From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

A "Christianity" that says that other religions are valid ways to God isn't Christianity at all, and leads souls to eternal death.

The Prevailing Evangelical View: Multiple Roads Lead to God

According to reliable surveys, nearly 60% of professing Evangelical Christians do not believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life. And no wonder, since this view reflects the false teaching they hear constantly on radio and television. Joel Osteen, pastor of America's largest postmodern Evangelical church, has said repeatedly that millions of Hindus will also have eternal life because they are "sincere people" who "love God". John Hagee has said that Jews can gain eternal life by keeping the Old Testament law, apart from faith in Jesus Christ. Robert Schuller and Billy Graham publicly agreed that "there's a wideness in God's mercy" that permits many ways to Heaven.

Authentic Christianity in Contrast

The "tolerant Christianity" that these and many other men teach today is not the Christianity of the Bible. By definition, authentic Biblical Christianity says that it is the only true faith, and that no other religion is valid. This is the most basic teaching of the Word of God. To say that there is any other way to eternal life is to call God a liar. Pluralism is anathema to God, as these Scriptures clearly tell us:

And in all that I have said to you, be circumspect and make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth. (Exodus 23:13)

You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them. (Joshua 23:7)

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the "stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone." Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:10-12)

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle - I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying - a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. (1 Timothy 2:5-7)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. (John 3:16-21)

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. (John 3:36)

Evangelical Preachers With Blood On Their Hands

The professing Christian who says that other religions are equally valid is saying that authentic Biblical Christianity is invalid. He is denying the Bible's own repeated statements that Christianity is an exclusive rather than an inclusive faith, that the way to life is narrow rather than broad (Matthew 7:13-14). That person is embracing another Jesus, another spirit, and another gospel (2 Corinthians 11:4). He is saying that authentic Biblical Christianity is wrong.

The professing Evangelical preacher who says such a thing has the blood of lost souls on his hands. By saying that multiple roads lead to God, he is in fact pointing people down many roads toward Hell, and he is making those roads to eternal death more comfortable by affirming poor lost sinners in their unbelief.

The Apostle Paul says this of such a man:

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. But I make known to you, brethren, that the Gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:8-12)

The Lord said this to the prophet Ezekiel:

So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. When I say to the wicked, "O wicked man, you shall surely die!" and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. (Ezekiel 33:7-9)

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

The postmodern Evangelical church must stop being ashamed of the one true Gospel. We must stop being ashamed of the narrow way. We must utterly reject any preacher who says that many roads lead to God, as a man cursed of God. We must proclaim the message of the Cross without adding anything to it. Our preaching must not give unbelievers any room to entertain thoughts of another way. We must rely on the power of the one true Gospel, applied to the hearts of men by the Holy Spirit, to save lost souls from following all of the other ways that lead to death.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:16-17)

I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness in the great assembly; indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O Lord, You Yourself know. I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great assembly. (Psalm 40:9-10)

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)

Indeed, our shame must be in our contemplation of any way we thought could lead us to God, before we came to faith in Christ:

What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:21-23)

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