The Exclusivity of Christianity

Excerpts from Pathway to Victory Radio Broadcast

September 2022

Pastor Robert Jeffress

In John 14:6, Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  The doctrine of the exclusivity of Christ is essential to the Christian message.  Trusting in Christ as one’s Savior is the only way a person will be welcomed into heaven.

Common objections to Exclusivity

1/Christianity is intolerant – When Jesus says “I am the way and the truth and the life,” we believe what Jesus, the Son of God, has to say.  The Bible tells us so.  There are many religious and good people in the world, but if we love them we must let them know that they are on the wrong path if they are not following Jesus.

2/ Exclusivity encourages hatred toward people of other faiths – If you are on an airplane that is about to crash, and the flight attendant is directing you to a specific exit so that you can live rather than perish in the crash, is he or she being hateful toward you?  No.  The flight attendant is trying to save you.  When Jesus makes any statement in the Bible, we as believers trust in Him and in His word.  It is not hateful.  It’s the truth about salvation.

3/ All religions teach essentially the same thing – An understanding of the teachings of the major world religions says otherwise.  Judaism, Christianity, and Islam believe in the existence of one God.  By contrast, Hinduism says there are multiple gods.  Buddhism denies the existence of a personal God and instead sees whatever god there is as the sum total of all creation.  There are also differing theories about life after death.  Mormonism teaches differing levels of heaven, and those that end up in hell will be given an opportunity to repent while in hell.  Christianity teaches that every person’s eternal destiny is fixed on the day that they die.  World religions also differ on humanity’s basic dilemma.  The Bible teaches that religions other than Christianity are manufactured by Satan in order to deceive people and lead them away from God’s truth.

God wants to save as many as possible

The 3 most prominent Jews who converted to Christianity (John, Paul, and Peter) can be trusted with their writings in the Bible about salvation.  In Acts 4:10-12, Peter says Jesus is the Savior of the world.  In Romans 10:23, Paul tells the Jews that they don’t have enough “zeal” for God and they must follow Jesus.  In Romans 10:9-12, John says there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek (meaning everyone who follows Jesus can be saved).  While only God can tell us who is actually making it into Heaven, He has already made that decision and communicated it to the world, through His Son, Jesus Christ.  This tells us Christianity is the exclusive way to Heaven.

Truth by its very nature is exclusive.  God’s guidelines for living, found in the Bible, leads all people to the exclusivity of Jesus Christ.  This absolute truth helps us in trusting Christ as our Savior.  God will reveal Himself to those who want to know Him (Romans 1).

Because God has provided only one way to salvation demonstrates His love, not His hatred.  People will be encouraged when they utilize the Bible as the main source of information about God and His instruction for the world.  When God sees a heart that wants to know Him, He will send knowledge to that person through the church, other people, or even the airwaves and technology (TV, radio, Internet searches).

Anyone who has ever been born knows about God.  It’s important that we don’t mold God into our own ideas of what He should be or what He is to us.  Instead, God molds us into what He desires for our lives.  He doesn’t care about our past behaviors or mistakes.  Forget your past sins and be defined by your identity in Christ.

Follow His guidelines for living so that you can know Him as He is—the Savior of the world and your personal advocate in front of God!