What About Other Religions?
Rev. Brian Bill
5/13/01
As has been the tradition for the last seven years, Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church in Marietta, Georgia, agreed to host their community’s baccalaureate service again this year. But this time, the organizers wanted to include speakers representing the Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, and Wiccan religions.
Several students expressed a desire not to have the name of Jesus mentioned during the service because it would be offensive. The pastor explained that it would be a dishonor not to mention the name of Christ in His own house and that the service should be moved to a neutral location if they wanted to include other religious groups.
Many major newspapers and media outlets picked up on this story and focused on the narrow mindedness of the pastor. Let me read part of this pastor’s response from a sermon he preached three weeks ago:
“My single purpose as an ordained minister is to preach Christ. Political correctness is not a deity here. In the past few weeks, I have been asked to pray in this church and not use the name of Jesus Christ. I’ve been asked to cover the crosses in the church because they might be offensive to non-believers. I’ve said ‘no’ to each one of these requests. It’s absolutely amazing to me how people who push tolerance will push anything except tolerance of Christian faith even when it is expressed within its own church.” (Compiled from www.mtbethel.org/pages/sermon.htm)
The Exclusive Claims of Christ
Some of you might not think the question we are addressing this morning is all that difficult to answer. Since we live in America, we value cultural diversity and religious pluralism. Pluralism is the view that all religions offer equally valid paths to God.
Though Christianity still dominates by sheer numbers, the U.S. now has a greater diversity of religious groups than any country in recorded history. The Encyclopedia of American Religions lists 1,600 different groups, with 44% of them non-Christian. Half of these have blossomed just since 1960. There are now more Muslims in America than there are Methodists.
In the midst of all this doctrinal diversity, the Bible makes some rather startling claims that run counter-cultural to the mantra of religious tolerance. Let me list just a few:
• Referring to Jesus, Peter boldly states in Acts 4:12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
• 1 Timothy 2:5-6: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men – the testimony given in its proper time.”
• 1 John 5:12: “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
These passages are extremely exclusive and overwhelmingly clear: Jesus is the only way to heaven. His statements of divine authority are incompatible with the homogenizing views of religious pluralists. The claims of Christ are outrageous but they happen to be what G.K. Chesterton called “the wild truth.”
Perhaps the strongest verse in the entire Bible is a sentence uttered by Jesus Himself. Please turn to John 14:6: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Here are a few observations:
• Notice that this verse begins with the pronoun “I.” We are not saved by a principle or a force but by a person. Jesus did not say that He knew the way, the truth and the life, or even that he taught these great principles. He declared Himself to be the embodiment of the way, the truth and the life. While answering all of life’s questions, Jesus doesn’t offer a recipe to follow, but rather a relationship.
• In the original, the words way, truth and life have the definite article in front of them so that the verse would read, “I am the way (that is, the only way), I am the truth (that is, the only truth), and the life (that is, the only life).”
• All three concepts are active and dynamic. The way brings to God; the truth makes us free; and the life produces relationship. Without the way there is no going, without the truth there is no knowing, without the life there is no living.
• The context indicates that the idea of “the way” predominates. We could put it like this: “I am the way because I am the truth and the life.”
• There is only one avenue to salvation. With Christ removed there is no redemptive truth, no everlasting life and no way to the Father. While other religions offer systems of thought that try to bridge the gap between man and God, Jesus is the only one who has succeeded in bridging the divide.
Since every word of this astonishing statement challenges the fundamental beliefs of our culture, let’s look at this verse a little more closely.
1. Jesus is the way. Jesus does not merely show the way; He is Himself the way. This has a twofold meaning. He is the way from God to us in that all divine blessings come down from the Father through the Son. He is also the way from us to God. The only way to get to God is through Jesus.
Many people today, maybe even some of you here this morning, believe that there are multiple paths to God. Studies in comparative religion have concluded that there is an “essence” to all religions. Out of this quest to find the lowest common religious denominator, “The Mountain Analogy” was developed. God is pictured at the peak of the mountain with mankind at the bottom.
