Jesus and Popular Opinion

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

To me, if I were to take this statement for what it is I only have three options, I can either believe it is true, claim it to be false, or disregard it all together. Now, if I am a Christian, I cannot land on the latter positions, right?

Jesus also said, “everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

Well, according to a recent survey there are many protestant evangelical ‘Christians’ who deny Jesus as the way, truth, and the life (57% of those asked).

This is completely inconsistent with the Jesus of scripture. A Christian is a follower of Christ. Therefore, it seems logical that we follow him all the way, there is no middle ground for those who claim Jesus as Lord.

Honestly, can a true Christian really say that ‘Jesus is not the only way to eternal life’ (in the sense of eternity in fellowship with God), Is that consistent with the Jesus of the Bible? I don’t think so!

Really, if you’re going to cut the heart out of something, why claim it at all? The truth claims of Christianity are not incidental to its identity, they are its identity.

Now, I know that some are hypersensitive when it comes to issues of truth, but I see nothing wrong with giving thoughtful consideration to the claims of Jesus and making a stance on these issues. There is nothing arrogant about faith in Christ. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not the Gospel of Matthew Capps.

Back to the three options, well, there are really (only) two, you can agree or disagree (ignoring the question does not give you a pass card), accept or reject, believe or not. This is one of the most clear distinctions of the Christian faith.