For you people around the world who are searching, and there are many millions, here’s the second part of my post on the gospel of Jesus Christ…

THE ONLY GOSPEL

The New Testament scriptures plainly state over and over that there is no other gospel, no other “good news,” plan or story which can bridge the gap between God and people. That’s a very politically incorrect statement to make these days, but then, the gospel of Jesus Christ has always been politically incorrect: Jesus himself died for making such claims.
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) such thinking is in direct opposition to what the Bible teaches, and a God who really cares about you will ensure that real truth cannot be diluted or changed.
You would be making a huge and illogical mistake if you loosely associated yourself with Christ and yet accepted the notion that all “paths”-all religions and philosophies-lead to the same God, or to the same spiritual destination. How can there be one God and at the same time no God, ten gods, and a million gods? It takes an arrogant determination to avoid logic and reason to believe such a thing.
In order to demonstrate the singularity of the message of Jesus and the early Church which has been passed down to us, I want to quote a few verses from the Bible. By reading them you can at least be aware of what the God of the Bible teaches.
God 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).
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

PART 3 WILL APPEAR NEXT WEEK….

• APOLOGETICS