Many paths to God..?
Many paths to God..?
This is the basic premise of popular thought that 'any & all religions point to God, so just pick one!'
This is going to be one of the 'enlightenments' that unite the earth on a global basis; and that 'man is his own God, man with his mind & reasoning can save himself. Whereas, the world's religions have caused all the ills and wars thru out society's history.'
So bottom line is that man does not need a Savior, but can save himself thru his intellect. And that there are many ways to get to that path of enlightenment, to a universal cosmos of life connecting us all together; but, that formal religion must be rejected in order to get there! To many, that well-meaning psycho-babble sounds good, for as in most perversions there is always a hint of truth in them. Remember, that the Devil used scripture in tempting Jesus, but only in a perverse way!
The whole premise of Christianity is based on this one scripture, in the words of Jesus Christ, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man comes to God the Father but by Me." [John 14:6]
And therefore, [John 10:1] also says "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up "some other way," he is a thief and a robber."
Man was known to 'fail & fall' by God from the beginning, and therefore God had a Savior, His Son, prepared since the foundations of the world for that certainty. And so, fallen man could not save himself, but needed a surrogate without sin to redeem him. If a person does not believe this foundational truth, then that person must accept this 'fact: 'Jesus Christ was a big-time liar and that His death on the cross was in vain! There is no other way to justify His 'false' teachings!!
Many Christians dont fully understand or realize what makes Christianity different from the other religions of the world!! Christianity is the ONLY religion of the world that is NOT works orientated---i.e., you cant earn or work your way to heaven. [Ephesians 2:8] "For by Grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast." And every man has been 'given the measure of faith' to accept that gift. Grace is God's unmerited or unearned favor---and therefore, cannot be received thru man's own works, resulting in man's pride in climbing the spiritual ladder!
But 'modern' thinking tries to nullify the work of the cross with supposed well-meaning ppl such as Oprah who pervert the basic Gospel into New Age reasoning, such as:
Quote:
A new video which features popular talk show host Oprah Winfrey denying Jesus as the only way to God has received over 5 million views on several reporting video sites.
However, the 'new age' philosophy the video attributes Oprah with spreading has been a cause of concern for many Christians for some time. Many believe the day-time host is leading many into spiritual confusion by distorting the gospel message of Christianity.
http://www.blackvoices.com/blogs/2008/07/02/oprah-denies-jesus-as-s...
And those like Oprah, who have a cult-like following that hang on her every word, are no different than any other false teachers and prophets that have come along thru history. Heresy, gnosticism, apostasy have been around since the cross in one form or another. Man has always looked to another man to worship and another 'way' rather than to God. Nothing wrong with respecting & admiring another person for their accomplishments, but dont let it turn into hero worship!!
Both Judaism and Islam acknowledge the existence of Jesus of Nazareth, but as 'a good man,' a teacher or Rabbi, a Prophet, etc., but NOT as the promised Messiah or Savior of mankind.
The bottom line for all ppl is the same as the question that Jesus put to Peter of 'who do YOU think I am,' [Matthew 16:16] "Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ (Messiah or Savior), the Son of the living God." And so to personalize that confession of faith, 'Who do YOU say that He is' as the foundation of YOUR beliefs?!
This is the basic premise of popular thought that 'any & all religions point to God, so just pick one!'
This is going to be one of the 'enlightenments' that unite the earth on a global basis; and that 'man is his own God, man with his mind & reasoning can save himself. Whereas, the world's religions have caused all the ills and wars thru out society's history.'
So bottom line is that man does not need a Savior, but can save himself thru his intellect. And that there are many ways to get to that path of enlightenment, to a universal cosmos of life connecting us all together; but, that formal religion must be rejected in order to get there! To many, that well-meaning psycho-babble sounds good, for as in most perversions there is always a hint of truth in them. Remember, that the Devil used scripture in tempting Jesus, but only in a perverse way!
