Hi again, welcome back to the second of our Questioning Christianity series, where we
take a look at some of the hard questions that are asked today. Maybe you have those
questions or you know people that have had them and we hope this will be a helpful way
to begin to explore that by looking at what the Bible says and having a think together.
Our question today is, how can you say there is only one way to God? So I'm going to read
a part of the Bible and then we'll think about it and I'll pray and then we'll sing at the end there.
So our passage today is words of Jesus from John chapter 6 beginning at verse 27.
Where Jesus says,
Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will
give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval. Then they asked him,
What must we do to do the works God requires? Jesus answered, The work of God is this,
to believe in the one he has sent. So they asked him, What sign then will you give that we may see
it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness. As it is written,
he gave them bread from heaven to eat. Jesus said to them, Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who
has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
Sir, they said, always give us this bread. Then Jesus declared, I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
But as I told you, you have seen me, and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me
will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven,
not to do my will, but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me,
that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's
will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will
raise them up at the last day. Those are the words of Jesus. Now, last week,
I was watching a travel documentary where a father and son travelled to Papua New Guinea,
and while on their travels, they went to a very remote island, were met by a villager there who
showed them around the island and took them to this cave. And in this cave were a series, a large
collection of skeletons and especially of skulls. And he explained that previously his tribe had been
cannibals. They would kill and eat their enemies. And he said, we used to be cannibals until Christian
missionaries came, and then that all stopped. Now, was that a good thing? Or was that an imposition
of a different set of values? This week, we're going to think about a question, isn't it arrogant
to say your religion is superior and to try to convert others to it? Perhaps you've heard the
objection, aren't other religions also equally good at providing fulfilment and meaning for their
followers. So why impose Christianity on them? Or maybe the argument runs that to claim exclusive
truth is narrow, it divides people, it can lead to conflict, and indeed it has led to conflict.
So that initially, and certainly on the surface, it might sound much more tolerant to say
all beliefs are equally valid. All religions are equally valid. To borrow the title of a Manic Street
Preachers album, this is my truth, tell me yours. Is it arrogant to say that one religion, the Christian
religion, has the truth? Let's explore that together. Three questions to briefly touch on. First of all,
is it arrogant to claim there is exclusive truth? Is it arrogant to claim there's only one way to God?
And is it arrogant to try and convert someone else to your view? And all along the way, and especially
as we draw our thoughts towards a close, where does Jesus fit into the arguments? But let's begin with
that question. Is it arrogant to claim there is exclusive truth? Now let's begin by being honest. The claim of
exclusive truth is a big hurdle towards someone accepting the Christian faith. You and I probably know
people who have used truth as a weapon, as a power play. We know that truth and claiming the truth can be abused,
that it can be used to tear others down and to create division. Now of course that's not just a problem
for Christianity, but it still remains a hurdle. And I think a sort of an additional layer of complexity,
complexity as it were, is that we are now considered to be living in a post-truth society. 2016 post-truth was the word
of the year, where how I feel is often regarded as of greater significance than is it true? Where the personal can be
valued more highly than the objective? Now Rebecca McLaughlin in her excellent book, Confronting Christianity,
points out that things can be both personally true and objectively true. One example she cites is the
Me Too movement and those stories of sexual abuse survivors. Their powerful personal stories are just that,
they're personal, but they're also objectively true. So truth can be both personal and objective. In fact, Christian
testimony, the testimony of a Christian like myself would say, yes, I believe Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that He is my
only hope in life and death. And on my best days, He shapes everything in my life, how I think and feel and act. And that's
profoundly personal. But I also believe that it's grounded in history, as we thought last week, grounded in the
reliability of the Bible. A truth that is personal and truth that is objective at the same time. Because
Christianity, as we said last week, and we need to keep saying, is grounded in historical facts. Now we instinctively
know that to deny history is wrong. So I studied history at university and I think it was towards the end of my time
there, a significant scholar down in England was sort of being discredited because he was a Holocaust denier,
trying to say, trying to suggest that the figures were inflated. We know that's wrong. Turkey's refusal to own its
genocide of the Kurds in 1930 is wrong. We in the United Kingdom, we need to recognise, own up to, confess our
relationship to slavery in the past. We cannot deny or gloss over history.