According to this illustration, the story of religion is the account of man’s effort to move from the base of the mountain to the peak of union with God. The mountain has many roads. Some go by a direct path. Other roads wind all over the mountain, but eventually reach the top. The bottom line, according to this analogy, is that all religious roads, though they differ in route, ultimately arrive at the same place.
Here’s the rub. Jesus very clearly states that there’s only one way to the summit. All the other roads are dead-ends.
2. Jesus is the truth. Truth is the scarcest commodity in the world. We hear people say, “that might be true for you, but it’s not for me.” Chuck Colson writes that the dominant worldview of many younger Americans can be summed up in one word: “Whatever.” People today don’t seem all that interested in finding out what is true. And without the clarity and consistency of absolute moral truth, we are reduced to doing what seems right, what feels good, what produces the least resistance, and what provides the greatest personal fulfillment.
Jesus rises above our cultural confusion and shouts out, “I am the truth. Get to know me and you will discover that which is totally true and transforming.” Truth is a very exclusive thing because it implies an objective standard. It is not something that changes with the whims of emotion or time or culture. What was true yesterday is true today.
3. Jesus is the life. All through the gospel of John life describes the principle of spiritual vitality. Just as death spells separation from God, so life implies communion with Him. We are dead without Him. We live when we surrender ourselves to Him. Since Jesus is life we will only find meaning when we commit to His lordship. John 1:4: “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.”
3 Questions
Jesus doesn’t mince any words. No one can come to the Father except if they go through Him. In light of His exclusive claims, you and I may be asked at least three questions by pluralistic people.
1. The Question of Sincerity. The first question is the Question of Sincerity. After all, there are millions of sincere worshippers in different religions. Who can question the sincerity of a Muslim bowing to pray five times a day or the self-discipline that many Buddhists seem to possess?
The assumption here is that because people are sincere they can’t be wrong. But sincerity, or the lack of it, has nothing to do with determining truth. In other words, we can be sincere and right or be sincere and wrong.
2. The Question of Tolerance. At the heart of our national sense of unity stands the crucial principle of religious toleration. The question goes something like this: “Even if you believe Christianity is true for you, does that mean it has to be true for the rest of the world? Isn’t that condescending and unloving?”
Because Christianity does have a narrow nature to it, it has been attacked as being intolerant of what others believe. It’s important to make a distinction at this point. The underlying assumption is that anything this narrow has to be wrong.
A position can be narrow and wrong, or it can be narrow and right. For instance, truth is always intolerant of error. The fact that one plus one always equals two is very narrow, but it’s also right. When we fly in an airplane we want the pilot to land on the runway, not the highway. I want my pilot to be narrow-minded when he’s flying the plane I’m on.
If Jesus is the only way, then that’s true for me and it’s true for you -- whether we believe it or not. We can argue all day about whether this claim has an intolerant spirit about it. But the real issue is whether or not it is true. Is it backed up by evidence? Are there reasons to believe what Jesus said? If so, then we must allow for a certain amount of intolerance because truth is always intolerant of error.
3. The Question of Truth. If Christianity is true, then the issues of sincerity and tolerance take a back seat to truth. It doesn’t matter how sincere someone is if they don’t acknowledge the truth of what Christ teaches. Tolerance is a non-issue if Christianity really is the only true religion.
Obviously, not everyone accepts the exclusivity of Christianity -- or any other religion for that matter. The Bahai faith seeks a total synthesis and amalgamation of all of the world religions. They try to take elements of all the different doctrines and blend them into one.
I suspect that some of you hold to this view as well. No, you might not consider yourself to be a practicing Bahai, but you like to think you can take a smorgasbord approach to faith by picking out what you like from the matrix of religious views.
The problem with this approach is that there are many clear contradictions between the various religious beliefs.
