In the first part of my series, titled “What Is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?” I noted that the gospel is defined clearly and succinctly in the New Testament book “1 Corinthians”, a letter that can be confidently dated to the middle of the first century. Please see that post for a simple outline of the gospel.
The New Testament scriptures plainly state over and over that there is no other gospel-there is no other “good news,” plan or story to put our faith and hope in.
Imagine God saying that the good news is everything that anyone wants to imagine to be true. You can imagine a Ferrari in your garage, but that won’t mean there’s really one there.
I‘m perfectly willing and happy to “coexist” with people who have other convictions than mine, but I’m not going to abandon or compromise my defensible convictions for someone else’s which are based on nothing more than speculation, blind hope and imagination. No matter how many people wish to put all the world’s religions into a melting pot so as to produce some mixture intended to make everyone happy (which is impossible anyway), this is in direct opposition to what the Bible teaches.
The Old Testament also speaks of the suffering of the Christ, then future, and makes clear that there is only one God. Not only so, but that one God is not in the slightest bit inclined to allow any reinterpretation or redesigning of His plan of salvation, neither is he open to any compromise whatsoever. You should expect the REAL God of truth and light to take this view. A God who really cares about you will ensure that truth is concrete and cannot be diluted or changed. You can cook up some man-made religion if that’s your wish, but the God of the Bible, and His true followers, will have none of it.
If there are multiple paths to God, and if you can create your own path just as you might decorate your house to your liking , then Jesus Christ did not need to suffer and die at all, he was mistaken when he willingly went to the cross to pay for our sins, and his death was just a tragic and needless waste of a life. You are making a huge and illogical mistake if you loosely associate yourself with Christ and yet accept the notion that all paths lead to the same God. I would plead with you to repent of this kind of pluralism which really leads to nowhere nice.
In order to demonstrate the singularity of the message of the Christian God I want to quote a few relevant scriptures, and ask you to prayerfully consider the serious nature and the significance of the claims of the early church. (The authenticity of the message is constantly under attack: I intend to address that subject in future posts, because there are good answers to those attacks).
God the Father said:
“You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).
“I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior” (Isaiah 43:11).
“I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God” (Isaiah 44: 6).
Jesus said:
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).
“All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers….I am the gate: whoever enters through me will be saved” (John 10:8-9).
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
“If you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins” (John 8: 24).
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26).
Peter said:
“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).
Paul said:
“…if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14).
To the Galatians Paul wrote:
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all (i.e. NOT good news! Galatians 1:6-7).
Then he wrote:
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” (verse 8).
ALL SCRIPTURE QUOTES ARE FROM THE NIV, Copyright 1984 by International Bible Society
Fuel for Faith 