Is It Intolerant to Believe Jesus Is the Only Way to God?

Some boys on a school playground were bragging. A boy named Johnny said, “My dad has a list of all the men he can beat up—and all your dads are on his list!” Later that afternoon a knock came on Johnny’s house and his dad answered the door. A big angry man said, “Are you Johnny’s dad?” He said, “I am.” “Well Johnny told my son that you have a list of men you think you can beat up, and my name is on it.” Johnny’s dad said, “That’s right.” The big guy started rolling up his sleeves and said, “Well, I don’t think you can beat me up.  What are you going to do about it?” Johnny’s dad said, “I’ll mark you off my list.”

Jesus makes a big claim in John 14:6:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.“

In this article, we want to see how Jesus backed up this claim. Further, we want to look at the objections people make that this assertion leads to bigotry and intolerance. Rather, the case will be made that Jesus’ pronouncement is foundational for universal love and tolerance. It is a claim which establishes worth, dignity and redemption for all, none excluded. Let’s look at the heart of the Savior’s claim and respond to three challenging questions regarding it.

Jesus’ Big Claim

On the night before Jesus went to the cross, he spoke these words to his closest friends:  

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 

John 14:1

The disciples were overwhelmed with troubled hearts.  The Savior had just dropped several emotional bombshells on them.

• He had just revealed that he was going to be betrayed by one of the Twelve, Judas.
• He also told them that Simon Peter, regarded as the ringleader of the disciples, would deny him.
• He gave the worst possible news of all: he was going to leave them.

Even after three years of being with Jesus, they did not understand that he came to this earth with the express purpose of going to the cross, dying for the sins of the world and then rising from the dead. They thought he was going to establish an earthly empire which would overthrow the Roman Empire. When the unfolding of events turned out radically different, it caused the twelve unimaginable grief and confusion. For Jesus to command the disciples not to have troubled hearts was a VERY BIG ASK. Yet, Jesus said that it was possible for them not give way to troubling grief because they could believe in God and believe in him. (Jesus makes belief in him equal to belief in God.) Jesus gave several credentials as to why he could be trusted. Look at each of these statements:

• “I am going there [heaven] to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2)
• “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)
• “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9)
• “I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me” (John 14:10)
• “I am going to the Father” (John 14:12)

These are ALL very big claims. It is important to keep in mind that as Jesus speaks these words, similar scenes of messianic liberators had been played out repeatedly over the last hundred years in Palestine. The Jewish people were desperate for an emancipator from the Roman oppression. For instance, historians Josephus and Tacitus record a charismatic leader, Simon of Perea, who convinced a large group of Jews that he was the new King of the Jews and God’s messiah. He led a revolt which caused a lot of material destruction. Roman authorities received word of what Simon was doing and dispatched a military unit to capture him, and he ended up beheaded. Another would-be messiah Josephus documents Anthronges who raised a band of guerillas and created chaos throughout Palestine. He and two thousand of his followers were crucified. In the book of Acts, when the Jewish leaders discuss what to do with the apostles, a leader by the name of Gamaliel urges caution from rash action, citing that these messianic flare ups had been occurring and always died out. (Acts 5:34-39)

So, when Jesus was arrested, convicted, executed and buried, what do you think his followers thought? They thought they were following another wrong guy, no different than the others. Jesus was as sincere but as deluded as the many who came before him. They hid in fear for their lives because of their association with this “criminal” Jesus. But something remarkable happened. The same people who watched Jesus die in apparent abject failure began to risk everything to proclaim him to be the promised messiah. How did they go from the place of cowering in total fear to unstoppable boldness? The tomb of Jesus was empty, and they had seen him, talked with him, touched him, and ate with him after his resurrection.

For this reason Jesus commanded his followers to “not let your hearts be troubled.” He knew who he was and what he came to do and what the outcome would be. He went on to say:

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

John 14:2-6

Though this is an astonishing claim that Jesus is “the way and the truth and the life,” the claim Jesus makes offers the ground of hope and worth to all of humanity. Embedded in this pronouncement is the reality that we all have acceptance with God no matter who we are, what we have done or where we have come from. There is no obstacle to our acceptance with God except our own unwillingness to be accepted. Race is not an issue. Social status has no importance. Ability is irrelevant. Further, no matter how sinful your past or unworthiness in the present, the offer is just as freely open. A criminal record, social shame, labels which have brought inferiority, actions committed by you or committed against you are rendered powerless against the claim of Jesus: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” The offering to be in a relationship with God is universal; it is open to anyone without restriction. One need only to accept by faith the gift that Jesus Christ offers.

