Only Way
Surely, Christianity is not the only way to God?
Unfortunately for most people in the world, the truth is, according to God’s word, the only way to him is through Christ.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” (Joh 14:6-7)
Jesus, the Son of God, freely gave up his life and shed his blood as payment for our sins.
And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Mat 26:28)
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. (Lev 17:11)
In the other major religions of the world, the way to Heaven is through the “good works” that a person does. However, God tells us though the Bible that the only way to Heaven is through the sacrifice he made for us. His Grace alone.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)
The main issues with any “good works” based religion are, 1) what exactly is a “good work” and 2) how do you known if you have done enough “good works” to get into Heaven?
What exactly is a “good work.” Is it giving money, is it helping the needy, or is it making sacrifices. These are all things that atheists can do. So can an atheist get into heaven by doing “good works?” According to the Bible everything we do is like a filthy rag, when compared to God. No acts we can do is worthy of God.
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;…(Isaiah 64:6 KJV)
How do you known if you have done enough “good works” to get into Heaven? A god must be perfectly just and be the perfect judge. So how would a god, judge your “good works?” Would helping 100 old ladies cross the street be enough? What if you only helped 99 old ladies cross the street? That’s a dilemma. How would a perfectly just judge, judge your “good works” against the “good works” of others and how would you knwo when you have done enough “good works?”
Also consider a court of law. If you are in court for assault and tell the judge that you helped 100 old ladies cross the street, the judge will say “Good, you should do that. However, you are being judged on your crimes, not your good works.”
So, any “good works” based religion is not logical with a perfect god. Only faith in and seeking the God of the Bible makes sense.
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 ESV)
What about Islam, Mormonism, and Judaism? They believe in one God, the God of Abraham.
Now Muslims will claim that they believe in the God of Abraham and Jesus. But do not be fooled. They do not believe in the same God and the same Jesus are Christians do.
Allah, the Islamic God, does not have a son and Jesus is not the Son of Allah. Also, Allah is not part of the Holy Trinity.
That is Jesus, son of Mary. ˹And this is˺ a word of truth, about which they dispute. It is not for Allah to take a son! Glory be to Him. When He decrees a matter, He simply tells it, “Be!” And it is! (Surah Maryam - 19:34-35)
Allah has never had ˹any˺ offspring, nor is there any god besides Him. Otherwise, each god would have taken away what he created, and they would have tried to dominate one another. Glorified is Allah above what they claim! (Surah Al‑Mu’minun - 23:91)
The Jesus in Bible is the Son of God and a member of the Holy Trinity. The Jesus of the Qur’an is just a prophet of Allah and is not divine.
O People of the Book! Do not go to extremes regarding your faith; say nothing about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was no more than a messenger of Allah and the fulfilment of His Word through Mary and a spirit ˹created by a command˺ from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers and do not say, “Trinity.” Stop!—for your own good. Allah is only One God. Glory be to Him! He is far above having a son! To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And Allah is sufficient as a Trustee of Affairs. (Surah An‑Nisa - 4:171)
It is extremely clear that the God (Allah) and Jesus that Muslims talk about are NOT the SAME as the Christians worship.
In addition, Islam is a “works” based religion. Islam teaches three pillars for salvation, and one of those pillars is, Righteous Deeds (A’mal Salih). Without the pillar of righteous deeds, one cannot reach heaven.
Surely those who believe, do good, and humble themselves before their Lord will be the residents of Paradise. They will be there forever. (Surah Hud – 11:23)
But those who do good—whether male or female—and have faith will enter Paradise and will never be wronged ˹even as much as˺ the speck on a date stone. (Surah An‑Nisa – 4:124)
Read this article when I go into more details regarding the issues with Islam. Understanding Islam
What Mormons, also referred to as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints (LDS Church), believe. LDS Church
Now of course Jews beliefs in the same God that Christians do. They just do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Also Judaism does not teach the Holy Trinity.
Judaism rejects the Christian claims about Jesus’ divine identity. The Jews are waiting for the arrival of the Messiah from God. Jesus claimed to be the Messiah. However, Jews do not believe Jesus was the Messiah, Son of God, or divine.
…Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 14:61-62 ESV)
Judaism teaches that the true Messiah must accomplish specific tasks, such as:
• Rebuild the Third Temple
• Bring universal peace
• Gather all Jews back to Israel
Since these events did not occur during Jesus’ time on Earth, Jews conclude Jesus was not the Messiah. However, it is the Christian belief that all these events will occur during Jesus’ second coming.
Also, there are Messianic Jews. Messianic Jews are people who identify ethnically or culturally as Jewish but believe in Jesus (Yeshua) as the Messiah and Son of God. This places them theologically within Christianity, even though they retain Jewish customs.
Christians do believe that Jesus’ is the Jewish Messiah. We believe that during Jesus’ second coming, all Jews will come to believe in him as the Messiah and Son of God.
However, Jesus is the Jewish Messiah here is the evidence that Jesus is the Messiah
I am a Christian. I was born and raised a Christian. However, there was a time in my life when, I was not Christian. Looking back, I would consider myself to be agnostic or borderline atheist during that time. Before I came back to Christianity, I went through a period of time, when I questioned if Christianity was the “right” religion. Was Christianity true? The facts and logic led me back to Christianity; not a “blind faith”, but the faith in the evidence and facts for Christianity.
Of course, my faith in Christianity teaches me that there is only ONE WAY to God and Heaven. But it is up to you to make that decision for yourself. So, do not take my word or the word of anyone else. Study the evidence and facts for yourself, make the decision for yourself. That is what God wants. He does not want to force you to believe in him (he could if he wanted to), God wants you to use your free will to love him for the sacrifice he has made for you in the suffering of his Son Jesus.