I am sure you've heard it said that "all roads lead to Rome" That may or may not have been true in the peak of Roman power. However we can not say in similitude that "all religions, like the roads of Rome, lead to Heaven."
The reason we stand on the one-way path to God is because of what Jesus said about Himself. He stated (John 14:6) that He was "The Way", "The Truth", and "The Life" and that no one can come to the Father God except by Him. That puts all other religions on a wrong path that will not reach God.
Reaching God is the key to all religion. It is the upward quest to attain favor with a most mysterious supreme being. Christianity, on the other hand, is a downward quest by a loving God to reach mankind who has lost its way. Jesus pointed this out to a religious leader of His day.(John 3:16) "For God so loved the world, that he sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Everlasting life is what we all seek. Only Jesus can give us this ongoing abundant life in relationship to God. I know that some of you will have difficulty with this "One-Way" concept so I'll try to explain the rationale from a Biblical point of view.
First, Adam...Mankind, was created in the image of God, a spiritual being, capable of having fellowship on the highest level with God.
Second, Adam, Mankind, fell from his original state of glory with God to an existence that excluded God altogether. Romans chapter 5 tells us that by one man, Adam, SIN entered the world and death by SIN.
Third, Death, or separation from God, passed upon all men, for all have sinned. This passage of "Death" or "Separation" from Adam to countless thousands of individuals can be related much like a pregnant woman who is also a drug addict. When she gives birth, she passes her drug addiction on to her offspring. Thus is the nature of SIN. It is an addiction that has been passed on for generations through the blood stream.
Fourth, Jesus, born outside of the human blood stream, a Virgin birth, by a miracle from a loving God, who seeks to restore mankind to his former glory, escapes the nature of SIN and now becomes the last Adam, a proto-type or first born of many brethren who would follow through identifying with His death, burial, and resurrection, there-by passing from death into newness of life.
Fifth, Jesus said (John 3:16) that it was the "Who-so-evers" of this world that qualify for everlasting life in relationship to the only true and living God. These "Who-so-evers" must Believe on Him as the Son of God and the only way to a meaningful relationship with the father.
Sixth, To Believe is to Receive. When we Believe on Him, we receive Him as our Lord and Savior, trusting that He will take us from death into life by the same power that raised Him from the dead...the Holy Spirit.
Seventh, Jesus left the choice up to us. He put it something like this, Broad is the road that leads to destruction and Narrow is the way that leads to eternal life ..a distinct difference. One road wide enough to accommodate many because many will reject God's plan of salvation and His sacrifice for SIN. The other road is narrow, not for the faint-hearted, but for the few that find it...those who believe on Jesus and receive Him as their Lord and Savior.
Jesus stands at the door of your heart, at this very moment. His Holy Spirit cries out to your spirit to repent of your sins and trust in Jesus today. If you would like to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, may I suggest a simple repentant prayer such as this:
"Forgive me Father God, for I have Sinned against you and against those around me. I repent of these Sins and turn away from them to follow after you. Dear Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save me from an eternity of separation from God. Help me to walk in this world in relationship to you. I will to become a child of the living God, rejecting all other efforts to attain your favor. I realize that my salvation and deliverance can only be attained through the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. I will set my heart to know Him who gave his life for me. Now Holy Spirit, fill and anoint me with your power, that I may receive the promise of the Father given to every generation."Please feel free to send us a note, signifying the beginning of a new and Living way. Be blessed of God as you visit our site. since 2/28/06!
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