Title: Faith Only? (1 of 4)
Series: Baptism - Burial and Resurrection
Author: Jeff Strite
Text: John 3:16-18
In my files I have a comment of an economics professor who explained his problem with Jesus. He said, "I really don't see how Jesus can be the only way to heaven. I definitely believe in God, but there are just too many people in the world who don't believe in Jesus for me to think that God doesn't love them too."
Now, was this man right? Is Jesus NOT the only way to heaven? No, that professor was not right. But how do we know he's not right? Well because that's not what the Bible says. Now, just for the sake of argument, let's say this man believed in heaven, in God, in Jesus as the Son of God, and that he believed that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose from the grave. But there was something about the idea that Jesus would be the only way to get to heaven that offended him. Why would that offend him? Well, he was using his human reasoning and that led him to REJECT the idea that Jesus was the only way to be saved.
Well then, how would we try to change his mind? What resource would say that he was wrong? (the Bible) For example: we might show him John 14:6 where Jesus said ... "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME." Or Acts 4:12 Peter echoes Jesus: "... there is SALVATION IN NO ONE ELSE, for there is NO OTHER NAME under heaven given among men by which we must be saved"
My guess is, those verses wouldn't matter to him because his human reasoning had already rejected this idea and it wouldn't matter to him what the Bible said otherwise. Someone once noted that "If people believe what they LIKE in the Bible, and reject what they don't like, it is not the Bible they believe. It's just their opinions that matter!
But our opinion does NOT matter - it ONLY matters what the Bible says. In John 3:18 we read "Whoever believes in (Jesus) is not condemned, but whoever does not belie ...
Series: Baptism - Burial and Resurrection
Author: Jeff Strite
Text: John 3:16-18
In my files I have a comment of an economics professor who explained his problem with Jesus. He said, "I really don't see how Jesus can be the only way to heaven. I definitely believe in God, but there are just too many people in the world who don't believe in Jesus for me to think that God doesn't love them too."
Now, was this man right? Is Jesus NOT the only way to heaven? No, that professor was not right. But how do we know he's not right? Well because that's not what the Bible says. Now, just for the sake of argument, let's say this man believed in heaven, in God, in Jesus as the Son of God, and that he believed that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose from the grave. But there was something about the idea that Jesus would be the only way to get to heaven that offended him. Why would that offend him? Well, he was using his human reasoning and that led him to REJECT the idea that Jesus was the only way to be saved.
Well then, how would we try to change his mind? What resource would say that he was wrong? (the Bible) For example: we might show him John 14:6 where Jesus said ... "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME." Or Acts 4:12 Peter echoes Jesus: "... there is SALVATION IN NO ONE ELSE, for there is NO OTHER NAME under heaven given among men by which we must be saved"
My guess is, those verses wouldn't matter to him because his human reasoning had already rejected this idea and it wouldn't matter to him what the Bible said otherwise. Someone once noted that "If people believe what they LIKE in the Bible, and reject what they don't like, it is not the Bible they believe. It's just their opinions that matter!
But our opinion does NOT matter - it ONLY matters what the Bible says. In John 3:18 we read "Whoever believes in (Jesus) is not condemned, but whoever does not belie ...
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