Exclusivity: Is Jesus the Only Way? Isnt that arrogant?

WWW.IMGOOD.ME    I don’t ever remember missing a church service as a kid.  And there were weeks when we had church every night of the week.  I accepted Jesus in my heart when I was 5, was baptized.  But at the age of 19 and 20 I had a crisis of faith.  See, the relationship a Christian claims is one that comes not by culture but by virtue of a personal choice to follow Jesus Christ. "Christian ideas may be inherited within a culture, but the Christian commitment is a personal affirmation." (Crownover) I made friends with a Buddhist, at work, and he was really nice and I just couldn’t believe God was going to send him to hell.  I got really desperate for some answers, but none were forthcoming.  For 6 months we worked together, Rainbow Grocery Store, and my faith got the snot beat out of it.  I had so much anxiety and conflict I decided to take off and backpack into the Sierras for 3 weeks and fast and pray and read my Bible. 

 Growing up I was told that discipline was the answer to every problem.  So that is what I did.  This mountain rendezvous left my faith naked with fear and forgotten in the cold and exposed to the elements of doubt.  Those three weeks changed the chemical composition of my faith.  I read the Bible all day long, sun up to sun down.  I would pray at night, sticking my head into the stars, and dizzying myself with existential questions. God found me on the mountain.  What happened was so life-altering that for the next 4 years, every summer I would retreat for 3-6 weeks with nothing but water and books.  I have shared some of my experiences from time to time, but much of what happened there, remains there.  Here is where it gets confusing.  In all those weeks of foodless forays into wilderness searchings I never got one answer.  At least I didn’t get one answer that sticks with me to this day.  I can't say that I returned knowing more about God as Judge of Eternal Souls.  I was given something more real than an answer and more wonderful than list of attendees at Dante's Inferno. I was given a relationship with God.  And when I connected with God, on that lone mountain side on Silver Lake, it was through Jesus Christ. 

So what is it about Jesus that is exclusive? Why do Christians claim to have the only answer? That they know the true God of the universe? That Jesus is the only way? 

I think the reasons why Christians make these claims is quite simple. Jesus’ life, crucifixion, subsequent burial and resurrection led to a polarizing "grab bag" of thought and theory.

Jesus made many promises, some were utterly fantastic such as eternal life.  Others were hard to swallow such as, “No man comes to the Father but by me.”  Some were wondrous and comforting, such as, “I will never leave you.”  

But the polarizing and subversive, counter-culture Jesus claimed to be one with the Father, claimed to exist before Abraham (who lived 2,000 before Jesus).  Yes, it was Jesus (not his followers ) who claimed that he descended from heaven, many religions have prophets going to heaven, but a God descending?

A couple quotes make it easy to see why Christianity is so exclusive.
“He that sees me has seen the Father.” Buddha never said that.  “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mohammed never claimed this ability.  “Whoever believes in me will never die.”  Confucius never made this boast. “Lazarus, come forth.”  The Zen Masters never said this. “Why are you troubled.  Why do doubts rise in your minds?  Look at my hands and feet.  It is I.  Touch me.  A ghost has no flesh and bones.”  And who in all of history made this claim, even the Mars Hills Philosophers were baffled by this.  "Exclusive Lordship wasn’t something foisted on Jesus after he was gone - he claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life. He was either insane or accurate: there’s no middle ground.  And his disciples were either duped, deceptive or faithfully declaring the truth." (Johnston).

All that being said Jesus made it clear that his followers were to hold this truth in tension with humility, meekness, and compassion.  I don’t believe authentic followers of Jesus are arrogant.  If they are the real deal they are poor in spirit, meek, merciful, seekers of justice, peacemakers, and pure hearted.  

Here is what i know.  There is no one else for me.  I am so in love with Jesus Christ that it heals me.  And this love is so great I want the world to know. 

Comments

[Shocked]

Is "Brent the Rhodes Man" serious in the question about a good God doing bad things? In his answer, he says a couple times, that atheism is "reasonable", and even academically "acceptable"? Is he serious?? No absolute proof that God exists? This is a student of theology? Good stuff so far on the website. This remark stunned me.

[Wayne]

Yes, His followers are meek, merciful and kindhearted. But like any loving father, when his home is attacked, he puts meekness down:

"... the gospel truth is never so accommodating. John the Baptist was ferocious with the Pharisees (Mt 3:7-8), Jesus trounced Peter when he tried to interfere with the His mission, (Mt 16:22-23) and Paul was willing to publicly rebuke hypocrisy, even when committed by a respected disciple (Gal 2:11-14). To be sure, there is a place for gentleness. But never at the expense of truth."

[Jeffrey Garner]

Wayne, I agree. And i find it interesting that in each case mentioned (Pharisees, Peter, and 'respected disciple') we are dealing with insiders and their attitudes and conduct and understanding of Jesus mission. I don't see where, I could be missing something, we'll i know i am missing something :-). but I don't see where arrogance ever plays a role in addressing the unbeliever and the sinner. Jesus vociferously attacks those who claim to know him, his mission and his teachings. But when its the skeptic Thomas, or the sinful adulterous woman or the Philosophers on Mars Hill. The approach is different.

[Jeffrey Garner]

Shocked, yes Brent the Rhodes Scholar is serious. I appreciate what he is doing. He is guarding the faith as a faith and not letting it digress to facts and proofs. John Dewey says, “The quest for certainty has always been an effort to transcend belief.”

