How Can Jesus Be The Only Way?

In a previous article, we looked at why all the world religions can’t be true. Either one must be true, or they all must be false given they contradict each other in major areas.

If you happen to come to an agreement on this point with an unbeliever, the first response from them will likely be something along the lines of, “Well why is YOUR religion the only true way? You’re such an intolerant bigot!”

Despite their personal attack (which we will cover below), we should be prepared to answer such an objection. Why is Jesus the only way to heaven? Does the Bible teach this? How can we go about explaining this to nonbelievers? All of these questions and more will be covered in this article. For a quick answer to this question, please click here.

“You’re Just A... Insert Rude Name... For Saying That!”

Before exploring why and how Jesus is the only way to heaven, it’s important to first go over some common immediate responses you may receive when making this claim.

The first one is something like this, “you’re so intolerant/arrogant to think you’re right!” Right off the bat, it’s key to point out this is an example of a common logical fallacy called an ad hominem – discrediting the truth depending on who is raising it and attacking the person, not the argument.

Consider this illustration: a doctor who happens to be a major jerk diagnoses your friend with cancer and says only one treatment will work, and it has plenty of evidence to affirm its effectiveness. Now, imagine your friend responds with, “You’re such a jerk for saying I have cancer, and since you’re so mean, your recommended medication can’t be reliable – I’m not taking it!” I hope we can all agree that would be foolish of your friend to respond like that. Instead, we should investigate the claim based on the evidence independent of the person who holds it – this goes for Jesus being the only way as well.

You may also be told, “You Christians are so narrow-minded.” The word “narrow” accurately describes the Christian view – Jesus even said it would be so! In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus says,

"Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it." - Matthew 7:13-14

The term “narrow-minded”, however, describes the person that holds the view and again is an ad-hominem logical fallacy. Technically, all truth claims are narrow in that they exclude other options – being narrow-minded is not based on what you believe, but how you believe it. There’s a difference between holding a narrow view and holding a view in a narrow way with blinders on refusing to consider any other views as truth. We shouldn’t dismiss a view because it’s narrow. Instead, we should dismiss it because it’s false!

At this point, you may get where I’m going with this – don’t let personal attacks get to you when having discussions about the exclusivity of Christianity. Instead, we should internally filter out the “noise” so to speak, and focus on the objections they are making – leaving the ad hominem attacks aside. With this being said, let’s go over the facts regarding Jesus being the only way.

3 Reasons Why Jesus is the Only Way

While it can be shown that Religious Pluralism is false (the view that all religions lead to heaven or that all religions are true – for more on this, click here), there are solid reasons to affirm Christian Particularism – the view that Christianity is the only true religion. Here I will give three reasons why Jesus is the only Way – (1) The New Testament (and Jesus Himself) claimed it, (2) Jesus verified it, and (3) Nobody else could be the only way.

The New Testament (and Jesus Himself) claimed Christian Particularism

Does the Bible actually teach Christian Particularism – that Jesus is the only way? The short answer is…yes! The Bible teaches that Jesus’ claims are the primary issue regarding other religious claims. If you take Muhammad out of Islam, you still have Islam because Islam is based on the teaching, not the person of Muhammad. However, if you take Jesus out of Christianity, that will result in Christianity no longer existing because it’s the identity of Christ that matters when it comes to the truth of Christianity, and ultimately what He did on the cross.

In Matthew 16:15, Jesus asked His disciples the most important question that we must ask ourselves today,

"He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter replied, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'" - Matthew 16:15

So, who do we say He is? Do we agree with Peter in his assessment of Jesus' identity? It's worth noting, Jesus wasn’t condemned to die by the Jewish council for what He did, He was condemned to die for who He said He was.  As we read in the account of Jesus on trial before the Jewish leaders:

“Then the high priest stood up before them all and questioned Jesus, ‘Don’t you have an answer to what these men are testifying against you?’ But he kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest questioned him, ‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?’ ‘I am,’ said Jesus, ‘and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.’ Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “why do we still need witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What is your decision?’ They all condemned him as deserving death” -Mark 14:60-64

This passage speaks volumes of Jesus’ identity. First, it’s important to point out that the Jews never used the divine name “Yahweh”. Instead, in this case, the Jewish leaders used the term “Son of the Blessed One” to mean “Son of God”. The way Jesus begins His answer by saying “I AM”, which many scholars claim He is identifying with the same “I AM” statement from Exodus 3:14 when God identifies Himself to the Israelites.

