Day 8 — Is Jesus the Only Way?

“Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

— Acts 4:12 (BSB)

Your classmates might be Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh or nothing in particular. Some of them are kinder than some Christians you know. So when Christians say Jesus is the only way to God, it can sound narrow, even arrogant. How can one religion be right and all the others wrong?

Start with this: Christians didn’t invent the claim. Jesus made it. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” And Peter repeated it in today’s verse, standing in front of the very leaders who had just had Jesus killed. That wasn’t arrogance. It was risky.

Here’s why it isn’t as narrow as it sounds. Most religions are, at heart, a path up: rules, practices and good deeds by which people try to reach God. Christianity says something different. Our problem isn’t that we lack good teaching. It’s that we’ve turned away from God, and we can’t climb back. The Bible puts it bluntly: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So God came down. Jesus, God the Son, lived the life we haven’t, and died the death we deserved. “God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

If that’s true, then Jesus isn’t one teacher among many. He’s the only one who dealt with sin by taking it on Himself, and the only one who walked out of His own grave. As D. L. Moody put it, Jesus is either an impostor or He is who He said He was. There isn’t much room in between.

And the door is open to everyone. Anyone from any country, any background, any religion, can come. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

That should make Christians the most respectful people around, not the most arrogant. We didn’t earn anything. We should treat our neighbours of other faiths with “gentleness and respect”, listen to them carefully, and be honest about why we follow Jesus.

Now the most personal question in this book: have you trusted Jesus for yourself? Not your parents’ faith, not your church’s, but yours?

It isn’t complicated. Admit to God that you’ve sinned and can’t fix it yourself. Believe that Jesus died for you and rose again. And receive Him: “to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” If you’re ready, you could pray something like this, in your own words: Jesus, I’ve gone my own way. I believe You died for my sins and rose again. I trust You now as my Saviour and my Lord. Make me Yours.

If you prayed that and meant it, tell a Christian you trust today. And if you’re not ready yet, that’s honest. Keep seeking. He isn’t going anywhere.

Think about it: What makes Jesus different from every other religious teacher you know of? Is there anything holding you back from trusting Him?

Try this: If you trusted Christ today, tell a parent, a youth leader or a Christian friend. If you’re not ready, write down what’s stopping you, and talk to someone about it this week.

Go deeper: The Way to God by Dwight L. Moody — Moody tells how, as a boy, he thought Jesus was simply the best man who ever lived, until he faced Jesus’ own claims and concluded He must be either a deceiver or God come in the flesh. Start with chapter 5, “A Divine Saviour”.

Lord Jesus, You are the way and the truth and the life. Thank You that You came down to find me when I couldn’t climb up to God. I trust You as my Saviour and give You my life as my Lord. Help me to treat everyone with gentleness and respect, and to be ready to tell them why I hope in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.