Jesus is the Only Way to Salvation…Or Is He?

In June, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released results from its 2007 survey. This study revealed that fifty-seven percent of evangelical church attenders stated they believe many religions can lead to eternal life.

Did you catch that? Over half of those who attend churches like Lincoln Berean report that they believe Christianity is not the only way to salvation. Contrast that with Jesus’ claim to be the only way to God (John 14:6),and Peter’s words that salvation is found in no one else but Jesus (Acts 4:12).

The following statements from self-confessed Christians reinforce the findings ofthe Pew survey:

“In my mind there is only one god, no matter what you call him. Muslims pray to the same god I do. They call him Allah or whatever, but it’s the same entity for all world religions, those that believe in a supreme being. They’re talking generally about the same one. “To say that other religions are wrong is self-centered and egocentric. I am not even comfortable with saying all religions point to the same god. Whatever trips your trigger is fine with me, if that’s your belief system. We are mortal. Who is to say who is right and wrong? If it helps you get through your life and helps bring meaning to your life, then fine.”
 
Now, if over fifty percent of evangelical church attenders believe such claims, one can only imagine the percentage of those attending liberal churches or no church at all who believe the same way. Those of you who take seriously Lincoln Berean’s new strategy of “Each One Reach One,” will encounter these attitudes when you proclaim the unique gospel of Jesus to people in our community and around the world. Are you ready for those who challenge the uniqueness of the Christian message? Are you equipped to deal with those who say that you are arrogant or intolerant for declaring Jesus is the only way? Maybe you are even thinking there is some truth to the view that we all worship the same god and people can enjoy salvation through another religion.

If you sense an inadequacy in answering such questions, or struggle with believing that Jesus is really the only way to salvation, please join me for Understanding Religious Pluralism. This class will help you understand the view that there is no one true religion, why it is so appealing, and how you can respond. You will discover the claims of religious pluralism are seriously flawed and that the Christian message of belief in Jesus as the exclusive way to salvation is true and defensible.