A live audio version of this sermon can be heard at http://generationschurchofgranbury.sermon.net/sermonid/2287456
In our QUEST FOR TOUGH QUESTIONS: Thinking People are Asking, this query rated #4 in order of importance by survey participants. It ran in conjunction with similar inquiries like, “Why would a loving God allow good people to go to hell?” and “Will those who have never heard the gospel go to Heaven?”
To answer such questions according to the New Testament is to risk being labeled a bigot or at best, narrow-minded; which happens to not be completely untrue, because as followers of Jesus, we are to be narrow way minded.
MATTHEW 7:13-14
"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.Before attempting to answer this from the Biblical point of view, we must ask ourselves, “Are we looking for popularity and human approval, or are we looking for truth?” By “looking for truth” we mean to wholeheartedly pursue and discover what Jesus and the Bible have to say about all important questions, especially this one.
Jesus Christ kept this issue simple by clearly saying that He was the only way to God and eternal life. (He also talked about His deity and was crucified for doing so, but that is another subject).
The Lord taught about the people of the world as though they were already condemned and that He was their only Savior. In the famous JOHN 3:16 passage, He declared salvation for all who would believe in Him.
Let’s look at several of the statements Jesus made surrounding this promise.
JOHN 3:14-15
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man
be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
Using the NUMBERS 21 story of Moses and the Brazen Serpent, Jesus makes what He is about to say very easy to understand. In that story, many of the Israelites in the wilderness - on their journey to the Promised Land – were dying after being bitten by poisonous snakes. Moses prayed for them and obeyed the instructions he received from God, Who told him to remedy the situation by making a bronze serpent and setting it up on a pole. Those who were bitten could simply look at this bronze serpent and be healed. The Bible says this was done by Moses and that all who looked at this metal snake - on the pole - were healed of their fatal bites, just as God had promised.
What is the significance of this unusual story and how does it apply here?
Jesus is saying that just as looking at the bronze serpent was the only remedy for those with the fatal snakebites, so believing in Him is the only remedy from the poisonous bite of sin, i. e. its condemnation of separation from God which is eternal death.
In this discourse, Jesus goes on to proclaim God’s love in the giving of His Son and the need to believe in Him, in order to be saved from perishing with this condemned world.
JOHN 3:16-17
”For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world through Him might be saved.”
He continues saying that believing in Him is the way out of the condemnation that already exists, therefore to not believe in Him is to stay in this condemned state. In other words, Jesus said He is the way to be saved from a world that needs saving.
JOHN 3:18
"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Having established - in an earlier sermon - why we believe the Bible is true, which can be heard on the following link: http://generationschurchofgranbury.sermon.net/sermonid/2273563 ;
I would like to share, from the Bible, ten more reasons why we believe that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to God and Heaven.
10 BIBLICAL REASONS WE BELIEVE THAT JESUS AS THE ONLY WAY.
1. Jesus declared according to the Scriptures, He Is the source of eternal life.
JOHN 5:39-40You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are
they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
2. Jesus said that He is the door to salvation.
JOHN 10:9aI am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved,…..
3. Jesus clearly declared Himself to be only the way to God the Father.
JOHN 14:1-6"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know."
5) Thomas said to Him,
"Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"
6) Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.
4. Jesus commissioned His followers to preach the good news to everyone.
MARK 16:15-16
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes
and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
5. Jesus predicted that repentance and remission of sins would be preached in His name everywhere.
LUKE 24:46-47
"Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise
from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should
be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
6. Jesus commanded His followers to receive the Holy Spirit, Who would empower them to be His witnesses around the world.
ACTS 1:7-8
"It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
7. After receiving the Holy Spirit, His followers obeyed Him and began preaching Jesus Christ as the way to salvation.
ACTS 4:12
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given
among men by which we must be saved."
8. His followers continued to preach the need to believe in Jesus in spite of threats and persecution.
ACTS 5:28-33
And the high priest asked them, saying, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!"
29) But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God
rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by
hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior,
to give repentance to Israel & forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him."
33) When they heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them.
9. His followers continued to preach Jesus as the way to the point that they became known as being “of the Way”.
ACTS 9:1-2
Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord,
went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus,
so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring
them bound to Jerusalem.