Last week, we thought about the fact that Christianity stands or falls on the basis of historical facts that centre
on the life of Jesus, his coming into the world, his life, his death, and especially the historical facts
around the resurrection of Jesus. How do I feel about that? How do you feel about that?
We need to recognise that our feelings don't alter that objective reality of events that happened some
2,000 years ago. Either those events are true or they are false. So the onus falls on us to investigate.
But it's not arrogant to claim there is exclusive truth, particularly if it's grounded in historical facts.
But here's something that we need to remember as Christians in all of this.
That truth without love comes across as smug and arrogant and is profoundly off-putting.
We would do well to remember the words of Gandhi who famously said,
I like their Christ, I don't like their Christians.
So we need to watch how we hold on to the truths that we believe in.
Every claim of truth is by necessity exclusive.
Indeed to say there is no such thing as exclusive truth is an exclusive truth claim in and of itself.
So we need to see, sort of taking a bigger picture, Christianity is not the only religion and it's not the only worldview
that makes exclusive truth claims. All truth is by extension exclusive.
Truth always excludes its opposites.
Otherwise, all we have left is personal opinion.
But truth excludes.
Is it arrogant to claim exclusive truth?
Perhaps we could turn the question on its head.
Is it arrogant to claim there is no exclusive truth?
To claim a standpoint where we can say that all the religions and all people in all times have got it wrong
and we are the enlightened ones.
So moving from there, let's move to the next question to consider.
Is it arrogant to claim there is only one way to God?
Now Jesus, again in the book of John, chapter 14, verse 6, says this.
I am the way, the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
Now let's read that again with emphasis.
I am the way, the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
That's some radical claims from Jesus, isn't it?
Now are those fighting words from Jesus?
Is this arrogance?
Is it arrogant to claim there is only one way to God?
And that is through Jesus.
Let's take a step back.
Now you've probably heard at some point, possibly heard the story of a group of blind men who encounter an elephant
and they begin to examine the elephant to discover what it's like.
And one person takes hold of the trunk and says an elephant is like a snake.
Another wraps its arms around a leg and say an elephant is like a tree.
Another finds the tusk and say an elephant is like a spear.
Another finds the tail and says an elephant must be like a rope.
In a sense it's an amusing story but there's an assumption lying behind that story
that the religions of the world hold part of the truth
but they are blinded to the whole picture.
The storyteller alone sees the whole.
He knows the whole truth.
The blind people only see a part.
Now there are significant issues with that story.
Not least the fact that it is not respectful
to the differences that there are between religions.
When it claims that when there are claims that all roads lead to the same God
or that all paths to God are equally valid.
It flattens out clear differences and distinctions.
I will think about that in a moment.
But also as the storyteller from a distance claims not to be blind
claims to be able to see the whole elephant
there is a mocking tone.
There is indeed a sense of arrogance
in standing in judgment over other religions.
When we take a basic review of some of the major world faiths
we recognise there are significant differences
that they are not the same.
So one of the things that people would do
to sort of stifle debate and discussion
is say well all religions are equally valid
and should be treated the same.
But when we think about how do the different religions view God?
Well Buddhism as an example would say there is no God.
Buddha was very clear I am not God do not worship me.
Hinduism has many gods.
Islam has a God who is one and who is solitary
whereas Christianity has a God who is one
but that one is made up of three persons
Father, Son and Holy Spirit known as the Trinity.
Or we come to how do the different religions think about Jesus?
And some would say he is a prophet
many to say he is worthy of respect
but only in Christianity
is there the claim from the lips of Jesus
and from the teaching of the Bible
that he is the Son of God
and that he is the Saviour of the world.
So we can see that there are vast differences
and to flatten the differences
to treat all religions as a lump
is patronising and unhelpful.
More helpful is to see the struggle that people have
as they think about the differences.
Nabi Al Qureshi
was a famous recent convert from Islam to Christianity
that he died just a few years ago.
He wrote the book called Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus
brought up in a conservative Islamic home.
