Part 5d: A Seemingly Arrogant Claim

Could Jesus be the only way?

Do you find making important decisions to be something you do easily – or not? The older I get, the more I realise how important decision-making is. People can become paralysed in life because of an inability to make decisions. Bad experiences can sometimes cause us to lose confidence to make important decisions too. Yet it remains that we are each responsible for our own lives. The decisions we make and the consequences they bring are on us!

The greatest pursuit of life is the pursuit of what is ultimately real and true about life. We have been looking at reasons for believing there is a God who has revealed himself through history – as recorded in the Bible, and ultimately through Jesus. This journey is both about seeking truth and also having the courage to follow where it leads. As Joshua said to the people, “Choose this day who will serve …but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

To summarise something of this series thus far, if one thing is true that logically means another might be false. So, for example, there either is or isn’t a God.

The world’s three major categories of religion could be summarised as (1) belief that there is a God ('Theism' - as in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), (2) belief that there is only a higher power ('Pantheism' - as in many Eastern religions and primitive tribal beliefs), or (3) the belief that there is no God or spiritual reality at all ('Atheism' - as in Western atheism and some forms of Buddhism). To put that differently, our existence as human beings is either (1) planned, (2) a mystery, or (3) an accident. Only one of these options is true.

If we can accept that there is a God – the Bible is the only book that claims to be a record of that God revealing himself to humanity. This quickly gives us another three options. Judaism follows only the Old Testament. Christianity follows the Old and New Testaments, and Islam follows both – but adds the Koran and trust in the Prophet Mohammad. Regarding Jesus, to the religious Jew he was just a man. In Islam, Jesus was and is just a prophet, while to the Christian he was and is the Son of God.

So what does the evidence say about Jesus? Was he a liar, a lunatic - or Lord? When I proposed to my wife I couldn’t know for sure everything would work out in our lives together. It took faith – based on the evidence of what I knew of her character. This is what the Christian faith is like. It’s not a blind faith. It’s about opening our hearts to a relationship. We step out on the basis of what can be known from the world and history – to discover what can only be known through experience! What say you?

Reflection questions

• What most convinces you that our existence was planned by God – as contrasted to our existence being a mystery or accident?
• What do you make of the options that exist regarding who Jesus was?
• What story, illustration, or question could you tell or ask to engage a person you know in a conversation about what might be spiritually true in this world?

For prayer

“Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving us minds that can question, and evidence we can engage with to find answers. Help us to have clarity and courage to choose what is true and right. You have offered us your love and salvation. We receive it and offer you our love and devotion.”