’s worship or bible study or a Christian friend or just drill a pastor with questions, and come along for the ride a bit to see what this one way road is all about!
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