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"But that's so narrow-minded!" people say. "You're telling me Jesus Christ is the ONLY way, and that if someone doesn't believe in Him, they're actually going to hell? That's so insensitive! So intolerant!"

When I insist that Jesus is the only way we can come to God, it may sound to certain people like I'm implying that I'm somehow better than they are. Or that I'm looking down on them in some way.

But I have a very good reason for believing Jesus Christ is our only way to God the Father, and it has nothing to do with my cleverness or wisdom. I believe it because Jesus said so. It isn't my idea—it's His! Jesus clearly stated, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6 NKJV).

How plain is that?

What part of "no one" don't we understand?

And the bottom line is that either we're going to believe everything Jesus said . . . or nothing He said. As for me, I choose to put my faith and trust in Him—not only for my years here on earth, but also for my eternity. As a Christian, I'm in no way better or superior to anyone else; I'm just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.

In Acts 4:12, the apostle Peter declared this about Jesus: "There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (NKJV).

Paul told Timothy, "For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5 NLT).

If I claim to be Christ's follower and believe His words, then I would be dishonest if I said Jesus was anything less than the only way to God.

Maybe you've had someone say to you, "Well, all religions basically teach the same thing. They're all true. And besides, if a person is really sincere in what they believe, they'll get to heaven."

This type of fuzzy, illogical, politically correct thinking is typical of so many today—making life's most important decisions on the basis of feelings and opinions. That's no way to run a universe!

Let's take that kind of reasoning to its logical conclusion. The assumption is that if people are truly sincere in what they believe, and try to live a good life, then they'll get to heaven. So Adolf Hitler is in heaven, right? He sincerely believed that what he was doing was right. He was sincere in his view of racial supremacy; he thought it was right to exterminate the Jewish people.

Or think about the suicide terrorists who hijacked airliners and caused the deaths of three thousand people on 9/11. Where do you think they are right now—heaven or hell? Most would say hell. But why? They were sincere in thinking Allah wanted them to massacre thousands of people. They were honest and genuine in their beliefs that westerners are infidels deserving death. So . . . why wouldn't they end up in some kind of paradise?

"No!" you protest. "They were not good people!"

Really? According to whose definition? Yours? Mine? The person next door? Are "good" and "evil" determined by consensus? Why is it ever wrong to lie, steal, and murder?

That's why sincerity is never enough. We must have a set of absolutes to live by. We can't simply make up the rules as we go along. You may want to believe "all roads lead to God." You may really and sincerely hope that every religion is basically true, and that they somehow all blend beautifully together.

But they don't. For instance . . .

They don't agree concerning the existence of a personal God:
Buddhists deny it altogether. Hindus believe God is formless and abstract, taking the form of a trinity along with millions of lesser gods. In direct contrast, the Bible teaches that God is a personal deity who created man in His own image, loves us, and wants to have a relationship with us.
They don't agree concerning salvation:
Buddhists believe salvation comes by self-effort alone—with no personal God to help or guide you. Hindus believe you achieve salvation by devotion, works, and self-control. Muslims insist that man earns his own salvation, pays for his own sins, and that we can never be certain in this life if we've achieved this or not.

In contrast, the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and if we will turn from our own way and follow Him, we can be forgiven and have the hope of heaven.
They don't agree concerning Jesus Christ:
Buddhists believe Jesus was a good teacher, but less important than Buddha. Hindus believe Jesus was just one of many incarnations, or sons, of God; Christ was not the one and only Son of God. He was no more divine then any other man, and He did not die for man's sins. Muslims will tell you that Jesus Christ was only a man, a prophet equal to Adam, Noah, or Abraham—all of whom are below Muhammad in importance. The Koran, the Islamic scriptures, teaches that Christ did not die for man's sin. In fact, it says that Judas, not Jesus, died on the cross.

Do you see my point? It doesn't work to believe in "all of the above." The tenets of these religions directly contradict one another. They cannot all be true. Buddhists, Muslims, and Hindus have no assurance that they will get to heaven. Only Christianity holds to that wonderful, life-transforming hope.

These other belief systems are diverse and contradictory and they have little to nothing in common with Christianity.

Jesus told the people of His day, "For if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. . . . He who is not with Me is against Me" (John 8:24, Luke 11:23 NKJV).

Jesus claimed to be the only way to the Father. It is not enough to admire Him or think of Him as a "great moral teacher." We must examine His unique claims and make a decision.

The great thinker C. S. Lewis, author of Mere Christianity, wrote this:

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a "great moral teacher." He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.