Years ago Mutual of Omaha, a large insurance company, studied the salesmen
who failed to discover the reasons for failure and "weed out"
likely failures before spending so much money training them. This would also
help many avoid failure.
Many Ways to Fail
They discovered there are unlimited
ways to fail. They finally admitted the study was a failure. Every time
they thought they knew every possible way to fail somebody discovered a new
one!
In any situation, the gate that leads to failure and destruction is
wide with numberless ways to get there. Multitudes of people find their way to
and thru it. Every generation invents new methods and previously unknown ways
to go to hell.
On the other hand the gateway that leads to life is narrow. You have to search to find it. Many lose their way and perish before they get through. That's why the Bible is so important. It tells The way to get to heaven--the way to put all the various parts of life together so life is a meaningful whole. But it only tells one way of salvation and that way is Jesus.
Some don’t like only one way
Several
years ago I watched the Donahue Show as he interviewed Billy Graham. When Phil
asked how to get to heaven he quoted Jesus' statement to Nicodemas; "You
must be born again."
As
you can imagine, Phil didn't like that answer. He knew before asking he wouldn't
like the answer. He knew what the answer would be. I think his purpose, was to
make Graham look stupid to his audience because Phil didn't think it made
sense that God would be so "narrow-minded". Logic says if there
is a God he would not make only one way to get to heaven. Anyone
who thinks so is illogical, narrow minded, and bigoted.
I’m constantly amazed that a person who is not smart
enough to create even one tiny single-celled amoeba, much less anything as complex
as an insect or worm, would still think he/she is smart enough to tell God how
to handle His creation!
But
perhaps you've asked that same question. Why did God only make One
Way to get to heaven—One way to be saved? Does the Bible really teach that?
Let's see.
I
John 5: 11-12 "...God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his
Son. He who has the Son has life; He who
does not have the Son of God does not have life."
Now
let me ask you a question: How many liquids do you know that will prevent a person
from dying of thirst? I only know of one—water. It can come in many forms— milk,
cola, coffee, or other drinks that are water-based. You can
drink gasoline, motor oil or brake fluid but they won't sustain life. In fact,
they destroy it. If we don't have water, we die. That's pretty narrow isn't
it? It just isn't logical. Anyone who would believe such a thing would have to
be narrow-minded and bigoted. The problem is…..it's true
How about breath? How many gases can we breathe to maintain life? I
only know one—oxygen. We can breathe many gases. Some will kill us, some are
harmless, one makes us laugh, but none sustain life. If you don't have oxygen,
you die. That's pretty narrow isn't it?
It just isn't logical. Anyone who believes such a thing is narrow-minded and
bigoted. The problem is…..it's true.
If
we take water out of the liquids we drink, we die of thirst.
If
we take oxygen out of the air we breathe we're soon asphyxiated.
If
we take Jesus out of the picture, we are "dead in trespasses and sin". And eventually, when
separated from our physical bodies by physical death, that spiritual death becomes
eternal. Without Jesus, life as we know it would not even exist.
Thank God for Water!
Why
did God create the human race (and as far as I know, all other forms of life)
so we must have water to survive? That's easy. You know the answer. Because
water is enough! Water is a marvelous liquid! It brings wealth to a
nation, health to it's people and to all of creation if it's kept clean
and pure. Nothing tastes better than a cool, refreshing drink of sparkling
pure water! Thank God for water!
Thank God for Oxygen!
Why did God create us so we could only breathe oxygen?
Another easy answer, He only created one gas to sustain life because oxygen
is fully adequate! Oxygen is a marvelous gas! It gives health and strength to
all the different organs in the human body. Nothing feels better than a deep
breath of fresh, clean air! Thank God for oxygen!
Thank God for Jesus!
But
how about salvation? Why did God plan only One Way for people to be saved? Why
couldn't there be "many roads, winding their way to one God"? The
answer is the same as the answer to the two previous questions—because One Way
is enough.
Jesus
Christ is a marvelous Savior! He brings wholesomeness and joy to all who
believe! Absolutely nothing is as wonderful as living life fully surrendered
to the lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the only true and Living God and our
Creator! Thank
God for Jesus!
I'm Rick Blumenberg . . .
and that's My View from Tanner Creek.
