Do you believe there are other ways to get to heaven?
Many cultures, religions, and groups of people believe there are many ways to reach heaven; the afterlife is promised to those who live their best lives here on earth.
But Christianity … it doesn’t teach that, does it? 🤔
The Bible seems to teach that there is only one way to heaven and that is through Christ … but is this actually true?
The Way to Get to Heaven…
In John, Jesus declares Himself as the gateway to the Father, and while I interpret this as heaven, the deeper question lies … where is heaven and who is it promised to.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
John 14:6
The Scripture assures us that heaven is promised to those who are heirs of Christ, and Jesus also says that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the children.
Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ
Philippians 3:20 ESV
But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 19:14 ESV
The Bible doesn’t explicitly teach ‘how to get to heaven’. Instead, it concentrates on two things:
- Belief in Christ secures our eternal life
- Belief in Christ guarantees that we can be in the presence of the Father
The Bible also teaches that heaven is temporary. Revelation talks about a new heaven and a new earth being made in the last days, where Christ will dwell with us. So, when we talk about heaven, what we really ask about is eternal life with God.
The Kingdom of God (the Kingdom of Heaven) belongs to those who are in a relationship with God through Christ. But how can we attain a relationship with God? What are the requirements for that?
Some may say practicing good works, while others believe that meditation and spiritual awareness are the keys.
I struggled with this. What *exactly* do I need to gain a relationship with the Father? What’s the secret formula that I need to follow to spend eternity with God in His Kingdom?
This question—how to get to heaven—was one that plagued my mind. God gave me an answer, but it’s not the answer that you’d expect. Yes, the Bible makes it explicitly clear that Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father, but then … there are other ways you can get to heaven. The question is: is it worth the difficulty?
Storytime: The Road to Heaven
What do you mean, there are other ways to get to heaven?
First things first, let’s understand that this idea of ‘heaven’, really means living in the presence of God. Heaven, as a place to live, has several dimensions and levels, something that I won’t discuss here.
What I really want to talk about is the ways we can ‘get to heaven’ if we were considering being in God’s presence.
So, here’s the story…
***
In a class, a teacher tells her students that for them to pass her math class, they’ll need to revise for the tests she’s going to give them. She tells them the topics covered on the test, then tells her students that if they want to pass her class, they need to revise these specific topics.
Let’s say, for example, that the topic is algebra (which I happen to love, BTW). The teacher tells her class that they need to know the basics of algebra, specifically the parts of an algebraic expression and how to solve a linear equation, to pass her class.
The sensible thing for most students is to practice the topics that the teacher said would be on the test. This way, they can guarantee that they’ll pass. However, what if a child were born a genius? They have no need to study or practice because they already know everything. Would that child still pass?
The short answer: yes. They know everything they need, even beyond what the teacher requires her students to practice.
However, if a child wanted to be a genius, they’d be forced to spend countless hours studying and learning topics that would never be on the test. After all is said and done, all the weariness of endless studying would cause them to fail the exam, because they refused to practice the topics that were given.
***
So, what does this analogy have to do with getting to heaven?
The Free Pass to Heaven…
Jesus is the ultimate gatekeeper of God’s presence. He says to us, whoever believes in Him, whoever has seen Him, and whoever knows Him, also knows the Father.
Accepting Christ and trusting in Him is ‘the topic’ needed to get into the Father’s presence. God, through salvation, bridges the gap between Himself and fallen man.
Salvation was brought to the Jews first, then the Gentiles. In the Old Testament, the Hebrews were required to know all the laws and to follow them thoroughly. They even had to give sacrifices for unintentional or unknown sins.
They had to be *geniuses*, but even still, being before God’s presence still wasn’t a guarantee. The law became a stumbling block, something that wore them out as they struggled to abide by it. Yet, the Bible says of Abraham that he believed in God, and it was counted unto him as righteousness. Through this belief, Abraham developed a personal relationship with God.
Galatians says that all who rely on works of the law are under a curse. If one wanted to get to heaven without Christ, they would have to be born sinless and without blemish.
For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
Galatians 3:10
We are not born sinless, and those who strive to attain a sinless nature through the law will find that the law will be their downfall.
Christ gave us a simple formula: believe in Him, accept His atonement, and live through the Holy Spirit. Our faith is exercised through the Holy Spirit who lives inside us.
There are other ways to ‘pass’ the test, but these ways are not guarantees. If we, being born in sin, were able to attain a sinless nature on our own, through our good works, then there wouldn’t be a need for atonement. But going against God’s desire isn’t as simple as following hundreds of laws written in a book.
We were born under a fallen government, ruled by forces that oppose God’s heavenly Kingdom. We were born citizens of the Kingdom of Darkness, adversaries of the Throne. But through salvation, we can seek refuge in God’s Kingdom, being given a new citizenship once we denounce our old one.
We cannot undo the disobedience that was done by Adam. The Bible teaches that the heart of man is desperately wicked.
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?10“I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”Jeremiah 17:9-10
Why We Need Christ
Christ is the mediator between God and man. The chord that was severed by Adam’s disobedience has now been restored by Christ’s sacrifice. We can’t enter God’s holy presence in a sinful state, yet, because of Jesus, we can stand before God.
Christ is the eternal priest who, on our behalf, enters into God’s presence and mediates on our behalf. When we put our trust in Christ, we say we believe that His sinless nature, His role in the Godhead, and His oneness with the Father are more than enough to allow us direct communication and relationship with God.
The Bible tells us that it isn’t our works, but our belief in Christ, that is counted as righteousness before God.
Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5And to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.
Romans 3:4-5
If we consider all the facts that we can never be sinless without the redemptive work of Christ, the short answer is ‘no’, there is no other way to heaven.
Now, other religions teach differently, but they also require you to do various types of work, keep various laws, and observe special holidays and feasts; even then, salvation or heaven is not guaranteed.
The Guaranteed Pass
The Bible teaches us that our belief in Christ, our faith in Him, and His work guarantee our salvation, and the seal of this guarantee is the Holy Spirit.
In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, 12in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory. 13And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:11-14
In the end, Christ being the only way to heaven is a blessing, as it ensures that as long as I trust Him, I will be guaranteed an inheritance with Him in this life and in the life to come.
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2 responses to “Is there another way to Heaven?”
Jesus is the way, the truth and the light No way goes to the Father except through Him. That’s correct, like the maths lecturer said to pass his maths assignment you must study hard on the maths subject including the genus so if you must come to Jesus to get to God you must read the word of God studiously and obey His word in other to do what the Lord want from you to pass His marks. I like this write-up.
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Reblogged this on Becoming the Oil and the Wine.
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