Q21 How can Christians think their way is the only way? Part 2: Theological Considerations |
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The part 1 of the answer as a Christmas meditation that focused on the signs that point to the one way that God provided: Jesus. As a meditation, it did not go beyong that single focus. But as I mentioned in that first article, now I want to move beyond that to examine theological and philosophical considerations. These considerations are questions that are not adequately answered by any other religion - making Christianity unique among all religious belief systems. Christianity alone both has the answers to, and makes sense of the philosophical question of why Jesus is the only way, and thus why Christians are correct to proclaim that. Theological Considerations Everyone knows there's something wrong with the world. Bad things happen to good people. Evil people don't always seem to be punished, and often seem to flourish. And if we're honest, we'd acknowledge that we ourselves have not always been pure and honest all our lives. We've had moral failings, whether it be lying, stealing, sinful sexual lust, misusing God's name, refusing to put God first. If we're honest we'd admit to ourselves that a number of the bad things we see in the world, that we can also find in ourselves. And where do such bad things come from? What is the root of the problem? The root is sin. Sin in us, and sin in everyone else who occupies the world. The question is what is the solution to sin? How to get rid of sin so that you can have a clean heart and stand not guilty of sin before a holy God? What can take away sin? The penalty for all sin is the same as the penalty for the first sin on earth: death. (Gen 2.17) What can take away such sin? Some (like Tibetan Buddhists) think that cycles of re-incarnation and attempts to rid yourself of bad Karma will purify and enlighten you, and release you live to happily in the afterlife. But they have no way of purging you of sin, not to mention no way to purge the sin that is affecting the entire creation (Rom 8.21). This is to say nothing of the fact that there is no reason to believe we come back after death many different times. Logically, if we can't remember a past life, how can we either be responsible for it, or learn from it to do better next time? Scripturally, it's clear that humans die once, and then face judgment: (Heb 9.27). Ultimately the Buddhist system is empty. There is no way to be free of sin - either in yourself or in the world. The Jews had an elaborate sacrificial system, but such sacrifices were only a temporary reprieve, "because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." (Heb 10:4). Even that system, elaborate as it was, does not provide a final solution to the problem of sin. What is needed is a perfect sacrifice, a perfect human willing to
pay the penalty of our sin. That penalty would be his own death.
There is only one person qualified to fix the problem: Jesus - who never sinned
(John 8.46), and who willingly died for us: "For Christ died for sins once
for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." (1 Pe 3.18) Christianity is unique in this regard. It is the only
religion that offers a permanent solution to the problem of sin. But
for that solution to be applied to you, you must accept Christ's
offer. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will
give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble
in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matt 11.28-29) There is another glaring deficiency in every other religion: They have no proof that they can provide relief from death. Once you die, you stay dead. That is true for the founder (and followers) of every other religion - except Christianity. Jesus died and rose from the dead. And before he died he told his disciples, "Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live." (John 14.19). In fact he promised to prepare a place for his followers to live with him forever. "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14.2-3) Islam may promise men an eternity with
72 virgins, and Mormons promise to make you a god[1], but they
have no evidence such claims are true. Christians have eye witness
accounts from those who saw the risen Christ after he died the
agonizing death of crucifixion. For evidences of the resurrection of
Jesus, see my article: "AD
Apologetics - Part 2: Jesus' Triumphant Resurrection"
For our purposes we're interested in the second proposition: "A Maximally great being has all perfections." Notice that one of the perfections of God, the maximally great being, is that he is all knowing. The theological term is "omniscient." That is to say he knows everything that has happened, did happen, and will happen. This writer holds God also has "middle knowledge" - knowledge of what free will creatures would do (if given the chance) in any possible situation. (See for examples see 1 Sam 23.11-12; Matt 11.21). One of the attributes of God is that he is outside of time (since he created it). Therefore, since he is also all-knowing, he knows everything that will happen. One consequence of God possessing perfect knowledge is that God knows exactly what will happen in the future. Since he knows what will happen, he can use that to prove that he possesses qualities that only God possesses. He can accurately and precisely predict the future. Therefore the true God is able to reveal with precision, specific future events to prove that he alone is God. God - the God of the Bible - has done that many times. No other so called God has done that with 100% accuracy and precision. (Nostradamus and Edgar Cayce for example are vague and have gotten things wrong showing their knowledge is not from the true God.) Here a two prophecies from the Bible that are so precise, God even names the name of the person who will do it. A type of prophecy you don't see from any other religion. Two Prophetic events, with actors
specified by Name As noted above, the Jews has an elaborate sacrificial system, so it, and things associated with it - like the temple and altar - were a prominent part of their religion and life. When God divided the kingdom of Israel due to the sin of Solomon, son of King David (1 Ki 11.11-12), Jeroboam son of Nebat began reigning over the portion torn away from the house of David called the northern Kingdom. God had selected Jerusalem as the unique place for him to be worshipped (Deut 12.11, 1 Ki 9.3). That is where the Israelites were supposed to go to make their offerings. But Jerusalem was in the southern Kingdom where Rehoboam, son of Solomon reigned. Jeroboam did not want his people going there to worship fearing they may turn their allegiance to the Rehoboam of the house of David. So he built two alternatives to the temple in Jerusalem - one in Dan and one in Bethel. (1 Kin 12.26-30). Since this was in direct defiance and disobedience to how God had told the Israelites to worship, it was sinful, and God made a point when he destroyed the one in Bethel. God had one of his prophets prophecy that a King named Josiah would desecrate the altar at Bethel and thus making it unusable for Worship. That prophecy was made during the Reign of Jeroboam (circa. 931-910 BC). Many years later, when king Josiah ruled over the southern kingdom and was informed that the book of the law that had been found(1 Ki 22.10-11) he realized they had not been following the Lord's decree and zealously started to do so. In his zeal he destroyed the places the Israelites were not supposed to worship, thus fulfilling the prophecy. That prophecy was fulfilled in 2 Ki 23.15-16. Josiah reigned in the ca. 640-609 BC) so that prophecy of the destruction of the altar, made some 300 years in advance, was fulfilled to the letter, by the person who was identified by name hundreds of years in advance. 2. The restoration of
the Temple Allowed by a Pagan King
The first year of Cyrus was 539 BC[4]. So the prophecy was made in excess of one hundred years in advance, and once again, fulfilled to the letter - with Cyrus, a pagan king, doing exactly what the God of the Bible said he would do. He is not the only Pagan king used by God and called by name. Nebuchadnezzar being another notable pagan king mentioned in scripture and doing God's will. (Jer 27.6-7) Can you image both the name of the king and the specific acts he did being accurately predicted hundreds of years in advance? We can't even accurately predict the outcome of a presidential election even a few months or weeks in advance! But the God of the Bible of the Bible who sees all and knows all confidently makes this claim:
...and then proves it By doing precisely that - declaring the end from the beginning, including naming the name of the actors . None of the God's of the other religions even dare try to display such detailed foreknowledge.
So whether we consider the question
of who is the true God from a theological perspective or a
philosophical perspective, the only God that can pass the test posed
by the above disciplines is the God of the Bible. And it is He, the God
of the Bible who says:
Which is why Christians hold steadfastly to the tenet that Jesus is the only way to God.
Duane Caldwell |
January 31, 2024 Notes 2. For more on this formulation of the Ontological Arugment see: 3. Gleason Archer, "Chronology"
in The Expositor's Bible Commentary Vol 1, Frank E. Gaebelein
Gen. Ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Regency(Zondervan):1979, p. 31 Image
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Rational Faith
