A to Z Blogging -- I is for..."I"

“I am the Way…”

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

John 14:6

Years ago, before I read the verse at the beginning of this post, I didn't know how to respond to people who made statements like this:

“It doesn't matter what you believe, or who you believe in—as long as you BELIEVE, you will go to heaven. And even if you don’t really believe, if you live a good life God will love you and take you to heaven.”

But if you believe in the Bible it’s very clear;  to have eternal life with God, one must believe in Jesus, God’s Son, who came to earth to die for us and forgive us of all of our sins, and then, on the first Easter, rose from the dead.

It doesn’t matter how strongly  anyone believes in any other god or any other being. It doesn’t matter how many times a person goes to church, or how many “good” things he or she does, or how much money is given to charity, or how many prayers are said, or …well, or anything else. All that matters is believing the truth—that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

To be clear, God does love us, even if we do not love or believe in Him. But we will not spend eternity with Him unless we do believe in Him. This is not exclusive, but rather inclusive; inclusive of absolutely everyone who believes. It does not depend on a certain amount of money in the checking account, a  high-status the job, “enough” friends, how good looking, how many “good” things done.

Our salvation is through grace—God’s undeserved love for us. We could never do enough to “deserve” it; all we have to do—all we can do—is accept it. We are blessed!

Peter said, of Jesus, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other

name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:12

If you hear one of the statements at the beginning of this post, gently and kindly point out these verses that show the true—the only!--way to heaven.  

(I’m also blogging the A to Z Challenge at Home is Where the Mom Is. Today’s post is based on Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things…”)