Episode 51 - The Way

Christianity is often rejected as being too discriminatory or exclusive; our beliefs won't allow for the worldviews which contradict it. Is this accusation true? There are many who have left the faith over this. In this episode we look into the these common misunderstandings and see what Jesus really meant when He said, "I am the Way, no one gets to the Father but through Me."

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Transcript

Introduction
Welcome to Teleios Talk. I am glad you chose to join us today. Today is Good Friday and our topic couldn't be better timed. We are talking about “The Way” - as in the narrow way and the only way to heaven. It seems that our society believes in the notion that all roads lead to heaven.  Certainly, the most popular belief, or the one we hear most often, is that one's goodness ensures them a happy eternity So, is Christianity the only way to eternity with God? When this question is asked the response often portrays it as a discriminatory statement; and many who leave their faith point to the answer to this exact question as one reason for their apostasy.

Are there multiple ways to God? Does Christianity have a monopoly on heaven? What about other religions, are they all wrong? If so, why? This is a huge question with even bigger significance.

What’s in this Episode

When I was in Grade 8,  there was a local Christian radio station that had a program which ran every afternoon called the Bible Answer Man with Walter Martin. In his book “Kingdom of the Cults”, and in his recordings, there is a theme in which he harkens back to his own Biblical education. He recalls one of his professors running through all the world’s major religions and eliminating each one as contradictory. until he arrived at the Abrahamic Religions. Here he eliminated Islam because it has significant deviations from the Abrahamic tradition and he eliminated Judaism because Christianity is the natural progression, and fulfillment of, the base Judaic belief.

In 2010, I went to Guatemala to help build houses for people whose homes had been damaged in storms. While there, the expression of duality, or syncretism, in cultural belief systems became very evident and I began to wonder how a style of syncretism was expressed in our own cultural norms.

The first of the ten commandments says, “you shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3) When we start talking about the narrow way to heaven or the concept of many roads,  where do we cross the line  from orthodoxy to heresy?

Panentheism and Syncretism

In our December Podcast we talked about General Revelation and how man has no excuse for rejecting God since he reveals Himself in Creation.  But, could we make the claim that God is not only in all things, but all things are in God? What about the idea that all of creation contains within it a spark of divinity? Could we claim, through our understanding of Scripture, that God is not only within all things, but transcends all things? In short, can the Christian worldview support a pagan worldview which claims that there is no significant distinction between the natural and the supernatural, the holy and the profane?

This question is a very important one to answer because as we explore the implication of these beliefs there is an erosion of Holy deistic honesty. What is being described in these questions is the teaching of Panentheism – a misleading and misguided approach to thinking about the relationship between God and God’s creation. In general, it confuses the being of God  with the existence of creation.  It also affects, often indirectly, how we approach relationships and our ethics. Popularized in today’s cultural religious thought;  mystics, such as Richard Rohr and Thomas Keating, borrow and infuse ancient cultic philosophies into a postmodern style “small-c” christianity: from Buddhism,  Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, and Shintoism. 

But this isn’t simply an imported perversion of the Scriptural ethic. Mormonism and the LDS Church teach a view of Panentheism called “Light of Christ” in which they believe God created everything with a constituent Divinity; so this implies that all the rocks and trees, birds and fish, molecules and atoms contain divinity. Bruce R. McConkie of the LDS Church says, “There is a spirit — the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Christ, the light of truth, the light of Christ — that defies description and is beyond mortal comprehension. It is in us and in all things; it is around us and around all things; it fills the earth and the heavens and the universe. It is everywhere, in all immensity, without exception; it is an indwelling, immanent, ever-present, never-absent spirit. It has neither shape nor form nor personality. It is not an entity nor a person nor a personage. It has no agency, does not act independently, and exists not to act but to be acted upon.”

[https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1989/06/i-have-a-question/what-is-the-difference-between-the-holy-ghost-the-spirit-of-christ-and-the-light-of-christ?lang=eng&id=html]

Lest we assume that the things being taught here are in someway original or drawn from ancient Christian theology; the philosophy of Panentheism can be traced back to Greek thought in the teachings of Heraclitus (c. 535–475 BC), the Dhammakāya tradition of Buddhism (300 BC), and the creation myth of Hindu philosophy recorded in Rig Veda (1100 BCE).

Yet we see progressive writers like John Shelby Spong and Brian McLaren acting as if they are releasing a new and enlightened understanding  of Scriptural truth which widens the path to God. John Shelby Spong wrote, “the Gospels are not in any literal sense holy, they are not accurate, and they are not to be confused with reality.”

[https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/77451-why-christianity-must-change-or-die-a-bishop-speaks-to-believers-in-exi]

In fact, Brian McLaren says, “no atonement theory is necessary because there is no problem that God needs to solve through Jesus’ death or resurrection.” [https://progressingspirit.com/2024/03/14/choosing-the-kin-dom-benefits-of-relinquishment/#qa]

When you actively deny sin and the gospel message then your testimony to the truth is necessarily misleading and counterfeit.

In its own words, the progressive church (let us not add the word Christian here) denies the Trinitarian understanding regarding the personhood of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit; embracing all faith traditions and denying the exclusive teaching of Christ being the only way to God while describing Christ in terms which would relegate Him to the level of a created god, or mythological creature. 

[https://progressivechristianity.org/about-us/]

Writing for progressivechristianity.org, Joran Slane Oppelt says, “Mystical religious experience — a personal relationship with the Divine — is the path of Christ. Walking the Christ path doesn’t require you to believe anything about God or the universe…” “God doesn’t need to be a “personal Being” in order for me to have a personal relationship with God.”

[https://progressivechristianity.org/resource/pantheism-or-panentheism/]

This is not Christianity. This is paganism, syncretism, and the willful rejection of the truth of Scripture.