“God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” -Exodus 3:14

In fact, Jesus claims to be the “I AM” from this Exodus passage 7 times in the Gospel of John (John 6:35; John 8:12; John 10:7; John 10:11; John 11:25; John 14:6; John 15:1). After making this statement in Mark 14, Jesus combines Daniel 7:13 and Psalm 110:1-5 when He said He will sit at the right hand of the Father and judge the world (Psalm 110:1-5) and identifies Himself as the Son of Man – coming down on the clouds of heaven (Daniel 7:13).

Therefore, in this passage, Jesus states that He is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God, and the Son of Man, and that He will be seated at the right hand of God and come down on the clouds of heaven as prophesied by the Jewish prophets. Also in John 19:7:

“’We have a law,’ the Jews replied to him, ‘and according to that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.’” - John 19:7

Below is a table consisting of other places in Scripture where Jesus made divine claims of Himself.

Claim	Verse	Quote
The Way, The Truth, and the Life	John 14:6	“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
The Son of Man and The Son of God	Mark 14:61-62	“But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?’ And Jesus said, ‘I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’”
The giver eternal life	John 10:28	“’I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.’”
One with the Father	John 10:30	“’I and the Father are one.’”
The One who forgives sins	Mark 2:8-12	“’And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to the, ‘Why do you question things in your hearts? Which is easier to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk?’ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’ – he said to the paralytic – ‘I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.’”
The Bread of life	John 6:35	“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’”
The Good Shepherd	John 10:11	“’I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’”
The True Vine	John 15:1	“’I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.’”
The Great “I AM”	John 8:58	“Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’”
The Giver of living water	John 4:10	“Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’”
The Light of the world	John 8:12	“Again Jesus spoke to them saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
The future Judge	John 5:22	“’For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son.’”
The Door of salvation	John 10:9	“’I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.’”
The Savior	John 3:16	“’For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.’”
The Messiah	John 4:25-26	“The woman said to him, ‘I know that messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am he.’”

In addition to these claims by Jesus Himself, the apostles taught that salvation can only be found in Christ. Here are just a few of them:

Verse	Quote
Acts 4:12	“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”
1 John 2:23	“No one who denies the Son has the Father; he who confesses the Son has the Father as well.”
1 Timothy 2:5	“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”
Acts 16:30-31	“Then he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’”
Romans 10:9	“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.”

Lastly, here are 7 verses in Scripture that point to Jesus’ exclusivity:

Claim	Verse	Quote
Jesus is the Father’s choice	John 6:28-29	“Then they said to him, ‘What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’”
If you reject Jesus, you reject the Father	John 5:23	“That all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.”
Rejection of Jesus results in God’s wrath, but belief in Jesus rescues us from wrath	John 3:36	“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
Jesus is the One who provides forgiveness from sin	John 8:24	“I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”
Jesus will be man’s final Judge	John 5:26-27	“For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.”
Many impostors will claim to provide salvation	Matthew 24:24	“For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.”
Because of the exclusivity of salvation in Christ, all nations need this Gospel (The Great Commission)	Luke 24:46-47	“Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

While many other passages in Scripture teach Christian Particularism, it’s clear by this brief overview that Jesus and His followers did not hold to the religious pluralistic viewpoint. You may be wondering, “Okay, I see the Bible doesn’t teach ‘all roads lead to heaven’, but how do we know Jesus was right about His claims?” This is what we will tackle next below.

Jesus Verified His Claims

It’s a fair question to ask, and there are three potential answers: (1) Jesus was wrong and He knew it, (2) Jesus was wrong and He didn’t know it, or (3) Jesus was right – let’s investigate all three possible answers to our question.

The first possible answer is that Jesus was wrong, and He knew it. This would make Jesus the worst kind of liar by deliberately misleading people to their damnation. Was Jesus a liar? In the historical evidence we have of Jesus’ life and teachings (the New Testament), He showed perfect character and even His enemies could see no sin in Him. Even skeptics today agree that Jesus was a great man! Is it reasonable to conclude that a liar was responsible for the greatest teaching the world has ever seen? In addition to this, not only would He be a liar, but He would be a fool! Only a fool would live out a lie only to lead to a brutal execution.

Second, Jesus was wrong, and He didn’t know it. Maybe He genuinely thought He was God, the Savior, the Creator. This begs the question, who in their right mind really thinks of themselves as this type of being – and actually goes through with it to their death? This would make Him completely out of His mind, or otherwise, a lunatic! But the historical records show no signs of mental illness and instead, showed more signs of enlightenment– more than anybody before and after His life. If Jesus was crazy, we must ask, where does that leave you and me?

