Is Jesus the ONLY way to salvation and reconciliation with God the Father? If so, why? There are many world faiths and religions, and, if they believe in God, they all feel that their way is THE way for mankind to reconcile their relationship with God. So, how could Christ Jesus make such a definitive declaration about Himself and Christianity continue to profess it? God has a requirement for ALL people who desire to have an eternal relationship with Him, ...He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (I Peter 1:15-16)
Let's briefly consider great leaders from other faiths and religions. The great "prophet" of the Islamic faith, Muhammad was a murderer, rapist, and bigamist; and after he died, he was buried and his remains are still in the grave to this day in a mosque in the city of Medina. Buddha was an exceptional person from a young age, but he was not a perfect man; and after he died, he was cremated and his ashes distributed among eight temples. Bahá'u'lláh sought to know God in a very real way and even believed that there was only one God, but he was not a perfect man; and the Bahá’í faith teaches perfect unity between God, religion and humanity in this life. We can watch the daily news and know that's not true. After he died, he was buried and his remains are still in the grave to this day in Bahji.
We could go on and on - Mark Baker Eddy of Christian Science died, he was buried and his remains are still in the grave to this day in Cambridge; Confucius of Confucianism died, he was buried and his remains are still in the grave to this day in Qufu; Joseph Smith of Mormonism died, he was buried and his remains are still in the grave to this day in Nauvoo; L. Ron Hubbard of Scientology died and was cremated and his ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean; etc... None of these religious leaders were perfect and all of their remains can or have been physically handled.
All of those comparisons to make the first point, that no other faith or religion has a leader that could meet the "holy" requirements of God. All of them just as all of us were imperfect people. However, the Apostle Peter quoted the Prophet Isaiah regarding Christ Jesus, “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth." (1 Peter 2:22; Isaiah 53:9) The Apostle John reiterated this truth, "And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin." (1 John 3:5) Even the criminal hanging on the cross to the right of Jesus when He was crucified said to the other criminal hanging on the left side, "And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” (Luke 23:41)
The second point is that since God is Holy and therefore, we can only have a relationship with Him if we are holy, we on our own could never meet the requirement God demands, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (I Peter 1:15-16); because, ...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and ...the wages of sin is death,... (Romans 6:23) That's why God instituted making sacrifices for sins with the children of Israel, because the system symbolized what was required, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul." (Leviticus 17:11)
An argument could be made that the faith and religious leaders mentioned previously were great men by man's standards and some may have even done some pretty wonderful and noteworthy things; but, none of them were perfect. They all had sinned and had to bear their own sins; therefore, they could not bear anyone else's sins! There was only one great Man, one Prophet, one person throughout human history who met the holy requirements of God, and therefore was able to bear the sins of all mankind. Proof of that is that Christ Jesus, just like all the other men mentioned, died and He was buried; BUT, His remains did not stay in the grave!
King David prophesied about the future Messiah, " My flesh also will rest in hope.10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption." (Psalm 16:9-10) The Prophet Isaiah prophesied, ...For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked— but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. [John 19:38-52] 10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. ... By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:8-12)
Christ Jesus knew His purpose for coming to earth in human form, and accepted it as the will of God; “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” (John 10:17-18) "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." (John 15:13) And to prove that He was indeed the ONLY Son of God and the ONLY way for mankind to be reconciled with God, "...God raised [Him] up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it." (Acts 2:24)
The Apostle Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost made it very clear about the difference between other great men (specifically King David) and Christ Jesus; “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses." (Acts 2:29-32)
God didn't leave Christ Jesus in the grave, as He had all the other self-proclaimed saviors of mankind, ...but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. (Hebrews 9:26-28) "Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.” (Acts 10:40-43)
Beware of all the false teachers and traditions of men; as the Apostle Paul said, But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it! ... For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.(2 Corinthians 11:3-4,13-15)
Jesus is the ONLY way! And, He is the ONLY One Who ascended back to heaven! "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:13-17) AMEN!
Sermon Series worth listening to, "Christ Among Other Gods" by Erwin Lutzer:
https://www.moodymedia.org/sermons/christ-among-other-gods/
