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Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
There was a story in Reader’s Digest about some cotton farmers who were whiling away a winter afternoon around the pot-bellied stove. They soon became entangled in a heated discussion on the merits of their respective religions. The eldest of the farmers had been sitting quietly, just listening, when the group turned to him and demanded, “Who’s right, old Jim? Which one of these religions is the right one?”
“Well,” Jim said, thoughtfully. “You know, there are three ways to get from here to the cotton gin. You can go right over the big hill. That is the shortest, but it’s a powerful climb. You can go around the east side of the hill. That’s not too far, but the road is rougher ‘n tarnation. Or you can go around the west side of the hill, which is the longest way, fer sure, but the easiest.
“But, you know,” he said, looking them squarely in the eye, “when you get there, the gin man don’t ask you how you come. He just asks, ‘Man, how good is your cotton?’”
I share that story because it illustrates a common perception many people have. That is, there are many roads or paths that lead to God and, in the end, any one of them will work.
Many people look at the positive aspects and elements of different religions and say, of course they’ll make the cut. After all, they extol humility, generosity, prayer, devotion, fasting. Who’s to say that the path they have chosen does NOT lead to God?
Who IS to say? That’s the million-dollar question. How would God answer it?
Let’s take a look at what several sources say about God’s answer to that question. In the Ten Commandments He gave Moses, He declared, “You are to have no other gods before me.” His people were not to turn to “worthless idols.” Why were they worthless? Because the gods they stood for were really no gods at all!
Then there are the prophets God spoke through. Isaiah, one of God’s prophets, said, “I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God” (Isaiah 45:5).
A second source is the Son of God, Jesus, who claimed to be God. His resurrection from the dead nailed that down! Jesus did not share the perspective that all paths would lead to God – not even Judaism. In spite of the fact that the God the Jews looked to was the true and living God, unless they accepted the salvation offered through Him they would not even make it to be with God.
Jesus told them, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. I do not accept praise from men, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.” (John 5:39-43)
Jesus was very explicit about the fact that all paths do NOT lead to God; there is only one way. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” Jesus said (John 14:6).
Another source would be those Jesus had the most direct influence upon – those who wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit: His disciples. They shared Jesus’ sentiments: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Why can we trust Jesus as our path?
His way is … dependable. Those leaders and prophets for other religions have all died and been buried. We don’t know for sure where they are. But eyewitnesses saw Jesus ascend into heaven. We know where He has gone to – the right hand of God.
His truth is … reliable. The devil is a liar. He will seek to deceive even the elect.
How good is your cotton? There’s one important thing missing from that story. The fact is, the path you take can affect the quality of your “cotton.” And there’s only one way that our cotton can be “white as snow.”
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