After writing my last article about “Six Reasons All Roads DON’T Lead to Heaven,” I have gotten push back from some Christian friends who want to believe that many roads lead to heaven.
the Road to Heaven is Exclusive
One friend suggested I had stepped on a “theological landmine.”
Nothing is more important than the issue of salvation and how we receive it. All eternity rests in the balance. Furthermore, entire Christian organizations, churches and denominations have lost their footing over this issue.
This is not a small matter.
I can understand people’s angst and questioning about issues such as:
Weren’t people before Jesus saved by simply believing in God, not Jesus? Isn’t that still possible?
Aren’t babies and children before the “age of accountability” saved before they have the ability to understand language and understand the Gospel?
Can’t others be saved in the same way?
What about those who never hear of Jesus Christ? How could they be “condemned” if they have never heard?
I will offer answers to those questions in a future article. Right now however, I would like to ask questions of those who want to believe in Jesus but also believe that many roads lead to heaven–that there are “good” people who will be in heaven without faith in Christ.
Do many roads lead to heaven?
First, here are some questions for Christians:
1) Do you believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, without error, and that it is our trustworthy source of truth? If not, what is your ultimate source of truth—is it your logic and reasoning?
Do you want “good” people to be saved so badly that you finagle it into the Bible? The Bible clearly does not make that claim. Do you put your reasoning above the Bible?
You can expect the message of the Gospel and the Scripture to be unappealing to some:
“For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:22-25 ESV)
Expect that Scripture won’t explain everything you want it to, just like you want it to, and that it will be mocked. Don’t worry if it doesn’t satisfy your unbelieving friends or yourself. “Foolishness” and “folly” and a “stumbling block” are the expected attitude of many.
2) Do you see other roads to God in the Bible, or did you get that idea from your own logic and desire for other ways?
The Bible says clearly that “good” people don’t go to heaven: forgiven people do. They are forgiven through their faith in Christ.
In addition to the passages quoted in my last post, here are a couple more verses which clearly state that salvation through faith in Jesus is the only way to heaven.
“And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:11-12 ESV)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”(Romans 6:23 ESV)
Furthermore, Jesus warned us not to try to find salvation outside of Himself; “You search the Scriptures, because you think you will find eternal life in them. The Scriptures tell about me, but you refuse to come to me for eternal life.” (John 5:39-40 CEV)
3) If there are other roads to heaven, why would God say so clearly that Jesus is the one way?
Romans chapter 10 tells us that people must hear the Gospel to be saved and for them to hear it we must go and tell the message.
Is God lying or fooling with us?
“For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’”(Romans 10:13-15 ESV)
If other roads lead to God, wouldn’t it be better for us NOT to go and preach the Gospel?
Instead, the Apostles and many others have given everything including their lives to go and preach the Gospel because it is the only way.
Now, here are questions for unbelievers:
1) What evidence do you have for your faith in your path or many paths to heaven?
The centerpiece of the Christian faith is the resurrection. Oxford University professor Thomas Arnold, author of the 3 volume History of Rome stated; “I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence…than that Christ died and rose again from the dead.”[1]
Check out these articles I wrote about the resurrection:
2) Are you confident enough in your theory to stake eternity on it?
God wants you to have assurance of salvation. “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13 ESV)
Additional resources about related subjects on this site:
Podcast: Where do dinosaurs fit in the Bible?
Video vlog: Twisting Scripture