Reclaiming Jesus as the
'Only Way'
By Pastor Kevin Shrum
Christian Post Guest Columnist
The Christian claim that Jesus is the exclusive and unique way to
know God has been, is, and will continue to be an on-going
discussion both within the church and outside the church. Within
the church the issue of exclusivity makes some Christians cringe
because they do not want to appear to be narrow-minded, unloving,
disengaged, arrogant, parochial, and isolated from culture.
Outside the church the claim of the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as
the only way to know God comes off as prideful, uninformed, and
sophomoric. How can the Christian message claim to be ‘the’
exclusive way to know and experience God in a personal, saving
way? What hubris! What spiritual bigotry! And yet, this is the
historic claim of Christians.
Sadly, as a pastor, I see many Christians unable to explain in
substantive terms the reasons for this claim. The truth of ‘Jesus
is the Only Way’ has simply been passed down from one generation
to the next, often times without thought or reflection. The
results of this kind of unthinking Christianity are devastating.
When pressed about his/her beliefs in such assertions, the
unthinking Christian will either a.) abdicate their position by
claiming that Jesus is ‘a way’ but not ‘the way;’ or b.) they will
defensively retort to their inquisitor with equally unthinking
terms such as ‘just cause’ or ‘the Bible says so.’ Yes, the Bible
says so, but where does it say it and why does it say it?
So, let me be elementary in restating just a few reasons why
Christians can confidently claim that Jesus is the exclusive way
to know and experience God in a saving way.
First, Jesus claimed exclusivity. The critic will often respond to
the claim of exclusivity with comments like, ‘Well, that’s just
your opinion.’ They will act as if it’s a claim Christians thought
up just to aggravate people. The problem with this response is
that it is ignorantly void of understanding the source of the
exclusive claims of Christianity. In other words, the Christian
does not have to bear the weight of being the source of this
claim. Why? Because it was Jesus Himself who made such exclusive
claims. Numerous times either directly (John 14:6) or indirectly
(John 5:16-18) Jesus claimed that He alone was the exclusive way
to know God (see also Acts 4:12; Gal. 1:6-10; John 8:48-59; John
10:30-33; Phil 2:5-11). The critic may argue with you about this
claim, but she will not be able to do so based upon hearsay or
personal opinion. They will have to take up their case not with
you but with Jesus. Yes, we speak this truth. But let Jesus bear
the weight of this claim – He can handle it.
Second, Jesus Claimed to be God. As if claiming to be the
exclusive way to God is not enough, Jesus goes one step further by
claiming to be God. The religious leaders of His day picked up on
this even when His own disciples remained clueless. In fact, John
5:18 states that they understood Jesus words and deeds as “…making
himself equal with God.” Such a claim dovetails with other core
Christian doctrines such as the trinity. Let it be stated clearly
then: Jesus did not become God at His birth, He was not adopted as
God at His baptism, nor did He gain that title/position through
His crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus’ claim is larger. He
claimed to have always been God – pre-incarnate God come in the
flesh who now reigns eternally as a part of the Trinity - Father,
Son , and Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14).
Third, Jesus Forgave Sins. But Jesus not only made outrageous
claims, He did outrageous things that only God can do – He forgave
sins. Case in point: In Mark 2:1-12 a lame man was brought to
Jesus by four of his friends. After having dismantled the roof of
the house, they lower their ill friend before Jesus. They wanted a
healing service, but Jesus gave them more than they bargained for.
He not only healed the man physically, He forgave his sins. To
demonstrate He had the power to heal, He both healed (the temporal
need) and forgave (the eternal need) the paralytic. This act
stunned the religious-minded who were crammed into this small
house with dozens of other seekers. They knew that such an action
was none other than an implicit, yet bold claim to be God. In
fact, Mark 2:7 records what was going through the minds of the
religious leaders, “Why does this man speak like that? He is
blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus forgives
sins. Only God can do this.
Finally, Jesus Accepted Worship. This point is not discussed
enough, yet is as powerful as any supporting the exclusive claims
of Jesus. Stated clearly – Jesus never refused the worship of
people. This takes the cake! To ‘say’ you are the only way to God
could be understood as mere words that can be dismissed as
arrogance. And, the claim to be God could put Jesus in the class
of a lunatic as C.S. Lewis noted. Further, to forgive sins could
be understood as simply the therapeutic act of a religious sage
for the wounded soul. But Jesus’ acceptance of worship as God is
over the top. This means that Jesus not only talked like God, He
acted like God because God alone is jealous for worship and worthy
of worship.
I wonder what the response of the Samaritan woman who encountered
Jesus at Jacob’s well would be if we asked her if the exclusive
claims of Jesus are true and if worship of Jesus is a misdirected
and/or ill-advised act? I think her response would be – you may
not believe Jesus is God, but I have met Him, I have experienced
His forgiveness, I have heard the truth because He is the truth,
and I have found the true place of worship at His feet (John
4:1-45). Let us then boldly and humbly claim what Jesus claimed –
He’s the truth, the way, and the life!
Dr. Kevin Shrum has been in ministry for 29 years, currently
pastors Inglewood Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and is
an Adjunct Professor of Theology for Union University in Jackson,
Tennessee.