Where We Expose Faulty Teaching to Gain Godly Wisdom in This Modern World

Each month, we prayerfully dig into God's Word to discern truth from almost truth and help you learn how to defend your faith in a world where false teaching is enticing more and more people to turn from wisdom and righteous living.
Jeremiah 14:14, ESV
And the LORD said to me: "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds."
Is Jesus Really the Only Way?
Yes. True.
Perhaps the most difficult truth to admit and talk about is that Jesus is the only means to salvation, to an eternity in Heaven with Father God. It's a hard thing to understand, given God is love (revisit "But God Is Love, Right?") because, on the surface, knowing many people will spend eternity in hell seems so exclusive, so unloving. But it's not. If we have the proper perspective and dive a little deeper, we see God and His plan for our salvation as the most loving, logical, mercy-filled, and inclusive truth there is.
But please take note: the inclusivity is not because there are multiple paths to heaven, as the current head of the Catholic Church tells people. Take a listen:
What the pope teaches here is heresy of the highest order. It negates the need for Christ at all.
To combat this type of false teaching, let's start with the most referenced Scripture related to this topic.
John 14:6 (in various translations)
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'" (ESV).
"Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me'" (NLT).
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'" (NIV).
We don't see much variation in the translations when it comes to this verse. None in the words of Jesus. "I am the way . . . No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 14:6 isn't the only Scripture that speaks to Jesus paving the way for our salvation. In the Book of Acts, John and Peter were arrested for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and healing a man who'd been disabled since birth. Upon questioning the two, the chief priests asked, "By what power, or in what name, have you done this?" (Acts 4:7, NASB1995). John and Peter's answer includes this: "[Jesus Christ] is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:11–12, NASB1995).
There seems to be no question that knowing and following Jesus is the only way to eternal salvation with God in heaven. There is no alternate interpretation that makes sense. No easy way to twist these verses to be "almost true."
The only avenue the enemy can use to push us in the wrong direction with the truth about Jesus being the only way to reconciliation with God and eternity with Him is to question God's love for humanity. Why would a loving God provide only one way to Himself? And why would a loving God "send people to hell?"
So let's unpack those questions.
Destination: Hell.
Let's address the second question first. Why would a loving God, who claims to love all of His creation, send anyone to hell? (Read the post, "Is Hell Really Real?")
The answer is that He doesn't.
We are not only physical beings but spiritual ones, which means we're all going to live forever, not in these earthly vessels, but our souls will go on. The question of what happens when we die isn't to determine if we are going somewhere; it's to determine where will we go. Some will enjoy resurrected bodies in heaven. Others will be tormented in hell.
The primary point is God doesn't "send us" anywhere. Because sin corrupted our world and we are sinful beings, and Satan has dominion for now, we're all destined for hell. We all deserve separation from God and the punishment sinful beings deserve. None of us make it out of this world alive, and none of us are good enough to save ourselves from the next place we are heading.
But God. It is God who rescued us from this destination.
Let's dive deeper into biblical history for a moment. From Genesis to Revelation, God outlines His story of redemption for humanity. Because sin was ushered into the natural world when Adam and Eve partook of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, God was at work, preparing for redemption. Sin has no place in heaven, with God. God is timeless, perfect, and immeasurably good, set apart from and above anything else (i.e., holy). He doesn't tolerate sin.
Long ago, evil appeared within an angel, and instantly, there was war in heaven (Revelation 12:7). Do I think this was a surprise to God? No. I think God was and is using it. Regardless, Lucifer, the instigating angel, was filled with prideful sin (Ezekiel 28:16), wanting to be like God, and was exiled, sent to earth, and named Satan, the devil (Isaiah 14:12–15), taking one-third of the angels with him (Revelation 12:4). They are now known as demons. Since then, Satan has spent his existence disrupting our relationship with God, hoping to thwart as many people as possible from an eternity in the safety and glory of heaven, with God.
But God loves us enough to make a way. The entire Bible outlines His plan for our redemption. He didn't have to have a plan. He didn't have to sacrifice His son. He does everything He does to point us to the way out of hell and into heaven for all of eternity. Until we can understand that, heaven and hell will be prime material for debate (and, unfortunately, jokes among the unbelieving) when it comes to just how loving our God is and understanding His plan is for us.
Why Only through Jesus?
Before Jesus's arrival in Bethlehem, the way God prescribed humanity to cleanse themselves from sin and have a right relationship with Him was by the spilling of the blood of perfect animals, typically lambs and rams.
The blood of perfect lambs was the only way (Exodus 12:13). The people had to see the blood. They had to know that death paves the way to a righteous life. In this, the lamb's death became more significant than the lamb's life (LaPierre Ministries). This practice was a horrifying display of what was required to wash sin away. However, God knew it would be a temporary solution.
