Many Ways are the Broad Way

One of the pieces of misinformation that has been going around ever since I can remember, and I suspect longer, is this: “There are many ways to Heaven.” There is a parallel piece of misinformation that says, “It does not matter what you believe, as long as you believe.”

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 NIV)

Peter said about Jesus,

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12 NIV)

Before the believers were called “Christians” in derision in Antioch, they were called “followers of the way.” Jesus said, “I am the way….” He also said, “…I am the truth.” If what Jesus said was true, then the “many ways” and “it does not matter” statements are false. On the other hand if the “many ways to Heaven” are true, then Jesus is not one of them. Here is why!

All of the “many ways” (except the way, the narrow way) have a requirement to be good to go to Heaven. If this is true, then no one will go to Heaven. Jesus said, “No one is good except God alone.” Here are two corollaries from the Old Testament.

There is no one who does good, not even one. (Psalm 53:3 NIV)

There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins. (Ecclesiastes 7:20 NIV)

The “many ways” are really the one “broad way” that leads to destruction. It has a wide gate. The many who enter it are people who try to be good and others who do not try to be good.

The narrow way is not by being good nor is it by being bad.

My recommendations this week for seekers or believers are By Searching—My Journey through Doubt into Faith by Isobel Kuhn and Peace Child by Don Richardson, a Reader’s Digest selection—more than 315,000 copies are in print. For the thinker I recommend None of These Diseases by S.I. McMillen, M.D.

You can contact me by calling (208) 883-0997 or by sending an email to ccm@moscow.com. Our website address is http://ccmbooks.org/.

(From Good News/Bad News)

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