[Wayne]

Jeff, What then of the ungodly who hold a cloak up of spirituality? Is this not false doctrine? Gay pastors trying to reinterpret the Text and actually claim God smiles on homosexuality. You are right about the sinner -- when that one is ignorant, hungry, acknowledging a need for help. Shouldn't the stiffnecked be rebuked? In Isaiah God rebuked another King for "strutting his stuff" against Hezekiah.

You're right about emphasizing love more. It can't be over-corrected. We don't want to be identified with what we're against more than the good news that we are for. Bless you.

[Shocked]

Faith is more than pulling a rabbit from a habit. It's more than believing in hocus pocus. It is true and ulimate reality. Otherwise, we are just going along with their show -- that there is a compartmentalization between the two: reality and faith. This is a pernicious lie that we don't need to be taken captive by.

I don't think Brent the Rhodes really believes that statement, and was simply compromising what he saw as a much smaller truth, to gain credibility to address the larger truth.

Atheism is, in fact, not reasonable. With respect, I would say a Deist holds a reasonable position, or even an agnostic -- but not an atheist. An atheist is a fool (loving Scripture language). They hold to a truth claim that can't be proven by their own law. His design is plain to them so they are without excuse (Romans 1). It's quite obvious there is a designer and we shouldn't give any ground on that.

I expect postured academia from other ranks, but not from our own.

[Jeffrey Garner]

Wayne,

This post isnt about the ungodly who hold up a cloak of spirituality. This post is about is Jesus Christ the only way? When did we start talking about Gay Pastors and Stiffnecked? Man, that was a huge leap! If you can direct me to your blog I would be happy to interact with the questions you raise on your blog. But this is way out of context. you are talking about "Christians" who practice homosexuality. I am talking about "unbelievers" who think that Jesus and his church is a sham. We are talking about two categorically different audiences.

[Jeffrey Garner]

Shocked,

Your post got me to thinking about something i wrote on Sunday. "While faith may provide security, it never is so confident that it ceases to be faith.

I have learned that proof is not truth, and facts never produce faith. Louis Berkhof said, “The revelational encounter…confirms our doubt at the moment that it abolishes it. Because God makes himself known, we know once and for all that God can only be known by God.” God is not confirmed by science, validated by philosophy, substantiated by reason. God is revealed by God. This is what Jesus meant when he said to Peter, “flesh and blood didn’t reveal this to you but my father in heaven.” Yes, the heaven declare the glory of God and the skies show forth his glory. Yes they have a language declaring God, but we are so sinful, so fallen, so far from God that we can't hear, and in fact will ourselves not to hear.

I think that is why God says without faith its impossible to please God. In the moment when we think we have proven our faith it morphs into something else. It becomes science or formula or a predictable equation, but its not faith. And when we don’t need faith, we don’t need God. We, in fact, by removing the mystery, have displaced God with our comprehension. We have become God. We understand all. (or so we think).

My passion is to call people to faith, not comprehension. To call people to revelation and not manipulation. That’s why I keep pointing to God, as seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
"Look, behold, God has come to us!" Our questions and pains and indifferences are portals through which we can catch glimpses of Jesus Christ, and if we can see Jesus, I confess that we are seeing God.

[Wayne]

Touche.

[Wayne]

Thanks for the conversation -- how about this?

Jesus to "unbelievers": John 8:12-30. Yes, his is much harsher to the saved than to the unsaved. But neither is he backward about pronouncing truth. "You will die in your sins."

[Shocked]

I found this to be a powerful statement: "While faith may provide security, it never is so confident that it ceases to be faith."

Science is only testable because of an ordered universe, made by an intentioned Designer. Science doesn't "prove" God, but it sure is one of his biggest witnesses that take the stand for Truth. Yes, some are only comfortable when approaching the Divine with their box of reason... which is simply impossible because "his ways are above our ways, thoughts above our thoughts."

Still, as a Christian, I gain no merit to agree that being an atheist is a "reasonable position." I use Dr. David Berlinski as an example -- a secular Jew/agnostic, who feels the same.

Maybe there's a better way of gaining trustful dialogue with a cynic? I don't believe even Paul, at Mars Hill, took exception to validate the "reasonableness" of their ideas (though he took other very "innovative" approaches to deliver his message)

[Shocked]

What you said above about faith and reason is simply incredible. Do you have an audio archive of the message?

[Jeffrey Garner]

www.imgood.com check out the podcasts and www.sflighthouse.com again check out the podcasts. I am not sure if Sundays is up yet, but in all fairness they should be listened to in order since they build off of each other.

[Jeffrey Garner]

Unbelievers in John 8, must be qualified by Jews. These were no random sinners. These were religious teachers of the Law of God. These men knew every verse on the Messiah. They were witnessing the Son of God in action. They blinked at the miracles, snuffed at the teachings, and quoted Moses and Micah. They were witnessing the greatest moment in the history of the world and they knew it was coming and they still rejected it. Their unbelieving hearts can't be compared to an atheist's heart. And whereas without Christ we all die in our sins, Jesus approach to these bastions of elitism is well deserved.

[Wayne]

I suppose one could see it this way: a man is walking toward eternal damnation and plugging his ears at the signs for him to stop. You could either get his attention and talk to him about his favorite hobbies in hopes of stirring a relationship so you could "slip in" the Kindgom -- or you could exclaim to him "Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" Both have legitimacy I suppose. Both require love... and both can bear the marks of arrogance if the witness is truly arrogant. God bless both men who have the same goal in mind and may we be humbled by the mission.