The symbolism of the death and blood of the lamb was the precursor to Jesus Christ, our ultimate savior. Our Messiah. Our perfect teacher, crucified. With his death on the cross, with his spilled blood, Jesus became the way and the life. Our life.
If you understand the importance of Jesus’ blood, you understand why it is so unfortunate when people say things like, “I love the way Jesus lived. He was such a great miracle worker. I am so blessed when I read the accounts of him healing those people. He helped so many. And what about all those wonderful things he taught? We could spend days just talking about his different parables.”
But if people stop there–there’s no mention of the cross–they are coming up short. It isn’t Jesus’ teaching, miracles, or even life that paid for our sins. It was his blood. That’s what redeemed us from sin and death. (LaPierre Ministries)
God doesn't want His children to suffer, but we need a mediator to wash away our sin before we can be in the presence of a holy God for eternity. Hence the perfect lamb sacrifices in Ancient Days. And hence His Son, the Christ. Acts 4:12 says, "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.”
It's not about being a "good person." False teachers will tell you that you must love others in certain ways to please God or that you are good enough the way you are. Those are lies.
Theologian Charles Spurgeon once said, “Morality may keep you out of jail, but it takes the blood of Jesus Christ to keep you out of hell.”
1 Timothy 2:5, NIV.
"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
On Inclusivity.
If you understand the fullness of God's redemptive story, the argument about exclusivity holds only shallow water. Why? Everyone is invited to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Titus 3:5–6 says, "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior." This is an open invitation to all.
Imagine a murderer who kills only Christ-followers. Even he can be offered a changed heart and salvation. It's already happened. His name is Saul of Tarsus (who then became Paul the Apostle).
No matter where you live, no matter your gender, no matter your age, no matter your ethnicity, no matter your current religion, no matter your past, no matter your present, no matter who you know, no matter what you've done, no matter where you've been . . . you are invited to know Jesus and surrender your life to him. It's the most inclusive faith available. By grace alone, we can be saved (Ephesians 2:8).
Be assured that there is no sin you have ever committed that the blood of Jesus Christ cannot cleanse. (Billy Graham)
That is why this truth that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life is such GOOD NEWS. False teachers—sadly, including Pope Francis—don't want you to understand we are all heading to eternities in hell. That with Jesus Christ alone, salvation is available. And the Son of God is available to everyone who accepts him as their Lord, obeys his truth, and surrenders their hearts and lives to him.
Have you?
I'd like to close with this compelling, powerful clip from R. C. Sproul. May his story and the biblical argument he presents for Christ alone stay with you forever.
Deo Gloria,
We will be taking a break with the True or False blog. Stay tuned for updates. In the meantime, please re-read and share the first eight posts with your friends and family.
Guidelines
As you read, learn, and possibly comment on posts, there are a few guidelines I ask you to follow. First, we are all loved by God. We must receive that love and pour it back out for others. So all comments, whether in agreement or disagreement, must be respectful. This blog will neither be for calling out false teachers by name nor to allow for ongoing debate (at least on this platform). Instead, I seek to inform readers by pointing them to biblical truth while encouraging them to think critically. Most of all, I hope readers open God's Word, perhaps more than they do now. I will use the Bible as the foundation for any statement or claim I make. However, I am open to correction and alternative thoughts and conclusions if based on a biblical worldview. There are essentials and nonessentials in the Christian faith. My goal is to stick like glue with the essentials, but there are so many non-essentials that lead to what's critical. So I ask everyone to be respectful in their responses. We're all learning. Thank you.


Legal Stuff
COPYRIGHT (c) 2024, Cortney Donelson. If you'd like to share or quote any of this content, please credit Cortney Donelson | "True or False?" Blog | vocem LLC and the post title and date.
Not a legal requirement, but I want to give a shout-out to my co-laborers (co-struggler?) in the battle to point people to the Bible and away from false teaching: Matt Dawson, lead pastor at Journey Church in Huntersville, NC. He has been kind enough to spar ideas, check my biblical accuracy, and review my conclusions.
*LaPierre, Scott. "The Importance of the Blood of the Lamb (Exodus 12)." Sermon by Scott LaPierre Ministries, December 11, 2023, https://www.scottlapierre.org/blood-of-the-lamb/.
Scriptures marked ESV are taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION (ESV): Scriptures taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION ® Copyright© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission.
Scriptures marked NLT are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW LIVING TRANSLATION (NLT): Scriptures taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW LIVING TRANSLATION, Copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV): Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
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