Here’s another way to say it. How can all religions be true if they contradict each other? The Law of Noncontradiction states that if two statements about one particular issue contradict each other, then there are only two possible answers: (1) only one of them is true, or (2) they’re both false. They cannot both be true in the same sense and at the same time.
If Jesus Christ claims to be the only way to God and Mohammed says there’s another way to God, then either Christ is right and Mohammed is wrong, or Christ is wrong and Mohammed is right, or they’re both wrong. They cannot both be right. Since Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Christians all view Jesus differently, they simply cannot, logically speaking, all be correct. If Christianity is true, then those religions that contradict it cannot also be true.
The Claims of Christ in a Pluralistic Culture
The Bible records for us what happened when a man came face-to-face with Jesus. Before he encountered Jesus, he was filled with rage against Christians. He practiced another religion and was determined to persecute and even assassinate the leaders of this new religion with its exclusive truth claims.
One day, as he was traveling to another city to arrest some more Christ followers, he met Jesus and was converted. He realized through his encounter with Him that Jesus was the only way. Now, instead of tormenting Christians, he devoted his life to telling others about the claims of Christ.
Several years after this life-changing event, the apostle Paul traveled to a cosmopolitan city that was known for its religious diversity and pluralistic views. Athens was a lot like America today. People were free to believe whatever they wanted to. There were hundreds of different religions to choose from, and thousands of deities to worship. When Paul arrived, Acts 17:16 says that he was “distressed to see that the city was full of idols.” He was bummed out when he saw this cornucopia of human religiosity.
This culture valued open discussion about new views, so Paul reasoned with people in their religious centers and out in the marketplace. The crowds grew as he taught them about the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. Because of this, the city leaders asked Paul to come to a City Council meeting and explain himself more clearly. Since they were interested in religion, they thought they could just add Christianity to their belief system. Maybe what Paul was saying could be mixed in with their other religions.
You might be surprised to know that Paul affirmed them for their interest in spiritual matters. He acknowledged their sincerity in verse 22, “I see that in every way you are very religious.” He didn’t demean them for their views; instead he recognized something that is true for each one of us -- we all have a God-given desire to connect with God. By the way, it’s good to affirm people. We don’t want to blast people just because they believe something different.
Because God created the world, we can expect to find traces of Him throughout His creation. He made us to know Him. Ecclesiastes 3:11: “…He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
While they were busy worshipping and following the dictates of their religious system, these citizens didn’t fully understand the uniqueness of Jesus. God had set eternity in their hearts but they had not yet discovered salvation through Christ.
If Jesus is the only way to a relationship with the Father, and He most certainly is, how then should we live and act in our increasingly pluralistic culture? I find some great help from Paul’s sermon in Acts 17. There are four key points to his message. Let me summarize them briefly.
Paul’s Message
First, Paul begins in verse 24 by establishing the Greatness of God: He is the Creator: “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of Heaven and earth…”
Second, in verse 25 Paul expounds on the Goodness of God: He is the Provider. God not only gives us life, He gives us everything else we need: “…He himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.”
Paul now has their attention. His third point focuses on the Government of God: He is the Ruler. We see this in verse 26: “…And He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” The gods of the Greeks were distant beings who had no concern for the problems of people. Paul taught in verse 27 that the true God is “... not far from each one of us.” He’s intimately involved in our lives.
As he brings his sermon to a close, Paul points people to the Grace of God: Jesus is the Savior. Many years ago, there was a conference where the participants were arguing about what made Christianity unique from all other religions. C. S. Lewis, a strong defender of Christianity, came in late, sat down and asked, “What’s all the rumpus about?” When he learned that they were debating the essence of Christianity, he immediately commented, “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.”
For centuries, God demonstrated His greatness, His goodness, His government, and His grace. He was patient with people’s ignorance, but now Paul boldly declares in verse 30: “...he commands people everywhere to repent.” Things are different now. Something has happened. Since Jesus Christ died and rose again, the playing field has dramatically changed.
