Christ: The Only Way

If you want talk about arrogance and narrowmindedness what's avoiding the blame on the Guild were ball longs on Jesus is Jesus who makes the client. If the New Testament that says there is no other name under heaven, through which men may be saved. It's hard to imagine there's anything more offensive in a culture that places a premium on inclusiveness telling someone about the exclusivity of God's kingdom. The Christ is the only way welcome to Renewing Your Mind on this Tuesday. I'm really well objections to the Christian faith abound in our culture and this is one that can make us the object of ridicule and scorn.

Fear not, is Dr. RC Sproul just mentioned were not relying on our sure the truth.

One of the forms of amusement that we sometimes do when social gatherings is ask people to relate their most harassing moment. I really couldn't say what my most embarrassing moment was in my life, but certainly one of the most embarrassing moments I ever had took place the first year I was a Christian I was a freshman in college and I was so filled with enthusiasm about my newfound faith that I was a real zealot. I told anybody listen to me about the riches of Christ and I even had the opportunity at college to speak. One morning in an all college chapel and I gave my testimony, so everybody in the campus who knew me knew that I had embraced Christianity and we had a professor and woman professor who was overtly hostile towards Christianity and she taught a course in English and I happen to be in her class and she seemed to take delight in taking shots at Christianity during her lectures and so I learned very early to keep my mouth shut and their kind of keep a low profile.

One afternoon she called on me in front of the whole class and she asked me this question. She said Mr. squirrel said yes ma'am she said do you believe that Christ is the only way to God. I just groaned and myself. I thought of all the questions that this woman could ask me in front of this class. She picks a question like that because something that if I answered the question honestly, I was in the deep trouble and I also knew that if I lied about it. I was even worse trouble because if I said no I don't believe that Christ is the only way to God. I knew that if I said that I would be committing treason to Christ that I would be guilty of betraying the one who had redeemed me as a really as difficult as the decision was human way because of the current press of circumstances. There was really no decision to make. I had no alternative when it comes down to it I had to give a true answer and I set it softly, quietly, since he wouldn't be here it I sort of mumbled when she said do you believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. I sort of mumbled yes ma'am she said what did you say I said I said yes I I do believe that well. She went off like a skyrocket. It was up a rock schism of rage. Immediately she said I can't believe that you would make a statement like that that is the most narrowminded, bigoted, conceited statement that a person can make and I just blushed beet red and just sagged down in the my chair and listen to the smirking's of the people in the class. I didn't say anything to her during class, but after the class was over and I was leaving the class. She stopped me at the door and she showed a sense of compassion that I didn't know existed in this person. She said Mr. straw. I want to apologize to you and I symbolize that and she said because I asked you a question.

I knew what you were going to say and I could sense that I deeply embarrassed you in front of the whole class and I said oh yes you did and I was embarrassed she said but I still for the life of me cannot understand how you could think that you are way is the only way. So now it was up to me to give an answer for the hope that was with in. I was frantically searching for a way to pass the buck. The truth be told here. I said to her, ma'am.

If I believed that Jesus Christ is the only way to God because it is my way to God and the unspoken assumption were that I believed that anything that RC Sproul believes is the right way must therefore be the only way then I quite agree with you that my answer to your question would have been unspeakably arrogant and unbelievably narrowminded and conceited, but let me ask you a question. I know that you don't embrace Christianity but would you agree that people as foolish as I am stupid as I am the be engaged in religion or someone could come to the conclusion that Jesus is one way to go. She said all yes I understand that there been people of great integrity, people of great intelligence who have become Christians and who believe that Jesus is at least one way to God.

But what I can understand is why you think a has to be the only way to God.

