“There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
Another reason that Christians do not believe that all paths lead to God has to do with Jesus’ crucifixion. If Jesus was merely crucified as a failed revolutionary, there is little significance in His death. Christians believe, however, there was an atoning work that took place through His death. Paul said that, “Christ died for our sins…” Jesus said that He had come to “give his life as a ransom for many.” If all religions are true but just different paths to God, why did Jesus have to die? If God’s plan all along was that every religion would lead people to Him, did Jesus die in vain?
A last question that is worth considering is this, “Why would God only make one way to get to Him?” This is a legitimate question. If God is love and wants to save the world, why would He make it so hard for people to find Him? One answer to this is that if Jesus was who He said He was, there is at least a way to God.
This Way might not be the way that everyone chooses or wants but at least God created a way to approach Him. Of course, many will say, “It is not fair that Jesus is the only way to God.” While the Bible teaches that God is love, God is just, etc., there is nothing in the Scriptures to demonstrate that God is concerned about fitting our definition of “fair.” His ways are not our ways.
In essence, this entire discussion takes us back to the very beginning and the idea of free will. If God has created us with a free will, we can go down whatever path we choose. We can believe whatever we want to believe. That is the nature of choice. If every path really does lead to God, though, is our will really free? It sounds like we are being forced to go somewhere we might not really want to go.
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