Listen to how Paul drives this point home in verse 31: “For God has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man [Jesus] He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead.” Jesus will judge the whole world. The proof of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ is wrapped up in the Resurrection. If you missed our Easter service, you may want to access this sermon on our web site or pick up a tape. Everything in Christianity rises or falls on the resurrection.
How do you think people responded? How do you think this went over? Actually, people reacted much like they do today.
3 Responses
1. The Bible says that the first group of people were indignant. Acts 17:32: “When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered.” This group mocked Paul and laughed at him. They wanted nothing to do with the exclusive claims of Christ. To them, this whole business of only one way to God, and the resurrection was ludicrous. Why, that would mean all their other religions were invalid!
Radical relativity has invaded our cultural consciousness as well. Any absolute claim is labeled as bigoted or intolerant. Choice, in and of itself, is deemed good. And the only choice that cannot be tolerated is that some beliefs are true and good while others are false and wrong.
2. There was another response to Paul’s message that day. Some were indignant but there were others who were curious. Instead of sneering at Paul, they were seekers of the truth. In verse 32 they said: “We want to hear you again on this subject.” They were open to investigating what Paul had to say. They were curious. What if what they had always believed wasn’t true? What if Jesus did really rise from the dead? What if He is the only way?
3. Along with the indignant and the curious, there was another response -- some believed. Verse 34 tells us that one of the members of the city council became a believer and a woman named Damaris became a Christian. I should mention that this passage says that only a few believed. My guess is that most of the people blew Paul off. A smaller number wanted to examine the evidence, and only a few were actually saved.
Friend, where are you today? What camp are you in?
Are you upset about the claims of Christ? Let me challenge you to examine the evidence before making your decision. It’s logically impossible to believe that all religions are true. And, it’s not really a good idea to think that none of them are true. Do you have the courage to take a look at the evidence? The stakes are high. Don’t assume that the narrow way is too narrow because there’s room on the road for you.
What about those of you who are curious? I applaud you for taking the time to ask questions, to explore, to examine. Keep it up. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Many of you already believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. He has radically impacted your life. I want to give you four bedrock truths to help you remain anchored to the truth as the waves of relativism and pluralism crash against our culture.
1. God is perfect and fair. Genesis 18:25: “…Will not the judge of all the earth do right?”
2. Jesus Christ is the full revelation of God. John 1:18: “No one has ever seen God, but God the one and only, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.”
3. There is no other way to be saved apart from Christ. Acts 4:12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
4. We are mandated to evangelize and disciple. Matthew 28:19: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…”
All the other major world religions teach that you must get yourself together. You must pray five times a day, give money, fast, take a pilgrimage, use a Tibetan prayer wheel, avoid certain foods, observe the Sabbath, attend religious services, live a decent life and other innumerable requirements. If you do these things, then maybe you’ll work your way to Nirvana or Heaven or to God.
Christianity is different. God tells us that we will never earn Heaven or deserve a right relationship with Him. Simply put, we can’t live up to His standards. Instead, God has taken the initiative. Because of His great love for us, He sent Jesus to rescue us from the penalty of death that our wrongdoing deserves.
Jesus is the only way to God. You see, religion is our attempt at finding God. Christianity is God’s plan to find us. Here’s your choice: you can be religious or you can have a relationship with the one who made you and loves you.
When the missionary John Paton arrived in the New Hebrides in the mid-1800s, he began translating the New Testament and didn’t know how to illustrate the word believe. One day, when he was leaning on a chair, the concept of trust emerged. This is how John 3:16 now reads in their Bible, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever throws his whole weight on Him, will not perish but have eternal life.”
Are you ready to do that right now? Because Jesus is the only way, throw your entire weight on Him before it’s too late. Next week we’ll focus on another provocative question: “Will Jesus Come Again?”
