1/14/076
Greg Tomlinson
With so many religions claiming to have the only way to God,
how can Christianity truly be the only way?
This is a valid question that many people do ask and probably should ask. The logical truth of the matter is that if multiple groups of people lay claim to being the only possible way to some sort of heaven and those multiple groups deny the claims of the others and are defined differently from each other than it would be inconsistent for more than one of those groups to be correct. It should be clear that Christianity must be able to explain why its claim to solitary pathway to heaven is absolutely correct.
1. Who is God?
Genesis 1:1
Isaiah 43:15; 44:8
Luke 11:2
Matthew 5:34
Acts 17:23-26
The God that Christians speak of is the God who created the heavens and the earth. He is the only God that is by nature God and not decreed, declared, nor created as a god by mankind. He dwells in and rules from heaven over the affairs of all of his creation.
2. How is heaven defined?
Job 22:12-14; Psalm 33:13; 53:2; 57:3; 73:25; 80:14; 136:26 – Dwelling place of God
Ecclesiastes 5:2; Daniel 2:18-19, 28, 37, 44 – Dwelling place of God
Psalm 102:19; Isaiah 63:15; Lamentations 3:50 – Dwelling place of Jehovah
Psalm 14:2 – Dwelling place of Jehovah who is God
Matthew 5:16, 45, 48; 6:1, 9-13; 7:11, 21-23; 10:32-33; 11:25-30; 12:50; 16:17, 18:10-11, 14, 19; 23:9 – Dwelling place of our Father
Luke 10:21; 11:2-4; Mark 11:25-26 – Dwelling place of our Father
Matthew 16:17; 18:19 – Dwelling place of Jesus’ father
John 6:38-41 – Source of or dwelling place of Jesus
Psalm 20:6 – Jehovah’s Holy place
Psalm 76:6-10; Romans 1:18-19 – Place of ultimate judgment
Psalm 11:4-5 – Throne of Jehovah
Isaiah 66:1 – Throne of Jehovah
Matthew 5:34; 23:21-22; Acts 7:49; Revelation 4:2 – Throne of God
Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 5:2, 10, 19-20; 8:11; 11:11-12; 13:11, 24, 31, 44-50 – Kingdom of God
John 14:1-4 – Future home of all believers
Revelation 21:4 – Place of no pain/tears
John 17:1-3; Revelation 22:1-4, 14– Place of eternal life
Acts 1:10-11; 7:55-56 – Current dwelling place of Jesus
Heaven is where God, the creator of heaven of earth (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 45:18; Acts 4:24), has dwelled for all eternity. It is where Jesus lived from eternity past until he came to earth and where he returned after his resurrection. It is where Jesus will bring all of his followers will live for all eternity. It is a place of perfection, holiness, and beauty where death, sin, wickedness, and evil will forever cease to exist. According to scripture there is one and only one true God (Isaiah 45:18) so that means that there is also only one true heaven.
3. Why would Christians claim to be the only way possible into heaven?
John 10:7-9; 14:6
Matthew 7:13-14
The essential reason that Christians believe that the only way into heaven is by being a Christian is because that is what Jesus said. Jesus told his disciples that the way to have life, referring to eternal or heavenly life, is very narrowly define. That very narrow pathway is so narrow that it is defined to be Jesus himself. Logic and truth would dictate that if there were any other possible way to enter into heaven other than through Jesus then by definition Jesus would be lying and thus unworthy of following and he would not be a way into heaven at all. There is no other possibility. Either Jesus is the only way into heaven or he is not a valid way into heaven, Jesus’ teachings left us no other option.
4. How do we know that Jesus told the truth?
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Accepted by God |
Fulfilled scripture |
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Matthew 3:17; 17:1-6 Mark 1:11; 9:2-7 Luke 3:22 John 12:28-33 |
Matthew 1:18-24 Mark 1:2-3; 15:27-28; 9:11-13; 14:18-21 Luke 3:3-6; 4:16-21 John 13:18; 17:12; 19:23-24, 28-37 Acts 1:16 Titus 1:2-3 |
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Jesus’ resurrection |
Changed disciples |
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Romans 1:4 Mark 9:9 & Mark 16:5-7 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 |
Matthew 26:55-56 Luke 22:55-62 cmp Acts 4:7-13 |
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of the empty tomb |
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Matthew 28:11-15 |
There are many things that demonstrate the truthfulness of what Jesus proclaimed. There is the identification by God himself regarding the identity of Jesus and fulfilled scripture. The most important demonstrations of the truthfulness of Jesus are his resurrection, which he predicted and demonstrated, and the changed lives of those who followed him. The truthfulness of the message of Jesus and that he is the only way to heaven lies squarely in the historical reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If there was not bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, then Christianity is untrue, but if Jesus was bodily resurrected, as history can very well demonstrate, then Christianity is true and it is the only pathway into heaven. Jesus himself said “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?” (John 3:12) which he follows up with explaining that he will be crucified and resurrected (John 3:13-15).
Summary:
As a Christian, we know that the only way to enter into heaven is by being a follower of Jesus, a Christian, because Jesus told us that he is the only way into heaven, where the Father dwells. He demonstrated the truthfulness of his assertion as being the only way by dying on the cross (crucifixion), rising from the dead, and showing himself to his followers.