Why must one believe that "Jesus is the only way"? (Gospel, messages)

[legoman]

Note: this is why "believing on Christ" is not just a simple mental acknowledgement. This is what the mainstream misses (alot of the time).

Christ even asked "Why do you follow me but do not do what I say?" What did Christ say? LOVE each other. LOVE God. The number one command that obsoletes all other commands.

[Pleroo]

Originally Posted by legoman

Reconcile means to bring into harmony, to make peace. How do we make peace?

There is only one way that we can be reconciled: by love. Love God, love our neighbors, love our enemies. Love each other.

That is "the way" that Jesus represents.
That is "the way" that Jesus is.

Immediately go reread 1 John. Such a great book. But to summarize: God is love. In Him there is no darkness. When we hate another, we are in the darkness, we do not know God. But when we love one another, we come into the light, and we know God, because God is love.

Love 1 John.

Love your post.

Thanks Lego.

[Pleroo]

Originally Posted by littlemagician

i belive that if we acted out of truth and produced the fruits. allow truth to live in us daily and have produce fruits of patience,love, kindness, trust etc to all people, this will be the natural light that shine as truth.. jesus ( as is written) possessed these qualities and this was his message. so he had the truth

we watered down this message so much with our own twist and produce no fruits - so why do we expect for this story to have any real significance anymore? we claim to follow him but we have very little in common with him and act out of greed, ego/pride and fear instead of the trust and faith of which he spoke. ( we fight to be right instead of humbled by truth)

jesus trusted in his daily bread and did not worry about need and wants as he knoewthe truth that he was LIFE and that the creator( our father) would provide for this LIFE he created without him having to struggle for it. he trusted

He knew the father as he put to death himself and walked step by step in truth in faith and He knew that the message was pure and Unconditioned by his mind.

he simply trusted he didnt fight to prove his righteousness.. it spoke loud and clear for all who had ears,, all who were afraid to lose their power and self/status refused to listen and wanted him destryed for their own self benefit/gain...

only we can see what is in our hearts if we choose to look and listen and only then will we empty the conditioning that we have built up over our lives and be silent enuff to hear the voice of our creator speaking gently to our hearts and leading us tp truth and peace.. effortlessly with not fight.

sin is just somthing that is not natural to our being and creates negative reactions within us. if we listen to the voice that we all have in us.. we would hear when there is noise/sin trying to upset the peaceful being that we are created to be. judge ourselves before we do anything

Thank you LM.

I also believe that the voice is within us all.

[pneuma]

Originally Posted by Pleroo

Yes, there are natural consequences for our actions, regardless of what we believe about God. That's not what mainstream Christianity teaches however. They teach that one MUST believe what they believe about how God reconciled people to himself, or else God will hold people's sins against them and no longer be reconciled to them. I'm waiting for someone to answer why it would be imperative to God that people acknowledge HOW God did the reconciling.

Ya but mainstream christianity misses a lot IMO, and has a lot to answer for.

[Pleroo]

Originally Posted by pneuma

Ya but mainstream christianity misses a lot IMO, and has a lot to answer for.

Agreed.

I posed the question in the op because it's one of the more important ones I had to sweep under the rug when I was a "mainstream Christian", because I had no good answer. And I have yet to hear one from anyone else.

[BigCityDreamer]

Originally Posted by Pleroo

I posed the question in the op because it's one of the more important ones I had to sweep under the rug when I was a "mainstream Christian", because I had no good answer. And I have yet to hear one from anyone else.

The Bible had to stress that Jesus was the only way in order for a social revolution to happen at that time. This was also necessary for the message of Christianity to spread quickly far and wide. It created a sense of urgency and was persuasive.

That is my "rational" explanation for this doctrine.

[Mikelee81]

Originally Posted by Pleroo

Let's say it's true, and Jesus IS the way to the Father and because of Jesus, God considers himself reconciled to the world, and is not holding people's sins against them.

