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Do all roads lead to Rome - What about other religions/cults?
Not so long ago schools used to teach religious instruction based on the Bible. This was then replaced by religious education which includes a broader curriculum introducing the major faiths. Now we have religious, personal and social education where we are all tolerant of each others beliefs, all morals are relative and we must be careful not to upset anyone!
When my dad was at school and about eleven years of age he was reading through 1 & 2 Kings and thankfully his teacher was a born again believer and taught him the truth. When I was at middle school and of a similar age my teacher explained that everyone was on the first floor, heaven is on the next floor and how you get there doesn't really matter as long as you believe in something. In other words all roads lead to Rome.
Last year I was talking with a work colleague who attended ecumenical services where those from supposedly Christian, Hindu and Buddhist backgrounds all do their bit and meet up and pray together. Gandhi would have been proud of them. But surely there is a contradiction here as Gandhi would contest that he was a Christian, Hindu and Muslim. Yet all these faiths have fundamentally different beliefs as Christians believe in the trinity, Muslims in one god with no son, Hindus worship many gods and Buddhists may argue that you can become god. My work colleague responded that if you believe in something then it is both true and real for you. Is there any sense in this line of enquiry? How about abandoning your faith in gravity and jumping of a cliff? No please, after you!
In John 14:6 Jesus said 'I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by Me.' Here we have a clear unescapable statement. Jesus is the only way to the Father. In short the only way to the Father on the next floor is through His Son Jesus. Jesus is either telling the truth or lying. C.S Lewis put it this way - Jesus is either the Lord, a liar or a lunatic. I believe He is the Lord!
Ok, so what is unique about the Christian faith compared with all the other beliefs? Well firstly Jesus rose from the grave. Neither Buddha, Confucius or Mohammad claimed that they had risen from the dead. Hebrews 13:8 says that 'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.'
Secondly every other belief is based on works instead of grace. What do I mean by that? Well the Hindus hope to be reincarnated favourably so they can become Brahmin's. The Buddhists want to achieve nirvana through meditation and their own efforts. Muslims have to pray five times per day, observe Ramadan and make a pilgrimage to Mecca etc. Most of them have no assurance as to where they will go in the next life. As Christians we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus the Messiah the Son of God. Grace is unmerited favour. It is God's Redeeming Act At Christ's Expense! We cannot earn our salvation through our works. However the works we do are the evidence of the outworking of our faith.
In addition to Jesus being the only way to the Father, risen from the dead and the Christian faith based on grace not by works there is also irrefutable evidence supporting the Biblical record. If you take a day trip to London please visit the British Museum as it is stuffed with historical and archaeological evidence that agrees with the Bible. The same can also be said of the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem and the dead seas scrolls exhibit next to it. You will not find similar evidence supporting the Book of Mormon or the Qu'ran despite considerable money invested because with the greatest respect there simply isn't evidence supporting the latter accounts.
What about the cults such as Jehovah's witness, Mormonisim, Christadelphianism and Christian science etc..Well they all believe that Jesus was a good man, a prophet infact but not fully God or equal with God. Interestingly Muslims believe that Jesus was a good prophet and that He will return again too but they deny His deity.When the New Testament was written there were epicurian and stoic gnostics. Agnostics aren't certain of what they know or believe, hence gnostics claim so have further secret hidden knowledge. Some gnostics believed that Jesus was fully man but not God whilst others believed the exact opposite. It's not too different today with all the cults that arose between 1800 and 1850. Modern day cults are similar to ancient gnostic practices as they deny the deity of Jesus.
The conclusion of the matter - not all roads lead to Rome and there is only one way to the Father and that is through Jesus His Son. 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.' (John 3:16) Amen! |
