THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE

Last night at our youth worship service we were talking about salvation. Specifically, what does God save us from, and how are we saved? And, of course, the ever-pressing question(s) was brought up: If God is so good, then why can Jesus be the only way to God? What happens to people who are brought up Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, or whatever else? It's not really fair for a good God to send people to Hell when they were trying to live the best life they knew how based on the faith they grew up with. Why is Christianity so narrow-minded, and why is it that we think that only we have it all right?

I told my group that throughout church history, there have been four basic responses to this question. We went thirty minutes over talking about it.

1. The conservative view. This is the view that most conservative protestants take based on John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, for no one comes to the father but by me." There is no other way to God but by Jesus Christ, end of story. This view is consistent with the New Testament, but it doesn't seem to do justice to God's grace. If one takes this view, there are many problems that come with it - as illustrated above.

2. The Catholic view. This view was adopted by the Catholic Church at Vatican II in the 1950's. Under this understanding, God offers grace and salvation to those who couldn't know Christ based on their circumstances, yet lived a life worthy of the gospel. The problem with this view is that the New Testament writers don't address the question, so it is not completely based in scripture, but rather in tradition and the doctrine of God's grace. It does, however, promote God's goodness.

3. Pluralism. This is the idea that all religions, in their own way, lead to God. In other words, Jesus is one of many ways to get to God. The good thing about this view is that it takes away the problem addressed above. There is no issue if Jesus is merely one of many ways to the Father. Everybody's happy, now. The problem is that it has no basis in scripture whatsoever. It denies the authority of Christ's teaching in the New Testament.

4. Universalism. This is the idea that everyone will be saved through Christ at the end of time. Christ's atoning sacrifice is a sacrifice for all people. This idea is based in the New Testament, but it is a very liberal and unorthodox interpretation. It testifies to God's grace, but it completely diminishes God's justice. Universalism, along with pluralism, would be considered heresy by most Christians.

If I have to make a decision, I would probably take the Catholic view. But that's only if I have to decide. I just think it's a bad question to ask. The bottom line is that there's no way we can know. We can either take what we think is most consistent with scripture or what best fits our ideas of God. Either way, we're standing on shaky ground. Yes, I believe in the infallibility of scripture, but people's interpretations of scripture vary to extreme ends. If we're confronted with this kind of question, we should offer our best explanation, but in humility, because we can't know. We're not God.

I would say, rather, that we shouldn't focus on this kind of question. We should focus on our own commitment to Christ. We should live for God and love people, regardless of what religion they are. Nor should we mindlessly try to 'convert' peoples of other faiths because of our interpretation of John 14:6. This kind of attitude is offensive and ineffective. Rather, we should show people what it means to follow Christ. If they accept it as their own faith, then great! If not, it's not our job to convince them that they're wrong based on theological presuppositions.

The best interpretation of John 14:6 that I've heard is from Rob Bell in Velvet Elvis...

... Jesus' teachings aren't to be followed because they are a nice way to live a moral life. They are to be followed because they are the best possible insight into how the world really works. They teach us how things are.

I don't follow Jesus because I think Christianity is the best religion. I follow Jesus because he leads me into ultimate reality. He teaches me to live in tune with how reality is. When Jesus said, "No one comes to the father except through me," he was saying that his way, his words, his life is our connection to how things truly are at the deepest levels of existence. For Jesus then, the point of religion is to help us connect with ultimate reality, God. I love the way Paul puts it in the book of Colossians: These religious acts and rituals are shadows of the reality. "The reality... is found in Christ." p. 83