The Bible’s Answer
The Bible’s answer to this question is yes, the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven. We have to believe in the biblical Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity (John 20:28–29), to receive eternal life. Jesus made this clear when he said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, ESVUK). Furthermore, St. John wrote:
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God … Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:18, 36)
Why Jesus Alone Is the Way
Why Jesus, though, and not other alleged prophets or teachers of other religions? The reason is that Jesus is the only Saviour of humanity. The Bible says: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Because all people are sinners (wrongdoers) and have, therefore, incurred God’s eternal judgement (Matthew 25:46), we need to be saved from sin’s consequences.
God the Father’s solution to our dilemma was to send his only Son, Jesus, into the world to be our Saviour: “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14). To save us, Jesus lived a sinless life on our behalf, which we failed to live (Romans 5:19); bore our sins in his body on the cross and died as our substitute (1 Peter 2:24; 3:18); and rose bodily on the third day, in accordance with biblical prophecy (1 Corinthians 15:3–4), before ascending back to Heaven (Luke 24:51–53).
Why Faith in Jesus Is Necessary
By Jesus’ righteousness, God declares us righteous; by his death, we are freed from sin’s consequences; by his resurrection, we will be raised with him to eternal life. However, the results of Christ’s merits only apply to us when we believe them to be true. St. John wrote:
He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:10–13)
Here, John teaches that Jesus is the Creator God of the Old Testament, that he was rejected by his own people, and that he gives the right to those who believe in him to become God’s children. Every religion, except for Christianity, rejects these truths. Moreover, no other prophet fulfilled prophecy like Jesus did, nor did any promise to rise again from death and actually do so. More than 500 people witnessed Jesus’ resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6). Because of this, Jesus really is who he said he is; therefore, only those who believe in him will be saved and receive God’s free gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23), which he offers to everyone (1 Timothy 2:3–4).
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