He came to a friendship with a Christian man
and he spent four years
wrestling with objections to the Christian faith,
wrestling with the claims of Jesus Christ
compared to the teaching of Islam.
And he talks about his day of converting from Islam
to Christianity and faith in Jesus
and he says he mourned the impact of that decision
because he recognised the impact
and the cost it would have
in terms of family relationships,
in terms of his place in his community.
So it's important for us
to see that respect recognises
the great differences there are
between the different religions and world views.
To say that all religions are equal
is to ignore the claim of the Bible.
To say that all religions are the same
is to deny what the Bible says
when it describes itself as revelation
and not speculation.
So it's not arrogant,
it's just recognising
that every world view
will claim its truth
to the exclusion of others
and all religions do that.
But again, we need to remember
attitude matters.
Particularly when it comes to
discussing between religions.
You know, in our culture,
which is often described as now
an outrage culture,
where we see cancel culture
happening a lot,
we need to see that
to disagree with someone
does not mean that we disrespect that person.
To take a different view of God
or of Jesus or of faith
does not mean that I hate the other person.
When we treat people as image bearers of God,
when we treat people as worthy of dignity,
whatever they believe,
then we should be able to disagree
without disrespect.
It is possible to hold truth
in high regard
and
to hold people
in high regard.
And the Bible would have us
do that.
And that leads us to think about
a last question.
Is it arrogant
to try and convert
someone else?
So having recognised
that everybody
who claims truth
is excluding the opposite,
having seen that there are
significant differences
in the truth claims
between religions,
should we ever
cross the boundary
to try and convert
someone else?
Maybe you remember
the story of John Allen Chow,
which hit the headlines
back in 2018.
He was killed
as he attempted
to visit the people
of the Sentinel Islands.
He wanted to share
the message
Jesus loves you
with them.
And as he landed,
he was killed.
And as people wrote
their opinion pieces
in newspapers,
many came to the conclusion
that Chow was wrong
and was arrogant
to try to convert
these ancient tribes,
to convert those
who were following
traditional religions
to Christianity.
arguing in some cases
that there's a connection
between religion
and conflict.
Maybe you would
agree
with that viewpoint.
But if we remember
what we just thought about,
we go back to our last point,
to share the truth
in love
is not to be
of necessity
arrogant
or hateful.
absolutely sometimes
the Christian church
has been
arrogant
in the way
that they have
tried to convert people,
that the church
has made mistakes
but it doesn't
necessarily have
to be that way.
And indeed,
sometimes
we think about
everyday life
persuading someone
of truth
can be
an act
of
love.
I smell gas.
You should get out
of here.
You are ill.
You need
treatment.
That kind of
persuasion
is loving.
Now,
if we are persuaded
that Christianity
is true,
then we recognise
it has
an urgent
life or death
message.
So the truth
has that
motivating quality.
That we believe
Jesus is Lord
of all,
that he is King
of kings,
that he is also
the judge
of the living
and the dead,
that we are
by nature
enemies of God,
that we have
rebelled against God,
we've broken
his law
and we stand
under the judgment
of God
with the certain
prospect
of eternal
punishment
in hell.
Now,
those are
difficult
concepts,
but we believe
them to be true.
We also believe
it to be true
that God
in his love
and mercy
sent Jesus
to take
our place
and to die
in the place
of every
sinner who
would put
their trust
in Jesus
to have
forgiveness
and eternal
life.
so that
the Christian
message
has implications
for now
and has implications
for life
after death.
There is an
urgency to it
and so part
of our
motivation
is that we
want to
persuade
of that
truth
and we want
to do that
out of love.
Some people
would say,
no,
we should just
keep our views
out of public
life.
failing to
recognise,
I think,
that everybody,
whether we're
religious or
not,
we all have
strongly held
views,
we all come
to a particular
agenda or topic
with certain
biases
and it seems
rather arrogant
to suggest
that only some
views are
valid at the
table,
only some
views are
acceptable in
public life
and Christianity
is not one
of those.
