Some people say that there is more than one way to get to heaven. They claim you can be Buddhist or Muslim or Hindu, that you can believe in one god or many gods or no god but as long as you are a good person you will be able to make it to heaven. Being a good person implies that one has committed good works all or some of his or her life. Some people even believe that you can buy your way to heaven, which is similar to the good works theory. The truth is that there is only one way to get to heaven because there is only one God.
God created heaven and earth and He has the final say as to who can share in His paradise. This may sound cruel or harsh to some but it’s a fact. Jesus is the "way, the truth and the life," according to God’s Word (John 14:6 NIV). In fact, He says that he is the narrow gate that leads to life meaning that there’s also a wide gate leading to death (Matthew 7:13). Many people are invited, few are chosen (Matthew 22:14).
Despite what it may seem, God is not cruel or harsh. The foibles of the universe are not His fault. He is light and in Him there is no darkness (1 John 1:5). He laid out a plan to save humanity that isn’t difficult to accept. If you believe in your heart that Jesus was raised from the dead and you confess with your mouth you will be saved (Romans 10:19). However, not everyone that comes to Jesus calling Him Lord on the last day will be saved (Matthew 7:21). Why? Because Jesus shouldn’t just be called Lord, He should be your personal Lord. If He says, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" it is because you really didn’t believe He was Lord (Matthew7:23 NIV). If you never heeded His commands, if you never loved Him, if you never prayed to Him, you clearly did not believe in His saving power. Jesus says "If you love me, you will obey what I command," (John 14:15 NIV).
When you ask Jesus to come into your heart you are asking Him to become a part of you. You are asking to be grafted into God’s family tree. Once you are in the family, you must obey the Father and bear fruit. If you don’t bear fruit you will be cut off (Matthew 7:19). With that being said, it is important to note Jesus’ words that none that the Father has given Him will fall from His hands (John 10:29). He also says that He will never leave nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). But "if [we] disown [Him] before men, [He] will disown [us] before angels," (Matthew 10:33 NIV).
Some of the bible verses I have quoted in this posting scare people away from reading the bible. They think these words are meant to condemn. They aren’t. They are meant to save and to give life (John 3:17). The bible is meant to convict us of our sin and promise us of our salvation if we believe. So we see that belief and confession with our mouth that Jesus is Lord brings salvation but that it is not by works. Good works come from a believing heart. Paul says in Romans 3:10 that no one is righteous before Jesus. Our good works are like filthy rags if we don’t believe in Christ (Isaiah 64:6). Only God is good according to Jesus (Mark 10:18). Christ is our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30).
I pray today that you will disown the ideas of the world that say there are many paths to salvation. There is only one path — Jesus. May the God of peace bless you and keep you until the day of His return.
