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Hard sayings of Jesus: No one comes to the Father except through me

One of the most popular ideas today is that all religious roads lead to God. Ophrah Winfrey declared: “One of the mistakes human beings make is believing that there is only one way to live, there are many paths to what you call God.” Few realize, however, that this idea comes from the ancient teachings of Hinduism. The Bhagavad-Gita, written perhaps around 100BC says: “Many are the paths of men, but they all in the end come to me” (4:11).


Jesus Christ taught the opposite. He asserted that while there are many paths that one might take, most of them are dead ends, and only one path leads to God. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”’ (John 14:6). I recall as a young atheist, seeking truth, reading these words with shock. I had read the writings of Muhammed, Buddha, and Confucius. None of them would ever make such a bold claim. Not only claiming to know the way to God, but to be the way, and the only way to God! 


Some may want to dismiss this claim as coming from simpler times when people were not aware of the various world religions. But Roman society was one of the most pluralistic cultures ever. They readily embraced other religions, simply adding other gods to their pantheon. In fact, the Romans were very willing for Christians to worship Jesus as God, as long as they would also worship the emperor and the other gods of Rome. It was not the disciples’ worship of Christ, but their refusal to worship Caesar, that brought on persecution. 


How then do we Christians who believe that Christ is the only way to God understand other religions? We recognize that there is a knowledge of God in every person. That is, that they have an awareness of the divine, seen in creation and within their very selves. From this basic knowledge people create their own ways to worship God, stumbling—from the biblical viewpoint—in darkness. Jesus cited the prophet Isaiah to condemn these humanly created religions. “In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9). 


I have seen Muslims kneeling outside a Mosque in Cairo, a Buddhist Monk before a Shrine in Tokyo, a Chinese animist offering oblations at a roadside altar in Singapore, and an African witchdoctor sacrificing a chicken in Sudan. They look as though they have found their way, a way, to worship God. Who am I to say they have not? The answer to that is: I am no one to contradict them. It is not my word that matters. But Christ, who has proven by his resurrection from the dead to be God the Son, has every right to proclaim the truth: “No one comes to the Father except through me.”


Christians do not hate those who practice other ways to worship, but we do believe that these are spiritual dead ends. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12). Hence, we seek to proclaim Christ in order to encourage, but never to coerce, others toward him. 


Honestly, life for Christians might be easier if the Bible did not teach the exclusivity of Christ. We might be more readily accepted in our militantly pluralistic culture. We might simply rejoice when family and friends worship in other ways, or no way at all. But, as Martin Luther said, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God.” We who believe the Bible is actually God’s Word, are willingly, and joyfully held captive to the Word, and captive, in a wonderfully liberating way, to Christ. For Christ has told us clearly: “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” Him we proclaim.