Is Jesus the only way to God?

The existence of different religions is one of the things that many people find problematic. A world religion in which all other religions can feel at home seems to be in the pipeline.

The New Testament’s testimony about Jesus is a matter of truth; it is either true or false. When we read the Bible, it is clear that Jesus’ sacrificial death for humanity was what ultimately paved the way for full communion with a holy God. That is why Peter, when brought before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, says: ”Jesus is the stone that you builders rejected, but which has become the cornerstone. There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:11-12).

Are all other religions wrong?

The author and apologist C. S. Lewis once said that other religions are not wrong in everything, they are only wrong where they differ from the Christian faith. One point here is that there can be many similarities between the Christian faith and other religions. In the book “Christ in the World Religions,” Danish journalist Svend Løbner Madsen interviews representatives of different religions and shows how there are so-called “Christ shadows” everywhere. These manifestations of Christ in other religions can be seen as points of connection for conversations where the truth about Jesus Christ can be clarified. In the spirit of love that Jesus himself embodied, we as Christians should be able to have fellowship with people from other religions. Jesus is not a collection of dogmas and church rituals; he is the Truth, the Word of God. In the present age, we certainly need doctrines to be able to distinguish what is true from what is false. The Church Fathers formulated creeds to prevent heresies from taking root in the congregations. But our knowledge is limited, says Paul (1 Cor. 13:12). In this age, we see as in a mirror. But when perfection, Christ, is revealed, all obscurity will disappear. Then the time of dogma will be over, and reality, Christ, will shine in its full glory. At Jesus’ return, all questions will be answered.

What will happen to those who have never heard of Jesus?

Paul says in his speech at the Areopagus in Athens that “God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:29-30). That God has overlooked must mean that he does not hold people accountable for sins they could not have known about. On another occasion, Paul refers to man’s inherent sense of justice, which is written in his heart (Romans 2:14-15). The idea here, as I understand it, is that people will be judged based on how they have lived their lives in relation to the light they have had. To achieve divine justice, God has appointed an absolutely righteous judge, Jesus Christ. Jesus knows the human condition from the inside, and he is full not only of truth but also of grace. He has the power to save everyone who puts their hope in him.

The idea of a coming judgment is found in several places in the Bible. In Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats, the sheep are welcomed into the kingdom of God (Matthew 25:31). They have been guided by the second commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. The conclusion we can draw is that when we show kindness to our neighbor, it is an act of worship, and in this we draw closer to the one true God, even if we do not have complete clarity about who he is. On Judgment Day, however, it will be clear who he is. It is not Buddha, Muhammad, or any other religious founder who will sit on the throne of glory. It is Jesus, Christ, the Son of God. Those who have strived for goodness will then realize that it is him they have always wanted to serve, and he will count it as a good deed.

The Christian church, with its various traditions and dogmas, may not always be the best point of connection when we approach other religions, but Jesus is. For example, Mahatma Gandhi challenged the Indian missionary Stanley Jones and other missionaries to preach only Christ and not to bring the whole of Western civilization with them in their missionary zeal. This is a risk for all of us, that when we present our faith, we also preach cultural values and personal preferences that have nothing to do with the gospel. Other religions are not wrong in everything, as C. S. Lewis argues; there may be many commonalities with the Christian faith. But ultimately, everyone must meet Jesus as their savior. It is he and no one else who can give eternal life. That is how I understand the message of the Bible.

Tommy Lindén

(This text is translated from Swedish to English using DeepL. If you find any serious errors, please let me know and I will correct them. Thank you. tommylindensweden@gmail.com)