I said okay let's start with the first premise that I have become convinced that Jesus is at least one way to God that you don't object. I said but you see that Jesus himself teaches that he is the only way to God and I reminded her that Jesus had said hi M the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but by me know if you want talk about arrogance and narrowmindedness. Let's lay the blame and the guilt where it belongs, belongs on Jesus is Jesus who makes the claim. If the New Testament that says there is no other name under heaven, through which men may be saved except Jesus is the New Testament that makes the audacious claim that there is only one way that is acceptable to God to come to him three times in the New Testament. The record is the God spoke audibly from heaven. On every occasion it was God himself saying something about Jesus.

This is my beloved son here in and we are told in Scripture that God is a jealous God that God jealously guards his own integrity, his own righteousness and that the fundamental law of God is a prohibition against idolatry against the worship of something that is not God and that God will not tolerate those who supplant true religion. I know that's downright un-American, because we have a viewpoint in our culture that is sacrosanct and the idea is that all religions are equally tolerated under the law. This country was settled by people who sought to escape religious persecution and who were looking for a society and a culture that would be tolerant and one of the bedrock premises of America is equal toleration of various religions, but you understand if you're thinking carefully.

Dear friend that is one thing to say that all religions are equally tolerated under a system of human law, it's another when the say that there are equally valid that their truth claims are equally valid. That may be the case if there were no God, so that every God was a false God equally invalid. But I hear naïvely all the time for people who think doesn't matter what you believe is larger, sincere, all religions are essentially the same people who say that haven't studied all religions, there are world religions that are positively hostile towards Christ and if Christ is the son of God, and you have a religion that is hostile towards him, friends back is not acceptable to God, God will not tolerate and I had this lengthy discussion with my English teacher and I said do you understand at least in principle what I'm saying and she said yes and I could see how you could be convinced if you follow Jesus that if Jesus says he's the only way then do would be morally obligated to echo and repeat that idea.

She said, but that's what puzzles me was what she said you could believe in a God who is so narrowminded that he would only provide one way of salvation to the world what what is this God who is so restrictive and I said will again I don't know why God hasn't given us five saviors were 15 religious ways to satisfy him.

I don't know the answer to that question, but there's another question and that is why has he provided one way, why does he bother at all to redeem a world that universally rejects him. Why does he do it. Why is there one way why are there anyway and I said to my teacher said let's just try a hypothetical situation. I know you don't believe the Bible and I do and were coming at that from totally different perspectives on convinced that the Bible is the word of God.

Your convinced it isn't.

I said but I'm trying help you understand the sense of what were talking about and let's just take a hypothetical situation.

I don't think it is hypothetical, but just for the sake of argument were to make it hypothetical. I suppose there is a God. Let's start with that supposition, I suppose, that God is altogether. Absolutely holy and suppose that God not of any necessity within himself but out of sheer love and graciousness creates a world and he inhabits this world with the vast array of animals and plants and then when he's finished his crowning act of creation is a creature that he shapes in his own image and breathes into this creature's own breath and gives this creature preeminence over all of creation dominion over all the world and gives him the task of mirroring and reflecting God's own holy character, and God gratuitously keeps all kinds of benefits on this creature, but gives one restriction of this creature and says you're not allowed to touch or eat of this particular fruit, and as soon as God turns his back. Suppose this creature totally ungrateful who owes his creator. Everything turns around and grasps for a quality with his creator and openly willfully defy the law of God, and God had told him if you do this you die. Now suppose right then God would've embraced mankind from the earth, he would've been perfectly just the dude with but suppose God was so patient so kind that he said I will cover this creature's nakedness and I will provide a way of salvation for him and I will promise to deliver this ungrateful sinner from his desperate condition and suppose the people ignore that promise, and they continued to defy him and expand on their rebellion against him in and they wind up in a situation were a whole group of them are in bondage to another group and the Egyptians have made slaves out of the Hebrews and the Hebrews are crying out, and God hears the cries of his people and he acts and says let my people go, and God moves from heaven to redeem these people miraculously from bondage and said I will make you my own nation I will be your God and you will be my people and the people said that's terrific. Let's go then five minutes later there violating every law that God gives, and they begin to dance around a golden calf and they begin to prefer other religions. They begin to worship bail rather than Almighty God.

