arrogant or right…

here is another myth: CHRISTians are arrogant when they say that JESUS is the only way to heaven.

i’d agree that CHRISTians were being arrogant if the truth of the matter were there were many ways to get to heaven and they were just saying, “ours is the best.”  but that’s not what they’re saying.  they’re saying, the truth of the matter is someone has got to pay the penalty for the obvious wrongdoing we committed.  who’s it going to be?  is it going to be us paying in eternity?  or is it going to be JESUS CHRIST, paying as our substitute? 

HE’s the only one qualified by HIS sinlessness and HIS divinity to be our substitute.  that’s reality.  the reality is it’s not arrogant to act upon the evidence.  CHRISTians aren’t being narrow-minded when they say there is only one way to the FATHER. 

analogy:  there was a family who had their first child, a little girl.  shortly after birth the baby developed jaundice.  you may be familiar with jaundice.  it’s a liver disorder that caused the whites of her eyes and her skin to turn very yellow.  the doctor told them that this is a potentially devastating disorder.  but fortunately there is an easy cure for it.  all you have to do to cure a baby of jaundice is put the baby under a special light.  the skin absorbs this light and it stimulates the liver to function properly.  that’s what the doctor told them to do.

now they could have responded by saying, “wait a minute!  that’s sounds too easy!  put her under a light?  how about instead if we just scrubbed her with soap and dipped her in bleach?  i'm sure if we really scrubbed her hard enough we could get her skin coloring back to its normal self.”  the doctor would have said, “you don’t understand.  there is only one way to cure jaundice.”  the parents could have replied, “i don’t like this one way thing.  how about if we just ignore it and pretend that everything’s ok?  and if we sincerely believe that we don't have to do anything then in the end everything’s going to work out?”  the doctor would have said, “you’re going to jeopardize the life of your child if you do that.  there’s only one way to cure jaundice.  you’re hesitant because it sounds too easy.  but look at the credentials on my wall, look at my medical degree.  i studied in medical school.  i’ve cured countless babies of jaundice.  trust me based on my credentials.” 

would anybody accuse those parents of being narrow minded if they trusted that doctor – a doctor with credibility and credentials – when he said there’s only one way, one course of treatment that would cure their little girl?  would it be narrow-minded for them to pursue that course of treatment?  it’s not arrogant to act upon the evidence. 

just a thought from the front porch…