Are There Other Paths to Heaven?

One of the most heartbreaking statements I hear from people is this:

I really believe that all “higher powers” are the same god, and as long as you believe that and are basically a good person, you’ll still go to Heaven.

Before I came to a sincere and true relationship with my Savior, I believed this. I had been exposed to many different religions by some well-intentioned people, and there were commonalities to many of these faith beliefs. Furthermore, I knew that God was a God of love, so I figured that as long as people were living a good life, they would show up in Heaven one day. But – I was wrong.

Let’s start first with the “good enough” piece. What exactly is good enough? How do you know you’ve achieved “good enough”? Let me give you an example. Let’s say that you have a very wealthy uncle who wants you to plant him the perfect garden. Once you have planted it to his definition of perfection, he will pay you one billion dollars. You quickly accept his offer and begin planting. Each day he comes out to inspect your work, but each day he manages to find at least one weed, one dying plant, some rock out of place, or a flower that isn’t the right color. He hasn’t given you any specific goal – it just needs to be “good enough” to meet his standards.

This sounds like an impossible situation, because you really don’t know if you will ever get the money. It is the same with Heaven. How good do you need to be to get there, and is that an eternal chance you really want to take? Here is what the Bible says about this:

“No one is righteous-not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”
Romans 3:11-12 (NLT). -Paul quoting the Psalms

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:23-24

The Bible tells us that none of us are “good enough” because we have all sinned. Heaven isn’t “good enough” – it’s perfect. Perfection is only possible when sin and the pain sin causes are absent. But the good news is that we are justified through faith in Jesus, and through him we can be given perfected bodies and minds and spend eternity in a perfect Heaven.

But is Jesus really the only way to Heaven? Aren’t all gods equal?

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6 (NIV)

“Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
-Words of the apostle Peter in Acts 4:11-12 (NIV)

If it is true that there are other paths to Heaven, then Jesus was a liar. Jesus said that he was the only way to heaven, and his disciples understood this to be true. Jesus is God, and God cannot lie. It simply isn’t in his nature.

The truth is that, although there are similarities throughout many faiths, there are some significant differences. The biggest difference is that Christianity is the ONLY faith where God came to us and did the work for us so that we could achieve salvation. In every other faith, it is up to the human to somehow earn their way to Heaven. God knows that we are flawed and can never earn anything, so he did the work for us. Jesus left paradise to come to earth as a human being living in abject poverty. He lived a sinless life – something that none of us could do. On the cross, Jesus took on every sin that had ever been committed by anyone, and he paid the penalty for that sin on our behalf. Then he defeated sin and death when he was raised to life.

Jesus did what none of us could do. And God, in his love for us, outlined exactly what we need to do in order to go to Heaven. We simply need to believe that Jesus is the holy Son of God, that he died for our sins, and that he rose again in victory. We need to confess that we are sinners in need of a Savior and repent or turn away from our sin. Then we hand our lives over to Jesus and let his Holy Spirit guide us instead of trying to do this on our own.

With Jesus on your side, you are freed from the bondage of sin, and you have the Creator of the Universe fighting your battles with you and for you. You have a Savior who has experienced everything you have and wants to carry you through whatever it is that is happening in your life. You have a wonderful, perfect counselor who can heal you and help you to live a life filled with joy. And you will have peace knowing that you are secure in your Savior’s arms.

“But I really believe there are other options!” I need to be blunt here – it doesn’t matter how hard you believe something if it isn’t true. I can really believe that a plain backpack is a parachute, but if I jump out of a plane with it, I will die. The only belief that will save you is a belief in Jesus Christ — and only Jesus Christ — to redeem you, free you, and save you. This is an eternal decision.

If you are questioning if Christianity is truth, please see our article “How Do We Know Christianity is True?” below.

Is Christianity True?

Our Attitude Toward Non-Believers

For those who have read the article “Is Christianity True?” this section is repeated there. I feel that this topic is so important that it bears repeating.

What should our attitude be toward those who hold other faith beliefs? What about those who choose to hold no faith beliefs? Should we disassociate with them entirely? In Matthew 12:30, Jesus says that anyone not with him is against him. Should we hate the non-believer? The short answer is that we need to love, pray and witness. Here is what the Bible tells us about our relationships with non-believers.

Remember that God desperately wants the unbeliever to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:9) It breaks his heart when someone chooses hell over the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Our hearts should also break as we watch friends, co-workers, and even family members go down the dark path of unbelief, not only because of their eternity, but because of the pain they inevitably face in this life.
We should pray for God to open doors to allow us to witness. (Colossians 4:2-6). When giving the “Great Commission” of Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus was speaking to all believers, not just to pastors and those in full time ministry. Each of us has a “mission field” at home, in our neighborhood, at work, or wherever we spend our time. The goal here is not to shove the gospel down someone’s throat, but to show Jesus in how we live and how we speak. It is to pray for them and ask God to give an opportunity to share the gospel to them, speaking the truth in love. It is to love them and care for them, demonstrating to them the love God has for them, and his desire that they turn to him in faith.
We should not be unequally “yoked” with non-believers. (2 Corinthians 6:14) In pre-technology days, two oxen would be yoked together to plow the field. As long as the oxen were similar, they would help each other out, but if one was stronger, both suffered. The same is true in relationships. This doesn’t mean we should not associate with non-believers; but we need to consider this in our serious relationships. Marriage is the obvious example. For those not yet married, it is not advisable to date an unbeliever. “Missionary dating” does not produce lasting results, because someone may pretend to convert simply in order to win the person over. The same holds true for a business relationship. Regardless of how “morally good” someone seems, it is faith and devotion to Jesus that governs the hard decisions. I can personally attest to the pain of being blatantly deceived by a non-believer in the business world.
We should not act like non-believers. As Christians, the world is watching us, and if they see no difference, we will be seen as hypocrites. Romans 12:2 and James 4:4-5 tell us that we shouldn’t be influenced by the world, but we should be changed by our relationship with Jesus. Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, but he didn’t act like them. Every time he was with them, they were the ones affected. Likewise, we should be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1) and always strive to be the influencers.
Above all, love. I doubt that anyone was ever hated, coerced, or beaten into the Kingdom of God. Loving people, regardless of their beliefs, is the best way to open doors. (Matthew 22:36-40, Micah 6:8)

Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
Ephesians 4:15-16 (NLT)

Resources

“How Is Christianity Different From Other Religions?” by Alan Shlemon.

“3 Key Differences between Christianity and Other Religions” by Eric Davis.

“What Makes Christianity Different?” by David Williams.

“Connecting with the Divine: The major world religions and their beliefs about God” by Marilyn Adamson.

Songs of Victory

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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