Is Jesus the only way to be saved? Well, truly, that's entirely up to Jesus

           ‘Is Jesus the only way to be saved? the only way to Life? 

           Is Jesus truly the only key which allows entrance into the Kingdom of God?’

             The short answer would be--only Jesus can answer this question.

           

             If Jesus is who he says he is, then he's the only one qualified to answer the question of salvation after-death.  For he's the only one whom Death has never defeated. Because if Christ was telling the truth while he walked the earth and as was recorded in the Gospels and if he rose from the dead such that today, this very moment, he is alive, then yes, he is the way, the life, and the truth. No one comes to the Father except through the Son. No one knows true, playful, eternal life, the life only found in the Kingdom for children like Paul, but through Jesus, the Christ.

People object to the narrowness of this way, the arrogance of this God! Narrow, yes, it is. But if God is the only true, living God, is he not narrow by default, just by being the only real God? And we are in a dire situation, are we not? The fact that there is even a possibility that Life could result at the end of all things even after all the pain humans have caused, that is astonishing enough. But that it is God—the one who did nothing wrong!—who has created the way out for us, though we do not deserve it, though we wronged him, this should bring us to tears.

This Great Story is perhaps narrow in its form (because there is only one, true God—what else can he do!), but not in invitation. All are invited. All may choose.

            But back to the question and we are struck by the hiddenness of the Great Story’s plot. The remnant are those who trust in God’s grace. How do you know who actually trusts the grace of the God writing this Story? You cannot see who believes God to be ‘Father’.      

            Who is the remnant?

Only God knows for sure. I would be the first to admit that there are those who call themselves Christians, but judging simply by their visible actions, do not seem to understand the Gospel which gifts that terribly exacting title. And I am not the first to make this admission, for Christ does in the Great Story.

 

He says that on the last day many will say, ‘Lord, did we not prophecy in your name and cast out demons in your name?’ And he will look at them and say, ‘But I never knew you!’

A more horror-inducing thought I cannot imagine. But clearly, on that last day there will be those who thought they were ‘Christians’ only to discover that they never had a relationship with the God of the Great Story. They never went by the narrow way. I do not know what was in their soul or what illusions fooled them. I pray that will not be me. And I do not say this to make you afraid, or question salvation.

But yes, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Only you know who your soul answers to, only I know with mine. Let us pray with each other and let us share our Christ’s meal as one body.However, it is clear that there are those who think they are part of the Remnant, but are not.

            But now we get to an answer for our question, ‘Is Jesus the only way to God?’

I want to immediately say that there is no way of proving this and it is only a desperate man’s hope for his faithful sister and brother in other religions, on other paths of life. We all know that there are those—Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists, Agnostics, people who don’t give a damn about spirituality—who are good and compassionate and honest and selfless and humble people. They seem to embody the Great Story and seem to live in a way that acknowledges a relationship with the Father. Again, it is only visible, and this Gospel is one of the soul which is never fully seen. But here is the thought.

            If there are those who think they are of the Remnant, but are not (according to Jesus), why could that not work the other way?

Why could there not be those who think they are acting faithfully toward another god, or no god at all, but actually are involved in a relationship with the living God through Jesus Christ?

Our God is merciful. I pray he is even more merciful than I could possibly imagine and I believe he is. My faith is in Jesus Christ and the resurrected Jesus Christ—he who is alive this very day!—alone. I am compelled by his living blood.

I believe that God offers life only through Jesus, the Messiah. This is, for lack of a less vulgar word, the mechanism for oneness with God, for the re-fashioning of Creation in the image of its Creator. Jesus is the firstborn of the new creation, the new world (and new world order!) that began two thousand years ago and is growing every day. The light is slowly driving out the darkness. But does everyone have to know that this is the mechanism?

 

Perhaps, God in his infinite mercy and love knows how his plan of salvation works (for it is his plan), knows that it is only through the death and resurrection of his Son that men and women can find true, perfected life in his family, but is able (in his infinite skill) to attribute this fact retroactively to those who do not know it yet. Perhaps, the fact that God is not constrained by time aids in more ways than we can realize; it allows him, if this is even possible, to be even more merciful then how he appears to us today.

If some call themselves Christians, and Christ says that he does not know them, then I wonder if there are those who do not call themselves Christians, but are very much known by the Lord, indeed?

            And in fact, the Great Story speaks to this too. On that same last day those allowed into the Kingdom without having sought it will say, ‘Lord, when did we see you?’

And Jesus Christ, the only way into the Kingdom of his Father—and the one, notice!, speaking and deciding who is allowed to enter his Kingdom—will say, ‘In whatever you did to the least of these brothers of mine, you did unto me.’

Do not be angry friend. You agreed to your wages. And does not the Master have the power to do with his money how he likes; why be angry that though you worked eleven hours and another man only one, you both receive the same payment? Is it not amazing enough that we are to receive Life at all!

Jesus judges who is allowed into the Kingdom and who is not—Jesus! And his judgment is on the basis of a friendship or lack thereof. But apparently, there will be those who thought they knew him, but never knew him. And there will be those whom he knows, whether they imagined they knew him or not.

            What an incredibly comforting thought. It brings me such joy. Our Father is so good, so much better than we even give him credit for…so, so good.