The whole premise of Christianity is based on this one scripture, in the words of Jesus Christ, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man comes to God the Father but by Me." [John 14:6]
And therefore, [John 10:1] also says "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up "some other way," he is a thief and a robber."
Man was known to 'fail & fall' by God from the beginning, and therefore God had a Savior, His Son, prepared since the foundations of the world for that certainty. And so, fallen man could not save himself, but needed a surrogate without sin to redeem him. If a person does not believe this foundational truth, then that person must accept this 'fact: 'Jesus Christ was a big-time liar and that His death on the cross was in vain! There is no other way to justify His 'false' teachings!!
Many Christians dont fully understand or realize what makes Christianity different from the other religions of the world!! Christianity is the ONLY religion of the world that is NOT works orientated---i.e., you cant earn or work your way to heaven. [Ephesians 2:8] "For by Grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast." And every man has been 'given the measure of faith' to accept that gift. Grace is God's unmerited or unearned favor---and therefore, cannot be received thru man's own works, resulting in man's pride in climbing the spiritual ladder!
But 'modern' thinking tries to nullify the work of the cross with supposed well-meaning ppl such as Oprah who pervert the basic Gospel into New Age reasoning, such as:
Quote:
A new video which features popular talk show host Oprah Winfrey denying Jesus as the only way to God has received over 5 million views on several reporting video sites.
However, the 'new age' philosophy the video attributes Oprah with spreading has been a cause of concern for many Christians for some time. Many believe the day-time host is leading many into spiritual confusion by distorting the gospel message of Christianity.
http://www.blackvoices.com/blogs/2008/07/02/oprah-denies-jesus-as-s...
And those like Oprah, who have a cult-like following that hang on her every word, are no different than any other false teachers and prophets that have come along thru history. Heresy, gnosticism, apostasy have been around since the cross in one form or another. Man has always looked to another man to worship and another 'way' rather than to God. Nothing wrong with respecting & admiring another person for their accomplishments, but dont let it turn into hero worship!!
Both Judaism and Islam acknowledge the existence of Jesus of Nazareth, but as 'a good man,' a teacher or Rabbi, a Prophet, etc., but NOT as the promised Messiah or Savior of mankind.
The bottom line for all ppl is the same as the question that Jesus put to Peter of 'who do YOU think I am,' [Matthew 16:16] "Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ (Messiah or Savior), the Son of the living God." And so to personalize that confession of faith, 'Who do YOU say that He is' as the foundation of YOUR beliefs?!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Billy on -
I say that He is GOD, the only true GOD, and only this GOD this Jesus offers salvation through/by grace (unmerited favour)
No other religion has a similar offer i.e. Grace!
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Permalink Reply by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen on -
I know that Jesus the Christ is my Lord and Savior and that He also is the ONLY begotten Son of God. Additionally, I know that Jesus the Christ is the ONLY way (road, path, journey), the ONLY truth (absolute truth, revelation, reality, spiritual excellence), and the ONLY life (the life in every eternal spirit and soul, the absolute fullness of life, the essential holy, righteous, moral and ethical nature of God).
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Permalink Reply by tom ryder on
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I think that most of us on here agree that Jesus is the only way. But what i don't understand is the general apothy of the "Christian" community toward thei movement. I feel that God is getting the word ready to accept the anti-christ. and yes I believe alot of "Christians " will fall victom to the trap. Jesus is the one way, the only way, no man shall see the father without him
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Permalink Reply by Sanjiv Verma on -
This is amazin as today we talked about the same subject in our fellowship meeting, and we even came to the same basic scripture John 14:6
It came to me in our meeting that this should be want means so much.
Am I on the right path , how do I know, what is my purpose.
Any help with views on this
Thanks
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Permalink Reply by Disciple Mike on -
I am the Way, The Truth and the Life...
Yes, Jesus is the way without question...But are we sure we can reconize Him? Yes, the Word is the safest bet, and the Cross is the fountain, but before we condemn others that might follow a different doctrine, lets read...
