Is Jesus the only way to God

[Princely]

A thought. The narrow gate Jesus talks about means not being hard in your heart. That is the narrow gate that most people can't find, and its not that people don't know what they should do but that its difficult. Psalms 95:8 recounts the warning "8 Harden not your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness," (keeping in mind the path Israel took was a sieve filtering them or was like a narrow gate). The words hard and heart appear 19 times in Exodus, describing Pharoah's attitude towards the Israelis. Deuteronomy 15:7 "...you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother,..." I'm not sure exactly all of what 'hard hearted' means, but that is what entering the narrow gate pertains to. It probably means to be softer and more approachable, not fending people off. In the culture of the time it may have lots of meanings related to how they lived. Entering the narrow gate is something that anybody can do but that most people don't.

The son of man is the gate.Hence the saying; "I am the gate anyone who enters by me will be saved."That is why He said what I have done that's what you must do.As the Father sent me that's how I send you".

 

[radarmark]

The princely mind-set is precisely why so many leave Christianity. If one relies only of a verbatim interpretation of scripture, all is lost. Humanity and charity and empathy cannot trump "one way". Philosophy and science cannot trump "Pi equals three". Common deciency and decorum cannot penetrate "us versus them".

Panta Rhei!
(Everything Flows!)

 

[Princely]

Another thought--reciprocity--judge not, lest ye be judged. If you harden your heart towards others, you might expect the same in return.

Luke 13:

Luke 13

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)


The Narrow Way

22 He went through one town and village after another, teaching and making His way to Jerusalem. 23 "Lord," someone asked Him, "are there few being saved?" [h] He said to them, 24 "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because I tell you, many will try to enter and won't be able 25 once the homeowner gets up and shuts the door. Then you will stand [i] outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open up for us!' He will answer you, 'I don't know you or where you're from.' 26 Then you will say, [j] 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets!' 27 But He will say, 'I tell you, I don't know you or where you're from. Get away from Me, all you workers of unrighteousness!' 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in that place, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but yourselves thrown out. 29 They will come from east and west, from north and south, and recline at the table in the kingdom of God. 30 Note this: some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."
​

Notice in this verse who is in the kingdom of God.Prophets.Everyone mentioned was a prophet.And then He said, "and all the prophets".Prophets spread the truth and speak it.That is why there is a verse saying "Speak the truth to one another and let honesty and peace be in the judgments at your gate." Another verse says;"I the Lord speak the truth, I say what is right".

 

[Dream]

Another thought--reciprocity--judge not, lest ye be judged. If you harden your heart towards others, you might expect the same in return.

Deuteronomy 1:16-17 And I charged your judges at that time, `Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien that is with him. You shall not be partial in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike; you shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God's; and the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.'

The son of man is the gate.

Going by Matthew the narrow gate is something Jesus said that Jewish people had to pass through. Matthew 1:21 "she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." In the Judaism forum there is not a single discussion about a gate, but for Christians this statement of Jesus has been preserved for two thousand years, a long time.

The above Matthew 1:21 is where we begin to diverge from the Judaism forum. Christianity extends this gate of Jesus towards non-Jews. His death makes non Jews able to become part of the solution. Which means that it co-opts them into an expanded version of the son of man. (Excluding those who follow replacement theology) Matthew quotes from Isaiah 9:2-3 "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation,..." That quote is in Mat 4, no Paul necessary. For about a century Christians and Jews (I call them rabbinic Jews) had some fellowship, until tensions rose and they went separate ways. At least, that is what the history books say. Liturgical churches believe that Jesus blood saves them, and they have communion through him. It is a very old claim, not new.

 

[seattlegal]

Another thought--reciprocity--judge not, lest ye be judged. If you harden your heart towards others, you might expect the same in return.

Luke 13:

Luke 13

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)


The Narrow Way

22 He went through one town and village after another, teaching and making His way to Jerusalem. 23 "Lord," someone asked Him, "are there few being saved?" [h] He said to them, 24 "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because I tell you, many will try to enter and won't be able 25 once the homeowner gets up and shuts the door. Then you will stand [i] outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open up for us!' He will answer you, 'I don't know you or where you're from.' 26 Then you will say, [j] 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets!' 27 But He will say, 'I tell you, I don't know you or where you're from. Get away from Me, all you workers of unrighteousness!' 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in that place, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but yourselves thrown out. 29 They will come from east and west, from north and south, and recline at the table in the kingdom of God. 30 Note this: some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."
​

Another thought--a narrow gate or door would mean people would have to pass through one by one--not collectively. Notice that the people who were turned away made arguments based upon their collective behavior. Babel, meaning "Gate of God" was also a collective movement who were then scattered. Collective bias, (positive or negative) is by no means impartial either, to incorporate Dream's point.

This would make sense, since we all have our own unique and individual sets of hang-ups and problems we each have to work on individually. We have to remove the log from our own eyes before we can gripe about the straw in the eye of someone else.