Suppose God patiently reminds them of their terms of their agreement by sending human beings called prophets, and providing a system of religion that will symbolize forgiveness and atonement.

And when the prophets come they killed the prophets and they corrupt the atonement celebration and so finally, God says okay I am going to send to this people who reject everything I do for them.

I'm going to send my only begotten son, and I am going to take the sins of my people and transfer them to the back of my own son who was perfectly righteous and perfectly innocent, and kill the son and God said that's okay you kill them, but if you will just put your trust in him and honor him.

I will forgive you of every sin that you have ever committed against me, and against him and I will give you eternal life where there will be no more death no more tears, no more wickedness no more pain, no more suffering and you will live for ever in on ending bliss. My only requirement is that you honor the one who has died in your place.

Buddha didn't die for you. Moses didn't die for you.

Mohammed didn't die for you and I require that you honor and embrace my only son.

I said to my teacher just suppose that's true you don't believe it's true. I'm just asking you hypothetically if it were true, would you dare to stand before God on the day of judgment and say God, you have not done enough for me.

Would you look in the face of guns.

One way of salvation is not enough.

The author of Hebrews raised a rhetorical question that haunts my cell when he raised this question how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation. 11. I don't think the people who believe in Christ or any better than people who believe in something else. Were not talking about the superiority of the people, but I'm sure it rankles an God Almighty to hear any human being even mentioned Buddha in the same breath with Jesus Christ.

Because Christ alone is sinless. Buddha was a sinner. Buddha couldn't save himself, let alone anyone else. Mohammed was a sinner and Mohammed never saved anybody. Only Christ is simplest, only Christ has offered and atonement. Only Christ has provided redemption for us. If that's not enough for you. If that's too restrictive then go your own but is the only way that God has put issues that we, there is no other answer to the problem of sin. All of us are infected and Jesus is the only remedy Dr. RC Sproul is been our teacher today and he'll return in just a moment with a final thought. This week on Renewing Your Mind. We are pleased to feature Dr. Spruill series in which he answers many of the common accusations leveled against Christianity, including today's topic Christ the only way is vital that every believer be equipped to explain why Jesus must be the only way to God and is why we want to have this entire series is titled objections answered and Wally answers eight critical objections in the series. We want you to be even more equipped to defend Christianity. That's why were also including Dr. Sproles sweeping series on apologetics defending your faith in 32 lessons you learn how to use logic in your interactions and how to defend your faith in a faithless world, you can request the digital download of both of these resources when you go online and give a donation of any amount to litigator ministries.

This is an online offer only this week so let me give your web address it's Renewing Your Mind.org and on behalf of all my colleagues here at later ministries, let me thank you for your generosity sometimes wonder what I would do if I were God, when I muse on that subject. I usually become very beneficent and benevolent civil fiber God I save everybody. I would just forgive everybody when even require a cross from the tone or anything like that and I sometimes wonder why God didn't do it, but then I'm reminded of two things their friends. One is that I'm not God. I don't think like God and the biggest reason why I am not God is because I am not wholly so. The way that I would do it the way that you would do it is not the holy way is not the way God has decided to do it. God does care about us and he does care about people and he does care enough to give his only begotten son, but he doesn't care so much that he will negotiate his own character. The second thing I want to say is that not only am I not God, but I think if you thought about it for five minutes. Rejoice in that discovery.

Aren't you glad that RC Sproul is because I couldn't begin to do for a fallen world.

What God has done for us in Christ, and we take comfort that Christ is the only way to God. Many claim that there is no God at all and can't be experienced after all by any of our five senses. They claim so how can we be sure that there is a God tomorrow on Renewing Your Mind, Dr. Sproles, walk us through the rational steps necessary to understand our invisible God. We hope you'll join us Wednesday