Mythbusters
All Roads Lead to Heaven

by Pastor M. J. Fitch
June 27, 2010
Text:  John 14:6;  Romans 10:9-10

For an audio recording of the sermon click here

(This sermon begins with a 2 ½ minute video called "Heaven Helpline"

and can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=c46YzWpmtuM)

What will it take for us to get to heaven? Is it just in being a good person? Is it in practicing any one of the many world religions? Will all roads lead you to heaven, especially if you just give life that old college try and do your best? How are we going to get to heaven?

We are continuing our series on looking at statements that we hear in our world today about our faith. We are examining them to see if these statements are true. We need to find out what the Bible says and compare them with these statements - basing our faith on what God says - not what the world says. We've looked at some interesting statements. Statements like "Believing makes me a Christian" and "The Devil Made Me Do It" and "God wants me to be happy." And I know I for one have been challenged as I write these sermons to write down exactly what I believe the Bible says about these topics - rather than just saying whatever popular thing we hear in the world today.

And today's statement is one that is often spoken as a politically correct thing to say and it goes like this, "All Roads Lead to Heaven". Or to put it another way, "All people, no matter what their faith, will go to heaven, since all religions are equal." "What matters is being a good person - that is what will get you to heaven."

Let's take a closer look at these statements and see whether they are true statements or not. We'll discover what the Bible says and how the truth of the Bible can help us understand more about how we are saved.

Many people believe that just being good enough is what will get us into heaven. In fact, ten of the eleven world religions teach that you are saved by doing good deeds. Let's look at just a few of them.

In Buddhism, you "save yourself" through diligent hard work and meditation.

As a Muslim, you save yourself by living a life of good deeds. Allah will do the judging in the end and he decides who goes to Paradise or Hell according to their scales of good and bad deeds. The more bad deeds, the longer a Muslim will stay in the Hellfire and Allah will decide when they can come to Paradise.

And as a good Jew, you save yourself by repentance, prayer and working hard to obey the law. And as you obey God's law you live a life of doing good deeds.

You see most of the world's religions are based on what you do - struggling and striving to earn the good favor of God. They have to go on pilgrimages or perform a certain number of unspecified good deeds, or they have to pray in certain way or go through a cycle of reincarnation if they don't get it right the first time.

The emphasis is on what "you" do. How "you" can save yourself. But, as Lee Strobel says, "Jesus taught the opposite of what those other faiths teach. He said that nobody could do anything to merit heaven, so you might as well as well stop trying. He said that we're all guilty of wrongdoing. That's consistent with our experience. We know not a single person here today would claim to be perfect." (Lee Strobel, "Are There Many Paths to God", www.christianitytoday.com)

The Bible says in Romans 3 that we are all sinners- no one is righteous - not even one. And none of us can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. And that sin - the things that we do that is wrong - separates us from God because God is holy and perfect. God judges that sin and it has to be punished - the penalty has to be paid. Because of His great love for us, Jesus voluntarily offered to take our place -- to pay the penalty that we owe because of our wrongdoings. And it is only through His sacrifice that we can be saved.

Romans 3:23-25 says: "We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins."

It is impossible to be "good enough" to save ourselves. We are all sinners and no amount of "personal goodness" will close the gap between God's perfection and our imperfect, sinful selves. Good deeds are important - but they will not give us eternal life. We are saved only by trusting in what God has done for us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says this:

God saved you by His grace when you believed.

And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done,

So none of us can boast about it.

Salvation is a gift - we don't work for it, we don't deserve it, we don't earn it. We simply trust God for what He has done through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The thief on the cross, next to Jesus, gives us a perfect example of what it means to be saved based on faith alone. D.L. Moody described it this way:

The thief had nails through both hands, so that he could not work;

and a nail through each foot, so that he could not run errands

for the Lord; he could not lift a hand or a foot toward his salvation,

and yet Christ offered him the gift of God; and he took it.

Christ threw him a passport, and took him into Paradise.

(D. L. Moody, "Day by Day with D.L Moody," Moody Press.)

There was nothing the thief could do as he hung on the cross - nothing except to believe and to trust that Jesus would remember him when He went into His kingdom.

Thus - we can say that the statement "Just be a good person and you'll get to heaven" is a myth that is busted. God's salvation is through personal faith in Jesus Christ. It is through your confession of faith - believing in your heart that Jesus is Lord. Romans 10:8-9 says, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." It is not by doing good works or just being a good person --- it is by believing in Jesus as Lord and putting your full trust in Him - alone.

