Is Jesus the only way or is He just a way to eternal life? In the fourth part of this collection, Louie Giglio guides us through exactly what Jesus said about Himself. We will take a look at the greater assumptions of the world at large concerning religion and contrast that with what Jesus uniquely offers us.
Key Takeaway
It's okay to ask Jesus questions. He will not only give you the right answer, He will give you a helpful answer. He does not try to drown out the heart, mind, or thinking of someone who is unsure. Jesus has no problem answering for Himself and He clearly tells us exactly who He is in contrast to other world religions.
1) Look at the assumptions behind the viewpoint of Jesus being "a" way.
- Cultural opinion- everyone will end up in the same place, many roads, one destination
- "There's no such thing as absolute truth." That statement itself is absolute truth. Your position undermines your position. To say that is to make an absolute statement.
- All the ways are very similar in nature. That is a giant assumption. Between Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and Jewish beliefs; not one is like the other.
Hinduism - karma, hard to pinpoint an endpoint, no heaven
Buddhism - the pursuit of heightened enlightenment, Nirvana, no heaven
Islam - good works get you to heaven, condemns anyone who believes in Jesus Christ to eternal damnation. That belief would ruin the "all roads lead to the same place" view.
Christianity - will be discussed more in the second point
Jewish - do not ascribe to Jesus, they reject Him as the messiah
- Breakdown of spiritual life in general. You get to create your own way, there are 7 billion ways it could happen, but that's not what is happening in humanity. There's something happening in a person that pulls them to something higher than themselves.
2) Exclusivity. That's a problem for some people, but it's not a bad thing!
Exclusivity is neither irrational, close-minded, nor arrogant. If you were sick, you wouldn't say "Just take me anywhere". You would ask to be taken to a hospital. Once there, you wouldn't ask the gift shop worker to help you get better, you'd seek out a doctor, one that is an experienced specialist.
John 9:1-7 A man that has been blind from birth seeks Jesus. Jesus puts spit on his eyes and tells him exactly where to go and what to do., not "Eh, you do whatever you need to". That's amazing exclusivity and that's precisely why he could see!
Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. John 14:6
Uniqueness of the offer of Jesus
1) He is offering to you that He is God in human flesh. You can't make it up to God, but He can and did come down to you.
2) Final payment for your wrong and the canceling of your debt for sin. He is not just a nice public service announcement, He is the Savior of the World. Jesus came to exchange His innocent life for our guilty one. He offers forgiveness.
3) Grace is God doing what we can't do. Everything else is what we HAVE to do. Grace is exclusively Christian. Grace frees you from the forever pressure of having to be good enough for a Holy God.
4) Personal Relationship with God. He's made a place for us, our Father is there, and He's knowable. Jesus offers you intimacy by grace to the speaker of the Universe. He did the hard work of preparing a place for us.
5) Resurrection. It is the single greatest event to happen on planet Earth. The resurrection is what gives the Cross power. He has put resurrection life in us. The grave does not have the final word.
6) We have the Holy Spirit. In John 14: 16-17, Jesus promises a Helper, and Advocate, a God-source inside of you.
7) Jesus gives us the very best now. A life of abundance, to the full, and the assurance of forever with Him. Everything else says "do", Christ says "Done". Jesus is not one of many ways. Following Jesus is the only place we hear this and it trumps every other category of religion.
Think of a funnel spout side up It's narrow. Jesus is the name above all names. Salvation is found in no other name. Acts 4:12. Truth is narrow, it always is. However, turn the funnel over. It's wide. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Whoever! Romans 10:13, Acts 2:21. The Gospel invitation is wide! Jesus does with His arms stretched wide on the Cross. Both of them towards criminals on either side of Him, one of them called on the name of the Lord and he was saved.
Discussion Questions
- What question did Thomas ask in John 14:5?
- How does Jesus respond to our questions?
- Pastor Louie said that Jesus did aim just to be right, but also to be helpful. Do you shut people down when they are searching in an effort to be right, or do you try to answer in a way that is also helpful?
- Compare and contrast the 5 major world religions and how they break the " all ways are similar" viewpoint.
- How do you see the breakdown of spiritual life in culture today? What is the one thing that Pastor Louie pointed out was a common pull?
- Read John 14:6. Does that exclusivity bother you?
- Grace is exclusively Christian. Have you ever noticed that before?
- How do the 7 unique offerings of Jesus all work together?
- In the funnel illustrations, what did each opening represent?
- There were two criminals on the Cross, how did they respond to Jesus? See Luke 23: 32-55
Scripture References
