PRAYER FORCE
7/19/10
I remember a few years back when Pope
John Paul made public his plans to visit India. But before he went, Hindu
groups demanded that the Roman Catholic Church declare that Christ was not the
only way to salvation. The official Hindu spokesman explained whyÉ. ÒAn
ideology that condemns all others to eternal hell is selfish, exclusionist and
promotes hatred.Ó But, if you were on the Titanic and you insisted that people
get off the ship and into a lifeboat or they would be lost, you would sound
exclusionist and dogmatic tooÉ.unless, of course it
was true. And if you, as a Christian, say, ÒJesus is the only way. This world
is lost without him.Ó You sound intolerant and dogmatic and, to some, hatefulÉ.unless, of course, itÕs true. Before dismissing the claims
of Jesus Christ, a person should ask not, ÒIs this intolerant?Ó but rather, ÒIs
this true?Ó
It has been true of the Christian faith
from the beginning that Jesus is the only way to salvation. In John 14:6,
Jesus said, ÒI am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me.Ó In Acts 4:12, Simon Peter said, ÒSalvation
is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men
by which we must be saved.Ó The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:5,
ÒThere is one Lord, one faith, one baptism.Ó And early Christians were
martyred for their faith – not because they believed Jesus was a
god, but because they believed that Jesus was the only God. And you
wonÕt get into trouble in our politically correct society by saying that
Christianity is a wonderful religion. You will get into trouble if you say that
Jesus is the only God. But, perhaps this is a good time to be reminded of the
warning of Jesus to those of us who wear his nameÉ. He said in Luke 6:26,
ÒWoe to you when all men speak well of youÉ.Ó The fact is,
if we faithfully represent him as the only way to salvation, we are bound to
have adversaries.
Pray with meÉ. Father, You are the
author of truth and the salvation that is ours through your Son. We embrace it
from our hearts in His name, amen.
Yours for Christ and Crossroads, Pastor Ken Idleman