And when we
think about
the arrogance
question to do
with conversion
as well,
we need to
recognise
Christianity
is not
and never
has been
about morality
so we
should never
come across
it as arrogant
because we
don't believe
Jesus came
to make
bad people
good,
we believe
Jesus came
to make
spiritually
dead people
alive,
that we
believe the
only way
that we
can be
saved
and be
part of
God's
family
is because
of his
grace,
that free
undeserved
kindness he
gives us,
not by our
goodness,
not by our
moral performance.
Jesus is our
hope,
not ourselves,
so that should
always make
us humble
and Christianity
at its best
humbly follows
Jesus as
Lord.
Now,
where does
Jesus fit
into this
discussion?
We've already
heard him say,
I am the
way,
the truth,
and the life,
no one comes
to the Father
except through
me and then
we read
in John
chapter 6,
verse 27
onwards,
a catalogue
of exclusive
truth claims.
So we need
to recognise
that Jesus
made exclusive
claims,
he also
showed
amazing love
and Christians
look to follow
in his footsteps.
So Jesus
says,
for example,
in these verses,
I give
eternal life.
He says,
I have
the approval
of God
my Father.
He says,
if you want
to please
God,
you must
believe in
me.
He compares
himself to
bread and
says,
I am the
bread of
life who
gives
eternal
satisfaction.
He says,
I do
the will
of God.
My people
belong to
me as a
gift from
God my
Father and
I will
lose none
of them,
he says.
He says,
to believe
in him
is to
receive
eternal
life,
is to
have
resurrection
life.
And so
when you
start listening
to Jesus,
the central
figure in
our faith,
he makes
those huge
claims,
he is
unique among
religious leaders
in saying,
I am
God and
I am
saviour
and I
have come
to die
in the
place of
sinners
to give
the gift
of
eternal
life.
Jesus
is a
historical
figure.
Everybody
agrees on
that.
And as
Christians,
we are
persuaded
that the
Bible
contains
truth.
And
therefore,
the crucial
question
for us
and Jesus
asked it
is,
who do
you say
I am?
Who do
we say
Jesus is?
Because if
Jesus is
God,
then any
religion,
any
worldview
that doesn't
worship him
as God
must therefore
be false.
Every
religion or
worldview that
doesn't
worship him
as God
fails to
love God
properly
because they
fail to
love Jesus
as he
truly is.
Of course,
on the
other hand,
if Jesus
is not
God,
Christianity
fails and
is false.
But the
point is
that our
whole faith
rests on
historical
truth.
It's so
important to
examine the
life, the
teaching, the
death and
resurrection of
Jesus.
Because if
he is
true and
if what
he says
is true,
then you
and I
need him
and his
message has
life-changing
significance.
Now let's
pray together
briefly.
Dear God,
we have been
considering
some striking
words from
Jesus.
When he
claims to
be the
only way
to God,
the way,
the truth
and the
life,
the one
who can
give eternal
life,
giving life
beyond death,
giving true
and lasting
satisfaction.
God
and yet we
recognize in
Jesus,
someone who
was never
seen to be
proud,
but who
was humble,
who was
for the
weak,
who was
for the
oppressed,
who didn't
step on the
heads of
others to
get ahead,
the one who
willingly came
to the cross
to die.
Lord, as
Christians we
would confess
there are times
when perhaps
we have used
the truth
as a weapon
and we've
wanted to
win arguments
rather than
wanting to
love people
well.
But Lord,
we also
confess there
are times
when we
have failed
to overcome
our own
weakness or
embarrassment
to deliver
this life
changing,
life giving
good news,
this declaration
that Jesus
is the
King.
Pray that
you'd help
each of
us to
wrestle with
the claims
of truth,
to be
willing to
investigate
and to
explore.
Pray that
you'd help
us with
that and
help us to
help one
another with
that.
We pray in
Jesus' name.
Amen.
So,
next week
we will
think about
the claim
that God
is good
and how
we can
marry that
up with
all the
evil and
the suffering
that we
see in the
world.
One of the
main
objections
to faith,
one of the
hardest
questions to
begin to
think about.
And so,
hopefully that
will be a
time where
we can
begin to
reflect on
that.
We'll look
forward to
that next
week.
We'll close
with a
couple of
songs just
as we did
last week.
And, yeah,
look forward to
sharing with you
again same
time next
week.
Take care.