"Is Jesus the only way to Heaven?" 3rd November 2015

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (Matthew

28:18).

An important question that every Christian must know and readily be able to answer to anyone: Yes, Jesus is the

only way to heaven. Such an exclusive statement may grate on the postmodern era, but it is true nonetheless. One

may inquire as to how we could ascertain this statement. We can read in the Bible which teaches that there is no

other way to salvation than through Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself says in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the

life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He does not say it is a way, as in one of many; He is the way,

as in the one and only. As Christians our main objective in this l ife is to reach Heaven…to spend eternity in the

presence of God. As we read in above that Jesus said: “No one comes to the Father except through me”. No

one…, regardless of reputation, achievement, special knowledge, or personal holiness, can come to God the Father

except through Jesus.

By reading the Gospels we can learn more that Jesus is the only way to heaven for several reasons. Jesus is the

only One to have come down from the heavenly realms and returned there. We can read in John 3:13 “ No one

has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man”. Even as Christians we know

how difficult it is to l ive a sinless l ife. But Jesus was the only person to have lived a perfect human life: “For we do

not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted

in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). He was the atoning sacrifice for the sin of

humanity: “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world

(1 John 2:2).

It is only through this sacrifice that today, we can receive salvation and the possibility of entering heaven. But as

Christians we must bear in mind that after receiving forgiveness and thus salvation, we need to l ive in keeping with

Gods ways. In Hebrews 10:26 we can learn: “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the

knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left”. We can also learn that Jesus is the only Mediator between

God and man: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus (1

Timothy 2:5). Jesus is the only man whom God has exalted to the highest place. “Therefore God exalted him to the

highest place and gave him the name that is above every name (Philippians 2:9). Jesus spoke of Himself as the only way to heaven in several places besides John 14:6. He presented Himself as the

object of faith. We read of an important statement in Matthew 7:21 - “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’

will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven ”. We have

to believe and have faith in Him and carryout His will. We have to read, learn and meditate on his word and

through that to change our l ives in keeping with His will. Because Jesus also said His words are l ife: “The Spirit

gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life” (John

6:63). Through His word we can learn as to how hopelessly distanced we are from God… and as such decide to

change our l ives accordingly. He promised that those who believe in Him will have eternal l ife:“Just as Moses lifted

up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,15 that everyone who believes may have

eternal life in him.” (John 3:14–15).

We can learn in John 10 where Jesus said that He was the gate of the sheep. We are the sheep and He is the gate

to the kingdom of God: “Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep (John 10:7).

On the same subject we can learn that Jesus is the way of l ife by believing in His ways: John 6:35; “Then Jesus

declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will

never be thirsty. This reference of hunger and thirst is not in the physical aspect but in eternal terms. We can also

learn that for those who believe in Him will l ive even when we die because He is the resurrection availed to us as

Christians. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though

they die (John 11:25). No one else can rightly claim those titles.

As Chris tians we must know that e ternal life in heaven is made possible only through our faith in Christ. We can learn when

Jesus prayed as s tated in John 17: “2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those

you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have

sent”(John 17:3). Therefore to receive God’s free gift of salvation, we must have Faith in the name of Jesus, because this is only

made possible for our salvation. To receive salvation, we must have faith in Jesus, that He died for us on the cross as the

payment for the sins of humanity… He died but also that He was resurrected three days later. As Christians we must know that

those who believe and have Faith in the name of Jesus, can receive salvation. We can learn this i s Romans 3: “This

righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (Romans 3:22). When we believe and through

fa i th in Him which make us change to be righteous people…and thus get closer to God…

Our prayer is that, may we all have faith that eternal l i fe is possible only through Jesus Christ. Through our faith in

Him, we can achieve this very important goal in our l ives as Christians. We can all learn that when the eleven

disciples went to Galilee: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been

given to me (Matthew 28:18). To the skeptics this will further confirm that Jesus is the only way to heaven… and

that there is no other doorway other than through Jesus Christ of Nazareth…“I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).