Salvation is a matter we all must consider at some stage in our spiritual lives, and in this post I’d like to briefly present an alternative to the common Christian view that Jesus is the only way to have peace with God.
During times when I have been immersed in Christian life and enthusiastically proclaiming the Gospel message, there has been an urgency to my endeavours owing to a passion for Jesus and a fear that everyone who isn’t saved is going to hell. This is the basis for Christian evangelism, and this is why Christian evangelists can often seem pushy. It’s because they genuinely feel they have an exclusive claim to truth, and that the only way to avoid eternal punishment is by becoming a believer.
But if God is the omnipresent creator of the universe, then He has created every religion, not just Christianity. He is the creator of millions of Muslims, Jews, Mormons, Sikhs and Jehovah’s Witnesses. He is also the creator of all those people who are atheists, or agnostics. He has created literally billions of people who have lived and died outside of the Christian faith. Can it really be the case that all of these lives, with all their richness and diversity, are meaningless, because they are empty of Jesus Christ?
An alternative view would be that creation is a rich tapestry in which every thread, or every person, has a distinct and meaningful role to play. Existence can be seen as a grand performance in which God is expressing His infinite power by creating great diversity. Everyone who has lived and died has played out their role in God’s Grand Game, and God will bring everything together in a coherent way in the future.
Some Christians argue that nonbelievers are judged ‘by the light they have received’, meaning that even if they haven’t heard the Gospel, they are still morally culpable, as they have been exposed to good and evil and have had to choose accordingly. This is a way of accommodating all those outside of the faith into the Christian worldview.
But I wonder whether every life might be valuable to God in its own right, because if God is the sovereign creator, sustainer, and animator of all there is, then everyone’s life has unfolded in exactly the way God intended, even if they did not embrace Jesus as Lord and Saviour and live a Christian life.
The above article is an extract from my essay entitled An Almighty Predicament: A Discourse on the Arguments For and Against Christianity which is currently available for free as an eBook. To find out more and get your copy, visit the Books page.
Perfect Chaos 
90 responses to “Is Jesus the Only Way?”
I tend to view religion as a home. I love my home. I know my home. And nobody can tell me it isn’t my home. Who am I to judge another person’s home? Except to say that I know it is not my home. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
An interesting analogy! I think some of my Christian friends would say every home has a dodgy ceiling except for the Christian home… but I certainly see where you’re coming from, and I believe everyone’s perspective (home) plays a role is God’s plan. Thanks so much for reading and commenting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My comparisons are based on the numinosity (spiritual light or presence) I perceive when dealing with different faith groups. For me, the numinosity differs among faiths. Some are closer. Some, like the Jewish and Christian “light” seem very similar. It’s all pretty complicated and only relevant and valid to my own perceptions. I can’t say for sure, philosophically speaking, what another person experiences. Only how they make me feel… or how their religious beliefs make me feel. Sorry if this is not terribly clear but when it comes to interior perception, putting it to words is a task and also an ongoing adventure. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your explanation, friend. Often these things can be difficult to put into words, so don’t worry about that. I think I get the gist of where you’re coming from!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I just want to add that whenever I get all high and mighty about my path someone from another path sends me a little love that gets me through the day. So I agree that they must all work together, in their differences and similarities. That’s why I am not a heavy-handed missionary. But at the same time, I will not deny the benefit I receive from the Eucharist.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I appreciate your open-mindedness! I try to respect the views of both conservative and liberal Christians, because I have believed things at both ends of the spectrum at different times. Where many people disagree with me is that I believe all our beliefs, whatever they are, are God-given.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I tend to see each path as having beliefs that are in line with God’s will and other beliefs that are not necessarily eternal truths. For instance, I don’t see why women could not be priests. The biblical justification is arguably a reflection of sexist times.
So the way I see it, thru the mix of humanity we can try to discern what’s right for now… and I guess for the future.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s interesting that you raise the question of what is right and wrong. For me these things are subjective, and always depend on the view of a personal agent (even if that agent is God). I believe moral standards are subject to change in accordance with God’s will at any given time. But as you may have gathered, I have an unusually high view of the sovereignty of God, in that I believe He is sovereign over all actions and events, all of the time.
Thank you for the discussion!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The many replies to your post illustrates what a strongly debated topic this has been for many centuries. My post today on the subject offers my opinion but it seems this is one of those questions that we will not know definitely the answer to. I look forward to following your blog and reading more of your thoughts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for reading, and for your comment. You cover some very interesting topics on your blog so I’ll look forward to checking out more of your writing. All the best! Steven
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for coming by my blog. Feel delighted to read your post here. My heart resonates with it absolutely. We put God in a box sometimes – this is not just Christianity but in all religions – but how can a God in a box be God. I love how you explained it here. Thank you! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for your kind words, and I’m so pleased you enjoyed the post. It’s good to be connected! Best wishes, Steven
LikeLiked by 1 person
Steven,
Look at it this way. Every religion other than Christianity requires human performance: “We’ve got to get ourselves back to the Garden.” Islam, Buddhism, you name it. Human work and merit. (“I’ve been a pretty good person.”) Only Christianity relies on the work and merit of Christ.
And ask yourself this question. If a man’s work could save him, why was it necessary for Christ to die? The Father would not have sent His Son to die had it not been necessary.
Tom
LikeLike
Hi Tom,
According to Christianity, the thing we need to be saved from is sin, which is rebellion against God. I believe God is sovereign over all activity in creation (He is unfolding all events). So we do not freely sin, because God is in control of all aspects of our lives, including those that Christians might describe as sinful. That’s why I struggle to call myself a Christian, because I believe God is absolutely sovereign.
Free will would limit the sovereignty of God, but it seems to me that God is without boundaries; He is everywhere. There are no limitations to His being, that’s why I call Him God.
The Christian story is part of God’s plan for creation, but so is Islam, and so is Buddhism. God isn’t Lord over only Christians, He’s God over all creation. There’s something very strange about saying billions of lives, with all their beauty and complexity, are completely worthless, because those lives aren’t Christian. I believe everyone has a role in God’s plan for creation.
Best wishes,
Steven
LikeLike