OUR ONLY WAY TO SALVATION IS THROUGH JESUS CHRIST
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from Afrikaans: “Ons enigste weg na redding is deur Jesus Christus”
The other day I thought on how good our Lord is to me by way of the neighbours He has given me.
My neighbours on the left, right and behind me are all good and very kind people.
I do not know the people in front of me, because there is a large open field between us and they live in the next street.
However, if this is all that can be said about me and my neighbours;
“That we are good people, living good and clean lives” then I fear, we are pitiable people.
I would like to share with you today about the false perception that; living a beautiful and clean and good life will bring you into Heaven.
You see, when I think that if I lead a beautiful and clean and good life, I’m on my way to Heaven, I’ll miss the mark completely.
If I can go to Heaven because I lead a beautiful and clean and good life and do good to other people, then why did Jesus die on the cross! For then it would have been possible to enter Heaven without Jesus.
In contrast Jesus says:
JOHN 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Now notice what Jesus did not say –
He does not say:
“I am a way…”
Jesus also does not say:
“I am one more way… or an additional / supplementary / further way…”
Even less does Jesus not say:
“I am one of the ways… “
Jesus says:
John 14: 6 “ I am THE way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
As I have said so many times, I now say again – If Jesus says:
“I am the way and the truth and the life ; … ”
Then I can only assume that there is no other way to have a true relationship with God, or to make it to Heaven.
Then I can accept that no good deed, or other faith, or wonderful life, or whatever, is going to get me there.
Now why am I telling you this?
Because many parents for example, think because their children live such wonderful good lives, they are on their way to Heaven.
Many children think; because their parents are such wonderful people, they are on their way to Heaven.
It does not matter how wonderful my child or my mother or father or brother or sister or friend or girlfriend is – if they have not accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour, they are on their way to hell and if I do nothing about it, I so to say – stand back and watch them stepping towards hell.
Now you may rightly say that you cannot talk to that loved one. Maybe you cannot, because you do not have the courage.
Maybe you’ve talked but it does not help.
If you have done everything that you could do on your part, then there is one more thing you need to do and what you need to do daily and that is to pray for them.
Because you see, there is only one way one can become a child of God:
JOHN 1:12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
ACTS 4:12 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.”
The NLT puts it this way:
ACTS 4:12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
Any other way that seems right to reach out to our Lord, no matter how beautiful, is just one of the many paths satan use to lead people to hell.
That is why our Lord also tells us in His Word –
It is Jesus speaking here:
JOHN 10:9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. ‘
PRO 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
Greetings,
Sakkie