Eternal Life Only Through Jesus Christ

Sociologists are of opinion that peaceful co-existence in a multi-religious society demands avoidance of absolute stand by spiritual thinkers. This has influenced Christian theologians resulting in the formation of two streams of thought – inclusivism and exclusivism. 

Inclusivism holds that anyone from any religion who sincerely seeks after God and faithfully keeps the precepts of his faith will be exempted from condemnation and accepted into heavenly bliss. It was no fault of his that one was born into his particular religion. Every religion has its virtues and prescribed life-styles. It is no easy thing to change one’s accustomed way of life and start venerating another deity. God checks the hearts and will honour the sincerity of a godly person. This reasoning seems plausible to make inclusivism acceptable to a casual observer.

Exclusivism

Now exclusivism holds that propitiation on sin and eternal life can be attained only by faith in Jesus Christ. Any deviation from this truth is contrary to the Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus has unambiguously stated: “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Even devout believers display only the first part of the verse as wall-texts, banners and other display items. But it is the second part that explains the first part. It explicitly states the exclusiveness of the ministry of Jesus Christ. Many religious leaders and philosophers have taught many noble ideas. Miracle workers too are there in human history. 

What makes Jesus Christ unique is that He is the only one who has opened the way of salvation from sin external damnation.  Jesus is the only way to the holy God and external life. This absolute truth is frowned upon as narrow minded and ungenerous. For fear of such calumny, even some well-meaning Christian theologians tend to lean towards inclusivism. It degenerates Christianity to the level of a commendable socio-cultural philosophy laced up with spirituality. This tendency is detrimental to the eternal destiny, not only of Christians, but of the whole mankind. So everyone should be convinced of this firm foundational faith of Christianity.

Man and Eternity

God is the only eternal being, man is an eternal creature. That means, God has been there and will be there all through eternity, having no beginning non ending. He is the absolute truth from whom and by whom and for whom has everything come into being. He is the ultimate cause and source of anything that has been and ever will be. But man is created for eternity. Man has a beginning, but no ending. Man’s physical death is only a shifting from the temporary to the eternal.

Eternity is sometimes taken as unending time. Some consider time as a slice cut out from eternity as an arc is from a circle. They speak of part eternity and eternity that would be on future eternity. Someone has even written a book titled: “From Eternity to Eternity”. Such a view is a misconception of eternity. If a slice is carved out from eternity, it is no longer eternity. Once an arc is cut out from a circle it no longer is a circle. 

The chief feature of eternity is not endlessness, but unchangingness – even immutability. It is the nature of God. Time has a beginning and, as of today, runs parallel to eternity and will have an ending. Man’s death is the door through which he passes from time to eternity. Once he gets into eternity, there is no scope for any change in his condition. 

In eternity there are two states decreed for man-one is eternal life and the other is eternal death. There is an interim stage before the consummation of these two states. Time is allotted to man to choose and prepare for his state in eternity. So the perfect consummation of the states will usher in when time shall be no more. Now those who pass from time into eternity through the door of death are in a state of waiting. The righteous ones are in bliss awaiting the trumpet call at the second coming of the Lord. The unsaved ones are in agony awaiting the last judgement.

Eternal Life 

As a man is created for eternity, he is bound to exist through eternity, either in life or in death. Death is separation and life is fellowship. So eternal life is eternal fellowship with God. God created man for cordial loving fellowship with Him. People often speak about escaping hell and entering heaven. To many heaven is a safe refuge center with untold joys and blessings. But the Bible presents heaven as the center of cordial loving fellowship with God. Jesus spoke of saints being worthy of Him, rather than being eligible to enter heaven. (Matt. 10:37, 38) The image of the bride and the groom is used to testify the relationship between the church and Jesus Christ explains this truth. To any loving bride, the groom is far more desirable and important than his mansion, wealth or position. So to enter eternal life, we have to become worthy of our beloved bridegroom, even Jesus Christ.

The Need of a Mediator

If God created man for loving fellowship with Him, God would surely have endowed him with the needed goodness and merits for it. Then why does man need a mediator to inherit eternal life? Here comes the good story of man getting deceived and losing his right and ability to fellowship with the Holy God. Deceived by Satan man rebelled disobeyed and was lost from divine fellowship. Sin corrupted him internally and maimed him to such and extent that he cannot do the good he wants to do or keep away from the evil he wants to avoid. Consequently man stands condemned before the righteous God. So man needs to be saved from condemnation by propitiation of his sins. Anyone who takes God seriously is hunted by the guilty feeling of his sinfulness. His conscience keeps accusing him of his misdeeds. To calm down his disturbed inner soul, man willingly follows the rituals of his religion.

The Way of Works 

All religions teach various rites, rituals, sacrifices, pilgrimages and what not for the propitiation of man’s sins. Such rituals are held year after year till the end of one’s life and are continued on their behalf by their progeny. The rituals are bound to be of no effect as they do not address the real problem. Sin is the problem to be addressed and it is not limited to actions. Sin is the corrupt inner state of man and has crippled him in the inner person resulting in his inability to pursue goodness. If sin was limited to works, its atonement too could have been possible by works. As sin relates to the inner person, only a reformation within can solve it. 

