Recently I was preaching at a local jail and one Hispanic man in particular had been attending the chapel service regularly and for many consecutive weeks.
I had high hopes that God would remove the veil of unbelief, open his heart and save his soul. I cling to that hope still today.
I never learned his name but he was an active gang member with multiple tattoos all over his arms, neck and face. (Not exactly the kind of guy you hope your daughter brings home to meet the parents, if you know what I mean.)
For weeks he had been coming to my services and seemed to be responding positively to what I had been teaching from the Scriptures, though he had certainly shown no desire to surrender to the lordship of Christ.
During one particular chapel service I was preaching from John 14:6 where Jesus declared, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” I was wrapping up my message and pleading with the men to be reconciled to God. I was also trying to make it quite clear, however, that they cannot merely add Jesus to their own collection of filthy, self-righteous rags, for the Savior is not on add-on, charm or lucky rabbit’s foot.
They needed to come with empty hands, begging God to do it all for them.
I explained how this statement from Jesus was exceptionally exclusive, prohibiting all other religions from reaching the one true God.
“You can’t get to God through Buddha, Muhammad, or your own self-righteousness,” I was telling them.
It was at that precise moment that this man jumped out of his chair, crumpled up the Scripture, threw it on the ground and yelled, “I’m outta here! He said I can’t come through Muhammad!” He then marched past me with such a wicked scowl that it gave me goose bumps.
Pounding on the barred door so that the guards would let him out, he yelled through the reinforced glass, “Get me outta here! He said I can’t get to heaven through Muhammad!”
No matter how often something like that happens while I am preaching, it never fails to throw me off my train of thought.
I grieved over his soul as he walked out that door, yet I was at least content with the fact that he had grasped the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ when it comes to salvation.
I then used that man’s abrupt exit as one final illustration to the men about coming to God on His terms alone. I warned those men about their desperate need to repent of their sin and turn to God by faith alone in Jesus Christ.
There are a few “religions” out there that would like for people to believe that their religion is not all that different from biblical Christianity. They may claim to believe in the Bible (as far as they interpret it), to believe in Jesus Christ (as they define Him), and say the God they worship is the same God of the Bible.
But is that true?
The answer is no. In practically every instance the answer is a resounding, No!
The Bible declares and defines itself. People do not get to pick and choose which parts they will or will not believe. It’s a take it or leave it proposition. The Scripture and its declarations isn’t something we are supposed to debate about. It is a lion and will fend for itself. We simply need to open the cage door and let it loose!
Jesus is who He said He was. He is God in the flesh, the awaited Messiah of the Old Testament Scripture, and the lone Savior of the world. He also happens to be Lord over all.
If you do not believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, that He is the Messiah, that salvation is found in Him through repentant faith alone, and that He is Lord in the life of all who truly believe in Him…then you aren’t saved.
It really is that simple.
We could debate a number of things until we’re blue in the face, but what really matters is whether or not you have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life.
Here’s what Jesus Himself said about the situation:
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ (Matthew 7:21-23)
You see, Jesus walked on water, raised the dead, made the blind to see, cast out demons, and created food out of thin air.
Jesus never said he was god tho. And Jesus never said worship me. You worship god and god alone. Jesus is our lord. Lord does not mean god
On the contrary, Jesus explained His deity often. Just read the Gospel accounts for yourself. His enemies killed Him for reasons such as that. He even said that if we won’t believe Him because of His words, we should believe because of the miracles He did.
If a person can raise the dead and walk on water by his own power and volition, that demonstrates God.
Muslims accept the bible as a reveled book from god and believe that Jesus (pbuh) is a prophet and messiah. A person can not be a Muslim if he does not believe in Jesus. So, what is the problem that Christians have with Muslims?
Thanks for the comment and question, Ali.
What Christians would greatly disagree with Muslims on, regarding the Person of Jesus Christ, is that the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus was not just a man, a good man, or even a prophet, or even Messiah. The Bible teaches that He was God incarnate, that is God in the flesh. Therefore, according to the Bible, to deny that Jesus is God is to deny God altogether. Therefore, we do not believe that Muslims and Christians worship the same God, for if you worship God the Father then you also worship God the Son, who is Jesus Christ. If you deny God the Son then you deny God the Father, who the Muslims claim to worship.
Does that make sense?
Well the unification of God as 1 for the 2 religions by cleric’s is usually for the sake of peace and diplomacy. In reality the standards set for Muslims to get to paradise is more straightforward than in Christianity and it’s because God’s standard for his children i.e. Christians is so high that no one on earth can attain absolute holiness. But as a Muslim all you need are the 5 pillars. I believe the divine purpose of Islam is to fulfill the scriptures especially where Jesus Christ emphasises persecution. It’s a part of God’s plan in the Judas kind of way.
I definitely disagree with you here.
God doesn’t use false religions to bring about His truth. All religions are idolatry. What is written in the Bible is God’s Word alone.
The Bible teaches that people get to heaven by trusting in Jesus Christ alone. All the religions of the world require that people “do” things in order to achieve their idea of heaven. The Bible is unique in that it teaches that God saves people through faith alone and not by works of righteousness that we do.
Frankly, if there were many ways to get to God, why would Jesus say, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through Me.”? That’s a very exclusive and narrow statement. It excludes all other ways, including 5 pillars.