Tough Questions?

Why does Jesus ALONE offer salvation?

If sin is the problem, then Jesus is the unique solution. Any adequate solution must solve the problem that needs to be solved, and singular problems need singular solutions. Some antidotes are one-of-a-kind cures for one-of- kind ailments. Sometimes only one medicine will do the job, as much as we may like it be otherwise. For example:

• Increasing the air pressure in your tires will not fix an oil leak.
• Aspirin will not dissolve a tumor.
• Cutting up credit cards will not wipe out debt that is owed.
• If your water pipes are leaking, you call a plumber, not an oncologist. 
• The flu vaccine will not cure Covid-19. 

I cannot fix my sinful heart. The only solution is offered through the cross and resurrection of Jesus. Other religions do not offer this.

• In Buddhism, you save yourself by ceasing all desire.
• In Hinduism, you save yourself by detaching from your separated ego and living in unity with the Universe.
• In Islam, you save yourself by living a life of good deeds.
• In Confucianism, you save yourself through education, reflection, self-cultivation, and moral living.     
• In Orthodox Judaism, you save yourself through repentance and prayer and by working hard to obey God’s laws and being a good person.   
• In the New Age, you save yourself through seeing yourself as part of the divine oneness and seeking to live in harmony as part of the One.

Isn’t sincerity of our faith and belief enough, no matter what we believe?

The fact is that the object of your faith is more important than the sincerity of your faith.  As we reflect on the story above (John 14), from the disciples’ point of view, things were falling apart.  They were barely holding on with their faith. From Jesus’ point of view, everything was falling into place. What was vital for the disciples was the object (Jesus) of their faith as opposed to looking at the sincerity of their faith. When you step outside of the spiritual world, can you think of any scenario where sincerity of belief is of greater value than the object which is believed? I would rather have weak faith in a competent surgeon than strong faith in a quack. It would be better to invest your money in a company that you don’t have high expectations for growth but grows rather than contribute money to a company you feel has a lot of promise but actually tanks in value. It would be better to have shaky faith walking across a sturdy bridge than feel great confidence walking across one whose structure is decaying and vulnerable. This would especially be the case with the matter of where one will spend their eternal life.

Doesn’t this claim of Jesus being the only Savior lead to bigotry?

Truth claims by their very nature are exclusive. To claim that something is true means that its competing claim is not. This is not bigotry. Jesus is not the only one who made truth claims. Muslims assert that Judaism and Christianity are corruptions of the prophets of the Old Testament and the teachings and life of Jesus. They believe Jesus was raised to heaven without death on a cross. This is a counter claim. They hold that the Koran is the only complete and true revelation of God (Allah). In addition, they insist that any translation of the Koran desacralizes it. The only true picture of the Koran can be seen in its original Arabic language. It’s not just a basic understanding of Arabic but a sophisticated knowledge of the language.

Buddhism was born when Gautama Buddha rejected two fundamental beliefs of Hinduism-the ultimate authority of the Vedas (Hindu scriptures), and the caste system which enshrines social stratification (wealthy and poor) among its adherents. Even with this truth challenge, Hinduism remains very uncompromising on its caste system. Sikhism came as a challenge to both Hinduism and Buddhism.

Then there are the atheists who reject the viewpoints of anyone who believes in God, some claiming that all religion poisons society. These are all very different belief systems which lead to very different outcomes. They all hold to truth claims which are either correct or incorrect.

Christianity insists in the strongest way possible that everyone be given full love, dignity and human rights. Jesus wants us to love our Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and atheist’s neighbors. The gospel is against any form of bigotry which marginalizes or hurts others because of beliefs based on narrow-minded preferences. This is wrong! But thanks be to God those who follow Jesus are liberated from this! Christ’s claim should not lead to pride but humility and service to others.

Conclusion

Toyoika Gagauya, a great Japanese leader of a couple of generations ago tells the story of his conversion to Christ:

I am grateful for Shinto, Buddhism, Confucianism.  I owe much to these faiths.  Yet they could not meet me at the moment of my heart’s deepest needs.  I was a pilgrim journeying on a road that had no turning. I was weary.  I was footsore.  I wandered through a dark and dismal world where tragedies were thick.  Buddhism teaches great compassion.  But since the beginning of time who has ever said this is the blood of the covenant which is poured out for the forgiveness of sins.

If sin and guilt is the problem then Christ is the solution which is freely open to everyone.  In fact, through trust in Jesus the broken pieces can be turned into masterpieces.