The Way of Faith

All the various ways taught by religions for the propitiation of sin can be classified into two groups–the way of works and the way of faith. The way of faith is unique to true Christianity. Even some Christian churches teach diverse rituals pre- and post- demise for getting one’s sins absolved. It does not come in the purview of the Bible or true Christianity. The way of faith teaches that all that was to be done for the remission of man’s sin was finished by Jesus Christ. The sacrificial death of the Lord is as perfect as perfection could be. Hence there is no more need or room for any other sacrifice. The one and only sacrifice of Jesus Christ is so perfect and sufficient that it has brought absolute righteousness once and for all for the whole mankind for ever and ever more (Heb. 10:14) Anyone who puts his faith in Jesus Christ and His perfect sacrifice will be made righteous freely. Judged by any or every standard, the way of faith is the perfect way of salvation.

It is Divine

The way of faith has its source in God. It is not something designed and decided on by man. Sin basically is rebellion against God. As every sin offends God, forgiveness also should come from God. Suppose, in a fit of fury ‘A’ strikes ‘B’ and ‘B’ dies. ‘B’ is the victim of cruelty and injustice. But ‘A’s action challenges God who gave life to ‘B’. God is more offended and hurt than B himself. As A cannot give the life back to B, the problem is beyond the control of the offender or the offended. A cannot get forgiveness from B nor can A provide any restitution. Now the case is before God, the righteous judge. His verdict is final and binding to all. God’s law demands life for life. Now the judge himself takes up the guilt of the crime and suffer the death penalty decreed on the criminal. If A repents and accepts the sacrificial death of the judge as his own death, he will be saved from condemnation. The legal system will accept that the decreed punishment is dualy executed on him. Thereby justice is done and the condemned one is saved. This is the gist of the way of faith. God, not of His love for man, has prepared this perfect way of salvation. This is unique and Jesus is the only saviour. 

It is Freely Accessible

However perfect a way of salvation be, if it is beyond the reach of someone or anyone in the human race, it is limited to that extent. The way of faith is so simple to comprehend and so easily accessible to anyone that it is perfect in that way too. No physical ability or mental powers or material means is needed to avail it. Anyone with common sense and will power to take decision can freely avail the way of faith into salvation. Mentally retarded people, zombies and little children who have not attained the age of accountability do not have the twin-abilities required to access the way of faith. But the righteous, loving God has made it available to them too. The Bible teaches that God has unconditionally exempted them from judgement on the basis of the perfect righteousness wrought by the unique sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Yes, the way of faith is freely accessible to anyone and everyone. Its accessibility makes it perfect as the only way to God.

It is Universal

The way of faith is not limited to any people group or religious sect – not even to the Christian community. In the very early days of the church, thousands of Israelites believed in Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah. But very shortly the gospel was preached to the gentiles of all nations and they believed in Jesus Christ as the only Saviour before long the gentile believers far out – numbered the Jewish believers. The fact that Jesus was born, lived, died and resurrected in the center region of the earth highlights this great truth that the way of faith is the good news for all nations. Even Eskimos in the polar region have accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour.

Its Populism

By populism we mean that the way of faith is of the common people at large. In all religious including formal Christianity, there are the so-called consecrated people who have the monopoly of performing rites and rituals. They stand as mediators between God and the believers. But in the way of faith any believer can preach the gospel and anyone can accept Jesus Christ by faith any day of the week or any time of the day. There is auspicious time or holy place set apart for one to put his faith in Jesus Christ. There is not even a prescribed statement of faith to recite for accepting Jesus Christ. The way of faith prescribes an open-hearted, spontaneous confession of one’s sinfulness and sincere acceptance of Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and Saviour. There is no need of some designated person administering an oath of set terminologies. It is getting into a whole-hearted, cordial relationship with God. When and where one is convicted of his sinfulness and convinced of the way of faith, he can right away pour out his heart before the all-knowing God and get saved.

It is Reasonable

Faith is sometimes thought of as baseless assumption propped up by positive thinking. Putting one’s trust in the trust-worthy is the most reasonable thing. The way of faith is based on tangible facts. Sin is a reality; accusation of the conscience is reality; death is a reality; life after death is a reality; judgement is a reality; man’s helplessness before sin is a reality; the futility of meaningless rituals is a reality. Jesus is a historic person; His crucifixion is a historic reality; His resurrection is a reality. The empty tomb in Palestine is a gaping witness to this reality. God’s righteousness is a reality; God’s love is a reality. There is no other plausible, practical way given among men by which man’s sin can be propitiated. Only the way of faith gives a reasonable explanations of sin, judgement, propitiation and salvation to a sincere seeker. It is the only way to reform and refurbish the inner person of a sinner. There are crores of re-born persons in history who are witnesses of this irrefutable reality.

God in His care has provided for every need of man in this temporary physical life. Will He not provide the universally accessible perfect way for the propitiation of man’s sin which is the imperative need for entering eternal life? Historically and legally, the way of faith is the only reasonable way of salvation.

The earth has only one sun to light it up and energize the life on it. One sun is enough and more mankind has only one saviour and only one perfect way of salvation. It is Jesus Christ and the way of faith.