connecting

Don’t All Religions Lead to God?
Answering Tough Questions Pt. 1
Phil Schaefer
9/13/09

Introduction: As we start this series there are several points I want to make to set a proper tone to the questions that are being asked.

  1. Respect- Each of us comes to questions about faith, suffering, and morality from a unique and personal perspective. I want to respect where you are in your journey of faith and have no desire to force feed anyone. “a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”
  2. Humility- These are questions that mankind has wrestled with throughout the ages and will wrestle with in every generation. If we honestly want to learn, then we must approach the question and answer with humility. I certainly do not know all the answers. My prayer is that when I don’t know, I will say “I don’t know.”
  3. Integrity- Let us endeavor to approach these questions with honesty and integrity.

I. The Way to God-

  • Jesus Christ makes the claim that He is the only way to God; that ultimate truth resides in Him. (John14:5-6) But that does not mean that we can write off all other religions as totally misguided or demonic, or that parts of truth cannot be found in other religions.
  • Here are three reasons we can expect to find truth in other religions:
  • God has partially revealed Himself in creation. (Ps. 19:1) This evidence is available to all and therefore can be found in other religions. (Romans 1:20)
  • All human beings are made in the image of God and are capable of goodness and wisdom.
    • The Good Samaritan
    • God has given all people a conscience to distinguish right from wrong. (Rom. 2:14-15)
    • The essence of the golden rule is contained in almost every religion. (Do unto others what you would have them do to you.)
  • Every heart hungers for God. ( Eccl. 3:11)
    • Deep down, no one is satisfied by materialism. We know there is more to life.
    • In the heart of every man, woman, and child is a God-shaped gap.
    • This hunger causes us to search for God. It is the one reason why there are only 4.5% in the world who claim to be atheist, and why so many seek after God or some form of spirituality.
    • There is good in every religion, even if it is seen in their commitment and devotion to what they believe.

II. Jesus is Unique in All Of History

  1. John 14:5-6  “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, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
  2. Three significant things that set Jesus apart from all others in history:
    • Jesus was unique in His qualifications.
    • Jesus was God. Peter called Jesus the “Holy and righteous one’, the author of life” He is called “the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior.” He was worshipped by the early church as God.  This sets Him apart from the leaders of the other great religions. - Muslims do not worship Muhammad, though he was the founder of their faith. Muhammad would have considered it blasphemous if anyone had given him divine status.
    • Jesus said He came from heaven.- Muslim scholars will attribute to Muhammad a momentary excursion to heaven on one night.
    • Jesus was truth.  John 1:1-5,14, 17-18/- Buddha left his home and family, in search of an answer. He did not start with an answer.
    • Jesus never needed forgiveness for anything, nor was there any hint of sensuality in Him,- This is not the testimony of Muhammad, or Buddha, or Abraham, or Krishna.
    • Jesus was unique in His achievement. Acts 4:12-  “Peter says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”-
    • Jesus is the Savior.-We all need a savior because we have all sinned and fallen short of what God has designed us to be as human beings. We can not save ourselves. – No other great religion claims to have a Savior.
    • Buddha is thought of as a teacher.- Muhammad is thought of as a prophet.- In Islam sinners will face the judgment without forgiveness. –In Hinduism, we continue in cycles of reincarnation until we ultimately achieve a state of perfection through self-effort. All other religions say that we must make an effort to attain perfection. We must do good works.
    • But Christianity says Jesus has already done the work for us! He is the one who brings us salvation; He saves us from our guilt. He saves us from the addictive power of sin. He saves us from the judgment we all deserve. This is why it is called the Gospel- the good news- of Jesus Christ. (Heb. 7:25, I John 3:19)

                3. Jesus is unique in His resurrection. (Acts 4:10)

    • In Buddhism is recorded the great entrance of the Buddha into Nirvana…but there is no suggestion that the Buddha will continue to be present with his followers after his death.
    • The exact date of Muhammad’s death is known, and no one ever supposed that He came back from death.
    • By contrast, at the heart of the Christian faith is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:32-33)

III.  Summary
       Jesus Christ is alive today. We can know Him, by the coming of the Holy Spirit to live in us.  Jesus’ claim as the unique Son of God, the unique Savior, the one uniquely raised from the dead, and as the only way to God, sets Him apart from all other religions or philosophies.
C.S. Lewis: Mere Christianity, pg. 32.  There are three possibilities:

  • Jesus was an imposter, a devil.
  • Jesus was deluded, or mad.
  • Jesus was the true Son of God.

     He has not left open to us the idea that he was just a great moral teacher.

Discussion Questions:
 
Do agree with the statement that there is some truth and good in every religion? Why or why not?

Share a little about your own search to know God. Are you convinced that Jesus is the only true way to know God? If so, what convinced you?

What is the unique quality of Jesus that most draws you to Him?

Are there any areas of doubt in your walk with God that you struggle with?