In the past few weeks we have seen several Headlines reporting some Catholic and mainline Protestant Christian church leaders are now teaching that Jesus Christ is not the only Way we can be saved into Heaven.
Since there appears to be some confusion in many churches today, let’s dig in to try and find out what the Scriptures say about such an important matter.
What DOES the Bible say?
Jesus Christ warns …
“I AM the Way,
the Truth,
and the Life.
NO ONE comes to the Father, (in Heaven)
except through Me.”
(John 14:6)
We are also told …
“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 (out of Hell and into Heaven).”
(Acts 4:12)
God’s Promise (and Warning) …
“For God so loved the world
that He GAVE His only begotten Son,
that whoever BELIEVES (trusts) in Him (to save us from our sins and from Hell)
should NOT perish (in Hell)
but have everlasting life (in Heaven).
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world through Him might be saved (into Heaven).
He who believes in Him is not condemned (to Hell);
but he who does NOT believe (in Jesus Christ … Yeshua Ha’Mashiach in Hebrew)
IS condemned (to Hell) ALREADY”
(All who reject or ignore what God did for us on the Cross)
(John 3:16-18)
The Bible warns just believing in God will not save anybody …
“Even the demons believe in God,
and they tremble!”
(James 2:19)
We could add many more verses to support the Bible’s position on this point.
But, from a Bible Prophecy perspective, we should find it very interesting that we are now seeing such a broad range of churches now starting to reject and deny the clear teachings from the Bible concerning our path to Heaven.
The Bible warns in “the latter times” churches will “depart from the faith” and will “no longer endure sound doctrine.”
From Bible prophecies we find this “falling away” (Apostasy) would begin with ‘some’ churches which would then grow into ‘many’ churches as we approach the coming Apocalypse. After the Rapture it will become ‘all’ churches (the great Apostasy) …
“Now the Holy Spirit expressly says (This is God warning us)
that in latter times some
(churches and church leaders)
will DEPART from the faith,
giving heed to deceiving spirits
and doctrines of demons
(denying and opposing God’s Law in the Bible)
speaking lies in hypocrisy,
having their own conscience
seared (numbed) with a hot iron,
forbidding to marry …”
(1 Timothy 4:1-3)
“Beloved, (he is speaking to believing Christians)
while I was very diligent to write to you
concerning our common salvation,
I found it necessary (“compelled”)
to write to you exhorting you
to contend earnestly for the faith
which was once for all delivered to the saints.
For certain men (and women)
have crept in unnoticed, (church leaders)
who long ago were marked out
for this condemnation,
ungodly men (and women),
who turn the grace of our God
into lewdness.
But I want to remind you,
though you once knew this,
that the Lord, having saved the people
out of the land of Egypt,
afterward destroyed those
who did NOT believe (God’s Word).”
(God’s Laws are the same for every generation.)
(Jude 1:3-6)
“For the time will come
when they
(churches, church leaders, and many Christians)
will NOT endure sound doctrine.
Instead, to suit their own desires,
they will gather around them
a great number of teachers
to say what their itching ears
WANT to hear.
(and not what the Bible says)
They will turn their ears
away from the truth (as found in God’s Word)
and turn aside to myths.”
(such as the ‘DaVinci Code’)
(2 Timothy 4:3-5)
Unfortunately, the only way we can tell if what we are being taught in church is Scriptural or not is to study the Bible to find out what it actually says on many important matters. However, very few churches are providing detailed Genesis to Revelation Bible teaching any more.
This is interesting because this lack of comprehensive teaching of God’s Word appears to be fulfilling another ancient Biblical prophecy.
The Bible warns of a day when it will be very difficult to find teachers who will faithfully teach the Bible …
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord GOD,
That I will send a FAMINE on the land,
NOT a famine of bread,
NOR a thirst for water,
But of HEARING the words of the LORD.”
(Amos 8:11)
As we appear to be drawing nearer to the coming Rapture and Apocalypse, another stark prophetic warning should be noted, for God warns …
“My people are DESTROYED for lack of knowledge.”
(Hosea 4:6)