8.19.2011

One Way

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One of the first lessons I learned while sitting in the driver’s seat of a car, besides reminding myself perpetually which pedal was the gas and which one was the brake, was to watch out for one ways.  They’re tricky, and if you don’t understand the layout of the streets, it is easy to get caught in a cycle of attempting to turn, but always finding a one way street in the opposite direction barring your way.  But you can also do some marvelous things with one ways, such as taking a free left on a red light.

One thing I knew from the very beginning of my driving career—one ways are not to be taken lightly.  We have a very long, very steep hill near our house with two lanes going up and two lanes going down and a cement median in between.  I had heard the news reports of the woman who accidentally charged down the hill on the wrong side.  Death very easily could have been the result, so I nurtured a healthy respect for one way streets. 

My belaboring of the point of one ways comes as a result of the question that Sey asked way back in February, for our “blogoversary.”  She asked, “How do you see other religions?”

My answer: through the lense of Scripture.  And with Scripture in mind, John 14:6 is highly relevant:



"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'"

Jesus is a one way street.  And in fact, He is the only way.  So any religion that in any way diminishes the deity of Christ is a false religion, going the wrong way.  Any religion that says He was just a good man, or that He did not rise from the dead, or that He is not reigning in Heaven today is like that woman going the wrong way down the one way road.  Death is the certain and devastating result. 



2 Corinthians 13:14 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.”

Any religion that denies the Trinity, adds other gods, or claims that we too can become gods, is going the wrong way down a one way street. 
Romans 3:9-11 perfectly describes how I view those of other religions:



“What then? Are we better than they? Not at all….As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.’”

Yes, I believe that all those who do not believe on Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are on the road to Hell.  But I am no better than they, because but for the merciful grace of God, I would be on exactly the same road as they are on. 

 For Non-Christians
If you have not yet accepted Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life, I encourage you to stop and evaluate where your current road is taking you.  In all honesty, do you know where you would go if you died today?  Do you want to be released of your burden of guilt and cycles of sin that you can’t seem to shake?  Acts 16:31 says,



“So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Jesus died for you, to redeem you of sin that leads only death.  He offers you the free gift of eternal life, and all you have to do is take it!  Please click here for more information.

 For Believers
We are faced with a growing movement to blur the lines between Christianity and false religions.  In our slippery “tolerant” society it is becoming more and more difficult for Christians to grab onto the truth and communicate that truth without being labeled as judgmental or overbearing.  But I encourage you to proclaim the truth with boldness, because proclaiming the truth that a person is headed for Hell is actually the greatest, most selfless love you could ever show that person. 

Do you remember the parable of the wheat and the tares?  While a man slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among his good wheat, and they sprouted up together.  His servants asked if they should pull up the tares, but the man stopped them, saying they might pull up the wheat as well.  Then the man said,


“Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ (Matthew 13:30)”
If you are too afraid to draw the lines between Christianity and other religions and stand firmly on the side of Christ, then how will God recognize you from the tares?  Firebrands for Christ leave no question as to whether they are on fire for God or burning because of their rejection of God.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved

8 comments:

  1. In 2011 world population will reach 7 billion (vs. 3 billion in 1960). There are now approximately 2.2 billion Christians. Some of them believe that 4.8 billion people face eternal hell because they do not accept Jesus.

    Concepts of afterlife vary between religions and among divisions of each faith. Not all Christians agree on what happens after this life, nor do all Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, or other believers. Rebirth, resurrection, purgatory, universalism, and oblivion are other possibilities...none of which can be proven.

    Mystics of all faiths have more in common than the followers of their orthodox religions. True mystics realize that eternal life is here and now; it does not begin after mortal death. The age of Earth is said to be 4.5 billion years, of the Universe 13.7 billion, yet few humans live to be 100. This lifetime is a fleeting moment.

    Scriptures are subject to interpretation; people often choose what is most beneficial for them.

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  2. a very true post...in this muddle world of ways being brought together it is only Jesus Christ who is the true way! Sadly it is hard to see so many people being deceived in the "slight" little ways that are really leading them down a whole road of destruction.

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  3. Ron--The argument of majority is tempting, but faulty. Majority opinion never made anything correct, and I do not base my beliefs on popular opinion, otherwise my beliefs would have to change with the wind. Jesus never promised that His followers would be in the majority, and the small number of true Christians encourages me even more to follow Him. Matthew 7:13-14 says, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."
    Thus, none of the facts which you share discount Christianity.
    Also, I understand your observation and scepticism with varying perspectives on "concepts of afterlife" and "divisions in faith."
    Luke 12:51 says, "Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division." Jesus divides the true from the false, the deluded from those who have become wise in Christ, and the Heaven-bound from the Hell-bound. Scripture offers the only way to Heaven, and there is only one correct interpretation. Let me offer an example: Let's suppose you leave this post and mention it to a friend, "I was just on the blog, One Bright Corner," and that friend said, "Oh, THE One Bright Corner?" (we're suspending belief here!) Let's suppose you said, "Yes, do you know it?" Then let's suppose the friend says, "Yes, that lime green and black blog with skulls across the top of it written by punky teenage boys?" Would you reply, "Well, that is your interpretation of it!"
    I submit to you that you would not, and yet that is what you are saying about Scripture, looking at absolute truth and saying that it is open for interpretation.
    I 100% agree with you that life is but a fleeting moment, and that you have but a few years in which to decide the ultimate question: What will you do with Jesus? Ron, will you make him your Lord, or will you reject Him and enjoy what you yourself admit as a contradiction: an "eternal life here and now" which lasts but a "fleeting moment." An eternal life cannot be fleeting, yet such contradictions are the expected results of human imagination, while only God can provide true, unlimited eternal life.

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  4. Lauren,

    I respect your beliefs, but do not agree with them. Jesus said "the Kingdom of God is within." If we can discard our ego and abandon our individuality, even momentarily, we can realize absolute Truth..the Logos. Mystics were never in the majority in any faith, but all teach that divine unity and eternal life are presently present if only we would realize it.

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  5. Charis--so true! It is a telling fact that in our culture so many claim to believe in God but shudder to say the name of Jesus. Thank you for commenting!

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  6. Lauren, I'm sorry you didn't publish my reply to your response. I was raised a Christian, but do not share your personal beliefs.

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  7. Ron--Actually, I never deleted your comment, I have just been so busy lately that I really didn't have time to think about it. I'm sorry that it made you sorry. (-: Matthew 4:17 says, "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."" Repentance is the necessary part before Jesus can live and reign within a person's heart, and mere respect and toleration of Jesus does no good.
    I appreciate your respectful demeanor, but it is obvious that we are not going to come to a mutual conclusion here. All I can do is pray that God will open your eyes!

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  8. Two people can disagree without being disagreeable. One of my favorite quotations is from St. John of the Cross:

    “The soul lives by that which it loves rather than in the body which it animates. For it has not its life in the body, but rather gives it to the body and lives in that which it loves.”

    We all live in God and God lives in us, if only people would realize that.

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