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.</</u>i>
Lets remember , when we help a child of God we are helping Jesus Himself. So the question is arent we going through Jesus(The Way) by doing these works of mercy?
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
shalom
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Permalink Reply by Cami on -
While I do not judge others for the path(s) they choose, I do make sure to tell them what the Bible says about the wide and the narrow path. I also tell them there is but ONE way to the Father, and that is through Jesus, His Son, who suffered on the cross, died, was buried, and rose three days later. The ONLY way to God is through Jesus.
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Permalink Reply by Disciple Mike on
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Cami,,
The only way is through Jesus, but Jesus is in the begger, the hungry, naked, sick, ect...
So if someone helps Jesus in these forms arent they going through Jesus in a way? And if they are then arent they infact going through the cross?
My whole point is that there are many ways to Jesus and as long as you find one of these ways, then isnt it safe to say that Jesus would take them to the Father? (In whatever doctrine)
Shala mo aliekem (peace unto you) in aramic...lol..
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Permalink Reply by TruthSeeker JAM on -
'The Way' vs. many ways may be better understood just with this one scripture:
Proverbs 16:25 (AMPL)
There is a way that seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death.
Many good intentioned, well-meaning ppl have justified their beliefs and behaviors, but usually in 'their own strength!' I believe that is called 'man's own works.' And it is more than obvious that man's own works wont get him to God and in fact usually results in man's pride in self.
Those with good intentions, many being good stewards of God's creation (altho they wont call it God's creation!), are well-meaning such as the environmental fascists and PETA-maniacs, but put the creation before mankind, and in fact will 'kill ppl' for their deep-seated 'noble' beliefs.
Romans 1:25:(AMPL)
Because they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature (or creation) rather than the Creator...
So good intentions and being well-meaning doesnt mean you are on 'the right path!'
I heard some teaching once that tried to make sense out of 'going to heaven' based on the many scenarios of ppl's knowledge of God. Basically it said,
"Those before the Law (or without the laws of Moses) will be judged on 'their conscience.' Those after the Law or with the knowledge of the laws of Moses will be judged by that Law. And those after the Law and with the knowledge and acceptance of the work at the cross will be judged under Grace!"
This makes sense when ppl think about all the ppl in the world that haven't either heard the O.T. Laws or the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In addition to that line of thought, many 'believers' have come thru the 'ministries of man' and have suffered ship-wrecked faith after those men have fallen (usually from pride or lust), and reject the modern, formal church of today. I have come thru the fall of not only many big-name evangelists, but also local pastors and priests during my walk on this earth, and have come to accept this scripture in keeping my eyes off of man:
Jeremiah 17:5
Thus says the LORD, "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind.."
I have seen man after man, and woman after woman, fall over time with the pride coming from self and the lusts of the flesh, and DO NOT put my eyes upon man----I do not worship man other than the Son of Man, and even tho highly respecting the Apostle Paul (having written 1/2 the N.T.), I admire that saint, but even he admitted the 'Thorn in the Flesh' that was given him by God (persecutions & afflictions wherever he went--keep reading, folks!) to keep him from elevating himself from the revelations given to him by God.
So, the best advice that I can give newbie Christians and those who have suffered ship-wrecked faith by having their eyes on mankind, is... DONT! And in that respect, you will never be disappointed and will have your eyes on the Son of Man, who is now sitting as the Son of God in His power.
After some digressing, bear with me folks, for here is 'my' bottom line in getting on the path to God: Do you want to be judged under your conscience or your own righteousness, of which the word says that 'all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God;' or by the O.T. Law, which says that 'no flesh will be justified' after the cross (Galatians 2:16 "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified); or...., take the grace 'Get out of Jail FREE' card, having on 'His robe of Righteousness, and not being judged worthy by our own works?!!' To me, there is NO option....
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