Enter through thee narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
I am sometimes surprised by the appearance of truth in unexpected and very secular places. Back in the early 1970’s, rock stars Jimmy Paige and Robert Plant of the band “Led Zeppelin” wrote one of the most famous songs in rock and roll history. In “Stairway to Heaven” they wrote:
Yes there are two roads you can go down, but in the long run, there’s still time to change the one you’re on.
I’m pretty sure that Paige and Plant were not intentionally paraphrasing the teaching of Jesus in their song – but what they sang is true. According to Jesus all spiritual roads boil down to two choices – a road that leads to life and a road that leads to spiritual death.
So how do we know? How can we know with certainty that the road we choose is the road that leads to eternal life in heaven?
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
It is not uncommon for people to use this very teaching to accuse Christians of being “exclusive” and “intolerant” of other religious beliefs. They say, “How can you “Christians” claim yours is the only way?” “How arrogant to think all other world religions are wrong!”
There are two important points to make here. First, all truth is, by definition, exclusive. For example, the law of gravity is true. If you jump off your house you will always fall to the earth. Always. You cannot jump off your house and hope to float upwards just because you don’t like the law of gravity – because the law of gravity simply is true. We know and accept this principle when it comes to gravity or, say, mathematics (two plus two always equals 4 – never 47) – but when it comes to spiritual truth many people would rather believe they can create their “own” truth.
So the claims of Christ and the claims of, say, Mohammed or Buddha or Oprah, cannot all be true at the same time – because all claim different spiritual truths. Just as the truth of gravity or the truth of 2+2=4 cannot be altered just because we would like it to be different – so also spiritual truth cannot be changed of created – it can only be discovered – and then either accepted or rejected.
Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
But the second point to make is equally important. While the truth of Jesus is exclusive – it is also inclusive. That is, the truth of Jesus and his salvation is offered to anyone who will accept it – anyone! Jesus said,
“For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but will have everlasting life.” John 3:16
This means you don’t have to be born into a certain ethnic group; you don’t have to be of a certain socio-economic status; you don’t have to be educated; you don’t even have to be religious! You just have to be willing to acknowledge and accept truth.
That truth, the Bible says, is Jesus.
I’m pretty sure that Paige and Plant were not intentionally paraphrasing the teaching of Jesus in their song – but what they sang is true. According to Jesus all spiritual roads boil down to two choices – a road that leads to life and a road that leads to spiritual death.
So how do we know? How can we know with certainty that the road we choose is the road that leads to eternal life in heaven?
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
It is not uncommon for people to use this very teaching to accuse Christians of being “exclusive” and “intolerant” of other religious beliefs. They say, “How can you “Christians” claim yours is the only way?” “How arrogant to think all other world religions are wrong!”
There are two important points to make here. First, all truth is, by definition, exclusive. For example, the law of gravity is true. If you jump off your house you will always fall to the earth. Always. You cannot jump off your house and hope to float upwards just because you don’t like the law of gravity – because the law of gravity simply is true. We know and accept this principle when it comes to gravity or, say, mathematics (two plus two always equals 4 – never 47) – but when it comes to spiritual truth many people would rather believe they can create their “own” truth.
So the claims of Christ and the claims of, say, Mohammed or Buddha or Oprah, cannot all be true at the same time – because all claim different spiritual truths. Just as the truth of gravity or the truth of 2+2=4 cannot be altered just because we would like it to be different – so also spiritual truth cannot be changed of created – it can only be discovered – and then either accepted or rejected.
Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
But the second point to make is equally important. While the truth of Jesus is exclusive – it is also inclusive. That is, the truth of Jesus and his salvation is offered to anyone who will accept it – anyone! Jesus said,
“For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but will have everlasting life.” John 3:16
This means you don’t have to be born into a certain ethnic group; you don’t have to be of a certain socio-economic status; you don’t have to be educated; you don’t even have to be religious! You just have to be willing to acknowledge and accept truth.
That truth, the Bible says, is Jesus.
Brian Coffey
Posts
1 comment:
Amen!! One truth,One Way!
Post a Comment