By process of elimination, we end with Jesus being right – Jesus being Lord. The truth of Christianity rests on the reliability of Jesus Himself. When it comes to who Jesus was/is and the truth behind His claims, I find this quote by C.S. Lewis particularly insightful:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” - C.S. Lewis, "Mere Christianity"

Lastly, God doesn’t lie. And if Jesus truly is God, He never lied. Thus, it logically follows that all His claims were true. The resurrection assured us of His identity as the Son of God as the Apostle Paul states in Romans 1:4 speaking of Jesus:

“Who was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.” - Romans 1:4

If Jesus truly rose from the dead, His identity and His claims are verified as trustworthy and true.

Nobody Else Could Be the Only Way

Is it possible that anybody else could be the only way? To make the answer to this question as simple as possible…Jesus is the only way because He is the only One to solve the problem! Easy enough to remember, right? But what was the problem He solved?

The problem we are faced with is sin and it’s a problem only Jesus has solved. He solved the problem by paying for the punishment we deserved on our behalf – the innocent paying the debt so the guilty can be forgiven. We are all guilty before God (Romans 3:23), and payments for our crimes must be made (because God is Just) – either Jesus pays for us, or we pay for ourselves. We can either accept the pardon and escape judgment or reject it and pay for our crimes. Jesus is the only One who can save us from our sins – cure us of our disease.

To dive deeper into the problem of sin, the Bible teaches anything in thought, word, or action that contradicts God’s holy character is sin. Because of this sin, we find ourselves separated from God and deserve His judgment (John 3:18). Since God is perfectly Just, He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. Also, since God is infinite and eternal, all sin is ultimately against Him (Psalm 51:4) which results in an eternal punishment for our sin – hell. This is the problem humanity faces, and we brought it upon ourselves.

You might be thinking, “Okay that’s fine, but how did He solve the problem?” As mentioned above, because we have sinned against the infinite God, either we pay for our sins for an infinite amount of time, or an infinite Person pays for them on our behalf. This is where we need to look to the cross. Crucifixion is a cruel form of execution that was generally reserved for slaves and rebels – death being incredibly slow and painful. The results are shock, exposure, and eventually you suffocate.

For Jesus, however, the pain of the cross didn’t compare to the greater anguish He faced – a deeper torment that can’t be seen. God the Father unleashed His fury upon His sinless Son as if He was guilty of an immeasurable evil. Why punish the innocent though? On top of the cross, an official document was posted describing the debt to Caesar – a public notice of Jesus’ crime. Written on the document, it read, “King of the Jews”. The cross is payment for His debt, claiming to be the King of the Jews, the Messiah.

In the Ancient Near East, when debts were paid, they were often officially canceled with a single Greek word – Tetelestai (meaning “it is finished”). Being “King of the Jews” isn’t the crime Jesus actually paid for. Hidden to all but the Father was another certificate that was nailed to the cross, it was a debt consisting of decrees against you and me – our debts to God were nailed to the cross. Jesus told us to pray, “Forgive us our debts”, this is how He was able to do that.

In the darkness of that night, a divine transaction took place. Jesus made a trade with the Father - punishment adequate to pay for all the crimes for everyone that has ever lived. Jesus took it upon Himself as if guilty of it all. Jesus said to the Father, “Take me instead of them.” When the final debt is paid, Jesus dismisses His spirit (under His own authority) with a single Greek word, “Tetelestai” making the transaction complete.

So how do we deal with sin? None of the other religious leaders solved the problem of sin, they had their own sins to pay for! If you’re still unsure, look at what the Bible teaches in Matthew 26:39:

“Going a little farther, he fell facedown and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’” - Matthew 26:39

But there was no other way! That’s why His request was denied, and Jesus concluded His request with “Not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Everybody feels guilty because we are guilty! Atheists or believers in Christ, everybody feels guilty and longs for forgiveness. The answer to this feeling of guilt isn’t to ignore it or suppress it in addictions to idols of this world (sex, money, power, drugs, ego, etc.) but it’s forgiveness. And Jesus is the only one who can offer forgiveness because He is the only one who paid for our debt.

Jesus solves the problem by dying in our place, one time for eternity because He has existed for eternity. He has always been the only solution to the problem humanity has faced (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 2:2). He took the punishment that we deserve to save us from eternally being separated from God. The great love He has for us was made known when He laid His life down for us and paid the penalty we couldn’t pay (John 15:13). Three days later, God rose Jesus from the dead and demonstrated that His death was sufficient to pay for our sins and that His life conquers death on our behalf (1 Corinthians 15).

Jesus didn’t come to be one of many ways, to promote social justice, or teach how to have the perfect marriage. Instead, He primarily came to rescue us – and He rescued us when He took our crimes upon Himself. When we put our trust (or faith) in Jesus, we can accept the forgiveness only Jesus can offer. This is really good news, but it’s only good news if the pardon is accepted.