Looking for Loopholes in All the Wrong Places – Part 7

Looking for Loopholes in All the Wrong Places – Part 7

Aren’t There Many Paths to Heaven?

Today we continue with our series called “Looking for Loopholes in All the Wrong Places.”  As a reminder, Webster’s dictionary defines a loophole as “a means of escape” and “an ambiguity or omission in the text through which the intent of a statute, contract, or obligation may be evaded.”  

As Christians, it can be very tempting to try to find “loopholes” in the Bible that could allow us to pick and choose the parts we like and discard the parts we don’t.  I know because I have done this myself.  Every one of the supposed “loopholes” that I am discussing I have tried at one point in time in my life, and the one we will discuss today is no exception.  

I also want to remind us all how very much God loves us!  God gave us a manual for life that tells us how to be physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy and to have good relationships with him and with others around us.  When we try to find loopholes in that life manual, we hurt ourselves and those around us. This is why it is so important to confront these “loopholes” directly so that we can heal and thrive.    

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.

This is perhaps one of the most heartbreaking statements I hear from people.  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 have missed any of the other articles in this series, you can find them here:

1. Since God already knows what I need, do I still need to pray?
2. Is it still sin if I have a good reason for doing it?
3. Do I really need to read the Bible or can I just rely on someone else to tell me what it says?
4. If I am a “New Testament Christian”, do the Old Testament rules no longer apply?
5. Relevance of the Bible today in an age of “enlightenment”
6. Dealing with Biblical Contradictions

“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.  

Citations

1. Webster’s Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loophole

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.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® NIV®Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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