how can christians claim that christ alone is 'the only way'?
The Objection:
"Christians sure are arrogant and intolerant of other
'religions'!" "How could anyone be so insensitive to believe that
they are 'right' and everyone else is 'wrong'?!" "There must be
many paths to God, because there are so many different
'religions.'" 'Who is to say that Jesus was the one and only
Messiah?'
The Answer: Who is to say that Jesus is the one and only Messiah? Jesus is!
“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6
One
must remember that Christians are not making this claim because they
are arrogant, or meaning to offend (though indeed, they know the claim
is offensive, since the Bible itself warns us!) They are making
the claim because they believe it to be true! And if it is true,
then the WORST possible thing a Christian could do is NOT make the
claim to someone else! Imagine having a cure for a disease,
knowing someone who could use it to save their life, and then not
sharing it because we were afraid that they might be 'offended' that we
claim to have the 'only cure'! A Christian is simply trying
to help!
It is also interesting to consider that
Christianity is certainly not the only 'religion' that claims
exclusivity! But one hardly ever hears the arrogance accusation
leveled against a Jew, or Muslim, or Hindu! But it is true - the
Muslim believes that Jesus was NOT God, and that He was NOT killed on a
cross, and that He certainly did NOT rise from the dead as a
propitiation for our sin. The Jew does not believe these things
either, but they certainly don't believe that Muhammad was the final
prophet of God! And the Hindu believes that one person is
everything, everything is one person, and other strange 'spiritualized'
things that certainly don't agree with the tenets of Christianity!
The fact behind this is, that ALL truth is, by
definition, exclusive! Think about it - if it is true that the
grass is green, then it is certainly not any other color! Is
anyone offended by that? It's a silly accusation when you think
about it, isn't it. So, the only question left is, which is the
true Truth? And that is what this website and the resources are
for, to provide information and evidence for the proper consideration
of Truth...we'll just let the Spirit lead and you decide for
yourself. All we ask as Christians, is that you listen, consider,
and realize that we are presenting this news to you with love in our
hearts and your best interest in mind, at the behest of our mutual Lord.
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18b-20
Now,
the Christian knows that it is God who is reaching out to us, and that
we cannot 'convert' someone. That is the function of the Holy
Spirit. But we are the ambassadors; the messengers of the news
that answers the questions of the seeker. The Holy Spirit will
enflame the spiritual nature of all people, and then he uses the
Christian to assist in understanding how to proceed and grow. So
in your consideration of the Truth of Christianity, and comparison of
the 'truth claims' of the other 'religions', keep this claim in mind:
"From one man He made every nation of men, that thy should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us...Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the diving being is like gold or silver or stone - an image made by man's design and skill...now He commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead." Acts 17:26-27,29,30b,31