But that brings us to the next statement. The popular belief today is that "Many religions can lead to eternal life…there are many ways to get to God." People want to believe all paths, all roads, and all faiths lead to God; that they are all equal. In other words, even if there are differences between religions, they all have equal claims on the truth. You have your truth and I have my truth.

One way to describe this kind of thinking is to compare it to climbing a mountain. You can start anywhere at the base but eventually everyone comes to the same place at the top. There are just a variety of paths you can take to get there." ("Truth" by Dennis J. DeHaan, April 19, 2002, Our Daily Bread, www.odb.org)

But this kind of thinking goes against what Jesus said about Himself to his disciples in the upper room, before He went to the cross for our sins. In John 14:6 we read His words. Jesus said, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Notice, Jesus doesn't say, "I will show you the way." He said, "I am the way".

The Apostle Peter went on to teach the early church about Jesus as being the way to heaven. In Acts 4:12, Peter boldly declares that "There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved."

Today, to boldly declare that Jesus is the only way to heaven is seen as very arrogant and close-minded and intolerant. I read this week about Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of preacher Billy Graham, being on popular news talk program. The interviewer asked, "Are you one of those who believe that Jesus is exclusively the only way to heaven?" He added, "You know how mad that makes people these days!" Without blinking she replied, "Jesus is not exclusive. He died so that anyone could come to Him for salvation." God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son to die for our sins. Therefore anyone who believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). (Joe Stowell, Is Jesus Exclusive? In Our Daily Bread, Oct. 2, 2007, http://odb.org/2007/10/02/is-jesus-exclusive/) Jesus has been lifted up on the cross - and He is drawing all people to Himself.

You see our salvation is all about the Son of God. It is not about a religion but about a relationship with Christ. It is not about a system of beliefs but about our need of a Savior.

Karl Barth was a famous theologian of the 20th Century. Once, he was lecturing to a group of students at Princeton University. One student asked him a question that maybe you have thought about yourself:

"Sir", said the student, "don't you think that God has revealed

himself in other religions and not only in Christianity?"

Barth's answer really surprised the crowd. He said with conviction:

"No, God has not revealed Himself in any religion,

including Christianity.

He has revealed Himself in his Son."

As Pastor Richard Fairchild says, "That is the challenge and the scandal of our faith.

That is the great claim that Jesus makes - and the great stumbling block for many people. We are called to believe in a person, a living person; a person who claimed to not only speak for God

- but to be God." Jesus - and Jesus alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life. (Richard Fairchild, "The People of the Way", www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermons/a-ea05su.php)

While other religions can offer wise sayings and helpful advice, only Jesus, the perfect Son of God, is able to offer Himself as a payment for all our sins. No other religious leader pretended to do that or to offer that amazing gift of grace. And through His resurrection, He is able to show us the way to heaven and give us life eternal.

Theologian R. C. Sproul puts it this way, "Moses could mediate on the Law. Mohammed could brandish a sword. Buddha could give personal counsel. Confucius could offer wise sayings. But only Jesus offers atonement for the sins of the world." (Lee Strobel, "Are There Many Paths to God", www.christianitytoday.com)

Because we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the World, the words that there are "Many roads to heaven" is a myth that is busted.

Now I must be quick to add that we cannot set ourselves up as judge and decide for ourselves who does and does not go to heaven. Only God can do that. I do not know how God will handle those folk in other faiths and cultures that are good people and are sincerely following who they believe God to be. But I do know that God wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. (I Timothy 2:3) God loves the whole world and sent His Son to save sinners. No one is outside God's mercy or beyond the reach of his offer of salvation. We are called to share to that good news and to tell the world what a difference Jesus has made in our lives.

Jesus stooped down to us, when we were in the depths of sin and raised us up to new life in Him. He came into our darkness and has carried us into the light. Jesus is the WAY to take you to heaven - He is the TRUTH to make things clear - He is the LIFE that changes everything in our lives. There is no other one like Jesus.

As we watch this closing video, give thanks to the Lord for the incredible gift of Jesus.

(This sermon ends with a 3 minute sermon entitled, "A Man in

A Hole", and can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGQ7qUwyTRk)

INVITATION:

The Bible says that the wages of sin - the cost - is death. And some one has to die for that sin. (Romans 6:23) Your good works or anybody else's for that matter, can't pay that death penalty. Your only hope is to have a Savior - and the good news is that there is a Savior and His name is Jesus.

There are a lot of wrong ideas about the right way to God - but there is only one way to get there and that is by putting your faith and trust in Jesus. You are invited to do just that today. As the band leads us in a time of music, you are invited to come forward and to confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is your personal Lord and Savior.

Won't you come today and make a decision for Him? Come and rededicate yourself to living for Him. Won't you come now as we stand and sing?