10. Today, many of Christ’s followers continue to declare Him as the Way around the world, just as He commanded, causing His Church to grow.
Christianity is spreading around the world today because of this.
MATTHEW 28:18-20
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me
in heaven and on earth. 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, 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.".
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me
in heaven and on earth. 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, 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.".
According to the Scriptures, there is only one way to God and Heaven. Jesus declared Himself to be the way, truth, life, and the resurrection.
It would be arrogant and rude to declare that Jesus Christ is the only way to God if it were not true, but if true, to say otherwise would be foolish even though it may be more popular with those who do not believe in Him.
This exclusive saving work of Jesus Christ is also proclaimed in the New Testament letters to believers, known as the epistles.
ROMANS 1:16-32
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation
for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17) For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith;
as it is written, "THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation
for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17) For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith;
as it is written, "THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."
ROMANS 5:1-2
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand,
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand,
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
HEBREWS 7:25
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God
through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God
through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
ROMANS 5:2 EPHESIANS 2:18; 3:12 1JOHN 2:1-2
In conclusion, let me say that while we do not want to appear to be unkind, it would be very unkind to water down and dilute the truth of Jesus Christ, resulting in our allowing people to hold their personal views without telling them the truth that He is the only Savior of this world that is already condemned.
RELATED QUESTIONS
QUESTION: What about universalism?
Some - in the name of compassion - are embracing the less offensive message of universalism which denies the condemnation that Jesus said the world is under and downplays the need for all to believe in Him.
Universalism is unscriptural and is against the real Jesus and His teachings. Those who dabble with such theology open themselves up to a deception that kills evangelism and brings an end to world missions as well as promoting sinful behaviors, while denying the supremacy of Christ.
ROMANS 1:16-17
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith;
as it is written, "THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith;
as it is written, "THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."
Who is more compassionate toward a drowning man? The man on the shore who assures the sinking swimmer that he's already saved, or the man who jumps in, throws out a life saver and pleads with the drowning man to stop trying to save himself and grab hold of the one and only life saver?"
DAVID SHIBLEY, Universalism: What’s at stake? – Ministries Today Magazine
QUESTION: Why would a loving God allow good people to go to hell?
ANSWER: According to the New Testament, there is no such thing as a good person in the eyes of God, outside of their being cleansed by believing in Jesus and calling on Him for salvation from their sins.
ROMANS 3:23-26
…..for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely
by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth
as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness,
because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously
committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might
be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
If you are an unbeliever, there is much to lose if the Bible is right on this subject, so please consider what it says in light of your eternal future.
Blessings to you and yours,
…..for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely
by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth
as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness,
because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously
committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might
be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
1 JOHN 1:8-10
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar,
and His word is not in us.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar,
and His word is not in us.
QUESTION: Will those who have never heard the gospel go to Heaven?
ANSWER: We believe that God is just, but according to our understanding of the Bible, there is no guarantee of eternal life for anyone who does not believe in Jesus, therefore there is still a lot of work to be done in spreading the gospel of Christ around the world.
ANSWER: We believe that God is just, but according to our understanding of the Bible, there is no guarantee of eternal life for anyone who does not believe in Jesus, therefore there is still a lot of work to be done in spreading the gospel of Christ around the world.
If God’s justice was a guarantee of eternal life, then we should shut down all missions efforts and bring all our missionaries home and start closing churches because people will then be able to be saved on the basis of their ignorance.
If we do that, the world will become an even darker place because millions who have been continuing the ministry of Jesus will have stopped.
If we do that, the world will become an even darker place because millions who have been continuing the ministry of Jesus will have stopped.
ACTS 17:26-31
And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.'
29) Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising.
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men
everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge
the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given
assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."
And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.'
29) Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising.
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men
everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge
the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given
assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."
If you are a believer, it is high time that we all get busy and remain faithful to spreading the message of the resurrected Jesus Christ, as the Savior of the world and source of eternal life for those who are already perishing.
If you are an unbeliever, there is much to lose if the Bible is right on this subject, so please consider what it says in light of your eternal future.
Alan Latta
Blessings to you and yours,