Why do you think it is vitally important to the Father or Jesus that people acknowledge HOW God reconciled people to himself, or WHY God is not holding people's sins against them? So vitally important that if people don't agree with the reasons you believe are true for the how & why that God would no longer consider himself reconciled and would, again, hold people's sins against them?

Why would people's beliefs ABOUT Jesus being the reason one is forgiven and reconciled, have any impact on whether or not they are actually forgiven and reconciled?

("Because God says so" is not an answer to the question of why you think God says so, but I'm sure plenty of people will post something to that effect.)

If you were drowning out to sea and someone threw you one rope, even if you didn't like it for one reason or another, would you question why there isn't another rope that you like better?

God has thrown out one rope - Jesus Christ - Creator incarnate (John 1)(Colossians 1:14-17).

Isaiah 46:9-10

9Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,

10Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

John 13:19
Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.

John 8:24
I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

John 8:56-58

56Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

57Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?

58Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Exodus 3:13-15

13And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

14And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

YHWH God is not only Jealous of his role of Creator, but as Redeemer. He doesn't give his glory to another.

Exodus 20

1And God spake all these words, saying,

2I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

It's about recognizing our offense to our Maker and turning back to him the way HE designed it. He offered his own life on a Cross for us. All he asks is that we come to HIM.

If we reject Jesus we are rejecting God because Jesus is God incarnate.

[lucknow]

Originally Posted by Pleroo

Yes, there are natural consequences for our actions, regardless of what we believe about God. That's not what mainstream Christianity teaches however. They teach that one MUST believe what they believe about how God reconciled people to himself, or else God will hold people's sins against them and no longer be reconciled to them. I'm waiting for someone to answer why it would be imperative to God that people acknowledge HOW God did the reconciling.

It's actually legal in nature. The term reconcile is used all the time in accounting. When one reconciles an account it's balanced. Nothing is owing. Redeemed is also legal in definition. We redeem that which is being held in leiu of a debt by paying the price for it's redemption. It's the same thing with Justification. it's the term that is used as a declaration of innocense of a guilty party.

All of these legal terms are necessary because God pronounced a punishment upon all of Mankind as the penalty for SIN. Because God is a Holy God and is the Same yesterday, today and tomorrow, He just can't change His mind and decide to pardon sinners without the legal price being paid. He has told us many times in the bible that the wages of sin are Death, both physical and spiritual. In order for these sins to be paid for someone has to die to ATTONE for them.

Subsitutionary attonement is all through the bible. In the old covenant it was the constant sacrificing of lambs and bulls that provided temporary attonement for the sins of God's people. The Passover is a picture of what Jesus would eventually do perfectly and permanently for His people.
The blood of the lamb smeared on the door saved them from the angel of death that was passing by.

When God looks at me He sees me covered by the blood of the Lamb. The perfect Lamb who came to save that which was lost and I am no longer marked for death and distruction. This last and perfect sacrifice paid all the debts I owe for my sin. It frees me from bondage to a debt I could in no way pay. It's the remedy God has planned to redeem His own people from before the foundation of the world and it's the only way. Nothing else pays the price.

[Pleroo]

Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer

The Bible had to stress that Jesus was the only way in order for a social revolution to happen at that time. This was also necessary for the message of Christianity to spread quickly far and wide. It created a sense of urgency and was persuasive.

That is my "rational" explanation for this doctrine.

That's certainly a possibility for the beginnings of how things got twisted.

[Pleroo]

Originally Posted by lee9786

YHWH God is not only Jealous of his role of Creator, but as Redeemer. He doesn't give his glory to another.

So, essentially, you're saying it's about God needing his ego stroked? That is why you believe he would hold people's sins against them because they are not believing what you think are the right things to believe about HOW God supposedly saves?

It's about recognizing our offense to our Maker and turning back to him the way HE designed it. He offered his own life on a Cross for us. All he asks is that we come to HIM.

If we reject Jesus we are rejecting God because Jesus is God incarnate.

"Come to him"? As in, believe certain things ABOUT Jesus? It makes more sense to understand coming to God as having to do with what Jesus taught ... love.