How Many Ways to God?
In the book The God Conversation, the authors introduce a concept that multitudes of individuals believe. The concept suggests something like this:
God is at the top of the mountain, and many roads lead there. The road may be labeled differently and take different routes, but eventually, they all lead to the same location: God.[1]
This concept is also referred to as pluralism. Pluralism is defined this way:
Religious pluralism is the view that there are many (i.e., a plurality of) ways to God—where “God” is broadly construed to mean any ultimate reality beyond the natural world—and that many (if not most or even all) of the religions of the world provide these ways. It follows from this that, for the pluralist, there is no one religion that is exclusively correct.[2]
While this concept may be appealing to our unredeemed flesh, it directly contradicts the claims of the Lord Jesus Christ. Religious pluralism has been appealing to people’s flesh for centuries! For instance, one commentary said this about King Cyrus. He was mentioned all the way back in the OT book of Ezra! Notice what one commentary said about the religious pluralism of his day:
…religious pluralism seems kinder, more accepting, less restrictive. It appeals to our desire to fit in; it protects us from being different. While it is certainly right to respect the beliefs and choices others make, it is essential that Christians embrace the exclusive claims of Christ and commit to the revealed truth of Scripture. If we embrace more than what Christianity affirms, we have embraced nothing. Truth is singular and cannot contradict itself. Religious pluralism is irrational because conflicting beliefs cannot all be right.[3]
That is so true! Conflicting beliefs cannot be all right. Jesus made some very conflicting statements when compared to the philosophy of pluralism. Just listen to Jesus’ words in 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” (all quoted Scripture from the NKJV, emphasis mine). Notice what John 14:6 reveals: Jesus said to [Thomas], “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (emphasis mine).
Nowhere does the Word of God ever suggest there are multiple ways to God. John the Baptist said this in 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 abides on him.” Peter also clearly understood this, as seen by his statement before the council, recorded in Acts 4:11-12. He boldly proclaimed:
This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (emphasis mine).
[1] Moreland, J. P., and Muehlhoff, Tim. 2017. The God Conversation: Using Stories and Illustrations to Explain Your Faith. Westmont: InterVarsity Press. Accessed September 18, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central.
[2] Paul Gould, Travis Dickinson, and Keith Loftin, Stand Firm: Apologetics and the Brilliance of the Gospel (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018), 129.
[3] Knute Larson and Kathy Dahlen, Holman Old Testament Commentary - Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, ed. Max Anders (Broadman & Holman Publishers., 2005), 13.