Divided Allegiance

Look at your church. Talk to its membership. Are there any signs that the teachings of Christ are being subverted? Let me ask the question another way, who is the god being worshiped during the week? Satan sells himself by tickling our desires. In Matthew 6:21, Jesus is talking about treasures in heaven and says, “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  

In his commentary on this verse, Charles John Ellicott says, “Men may try to persuade themselves that they will have a treasure on earth and a treasure in heaven also, but in the long-run, one or the other will assert its claim to be the treasure, and will claim the no longer divided allegiance of the heart.”

Are there things in our lives that divide our allegiance? This question is a big one for us to discuss because we can go many ways with it. If I were to choose only one it would have to do with the Christian response to Yoga. Right away there are some of you who will roll their eyes and think, “Oh, here we go!” But this is a topic which clearly lays out how Biblical teaching becomes subverted. If we want to clarify how following the only way to God can be challenging, then this example does that.

In an interview recently with Becket Cook, Rae Darabont talked about her experience as a practitioner of Yoga. Early on in the interview she outlines the historical genus of what is now known as the practice of Yoga. Interestingly, what we are told is that the history of Yoga comes from the practice of Hinduism. In the ancient practice of Hinduism, the teaching, “all is one and one is all”,  sounds eerily similar to the penentheistic rambling of today’s progressive minotaurs guarding the labyrinth of lies.

Even though we are told that Yoga is only a form of breathing and stretching exercises; the goal of all forms of Yoga, according to Darabont, is to “join human beings to an ultimate impersonal reality.” Ultimately those who practice yoga are told that we are deity, melting into a larger conscience. How can this be tied into Christianity without it eroding the belief system clearly taught by Christianity?

Again, according to Darabont, there is this intentional teaching in Yoga which says that within each of us is a divine spark. In fact, the word namaste used in Yoga as a sacred benediction means, “the divinity in me bows to the divinity in you”. Here there is a clear denial of the Godhead taught in Scripture.

[https://youtu.be/OMgDnitTQzE?si=g3UU2dLQls5Ht0r0]

According to the director for the Hindu American Foundation, “in practicing the universally applicable Core Concepts of Hinduism (code word yoga) a Christian can come closer to Christ, a Jew closer to Yahweh, a Muslim closer to Allah.”  But this suggests a type of Universalism or Universalist philosophy which is counter to the teachings of Christ.

In Matthew 6:24, Jesus states, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.” Later in Romans 6:16 we read, “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”  This question is asked by Elijah in 1 Kings 18:21, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” We must follow only one path and not become mesmerized by the shiny objects of selfish sin dangled before us. It is the flashy lure that snags the fish.

Former psychic, and New Age practitioner, Jenn Nizza, talked with CBN News in Dec 2022 and really drove home what it is about Yoga that should scare us as Christians. She said, "Yoga is a Hindu spiritual practice and the word 'yoga' is rooted in Sanskrit; it means 'to yoke to' or 'to unite with,' and what they're doing," "They have deliberate postures that are paying tribute, honor, and worship to their false gods, and they have over 330 million false gods, which are demons, and they're honoring them with these postures." “you can't separate the Hinduism from the yoga practice; so for a Christian to do it, in particular, you're sealing yourself (with) those mudras.”

[https://youtu.be/Lxye9-PUqKk?si=P_y5GwBhx-e2e4qj]

According to the web page for Ekhart Yoga, “The purpose of these hand gestures (or mudras) can vary according to tradition – from focusing subtle energy, transmitting teaching through symbols, acting as a tool for healing illness, even attributing magical powers and psychic abilities to the practitioner!”

[https://www.ekhartyoga.com/articles/practice/an-introduction-to-mudras]

The Bible explicitly ties magic to the activities of the occult and demons. Leviticus 19:31 says, “Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.” Does it need to be any clearer than that?

Billy Graham once said in a sermon entitled “The danger of Neutrality”, “I think the main reason a lot of young people don't come to Christ is because they don't want to pay the price; and He will not compromise, He will not negotiate. You either come by repentance and faith or you don’t come at all, and a lot of young people don’t want to pay that kind of price. If you want an education you’ll pay most anything to get it. If you want wealth you’ll give up all sorts of other things to get money. But Jesus said… if you gain the whole world but lose your soul, would it be worth it?”

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXGyACvE6BA&ab_channel=BillyGrahamEvangelisticAssociation]

We are pulled constantly in the direction of pleasing our worldly desires through the words of deceiving teachers masquerading as Christians and the practices of spiritualism which only serves to bind us and dullen our souls. We become hard-hearted, sitting in church to fulfill the obligations of tradition; but seethe when our sins are laid out before us. How dare my personal life become the topic of the sermon, who are you to say I am wrong? And then, who we are, and what we believe, is revealed. We don’t want a narrow way, we don’t want a servant's heart, and we do not want to pay a price. But that is the message of Christianity and that is why Jesus had to come to die for us; because without Him, and His sacrifice, we would never enter heaven.

Jesus and the way

When Jesus described Himself as “the way” he was addressing the doubt that Thomas had –and He was addressing the doubt that we may have when approaching the claims of Christ and, subsequently, Christianity. Jesus makes three distinct claims prefaced by a declaration of authority.

In His declaration, Jesus says, “I am”. In Greek this phrase is Ego eimi which means "I am", or, "I exist". People often argue that Jesus never makes a scriptural claim to being God; these people seemingly ignore this verse entirely. Here Jesus declares His authority and His statement explicitly implies His deity.

First, He qualifies this statement by saying, “I am the way”. He, and He only, is the only means through which we can approach the Father. We have access to God only by obeying the instructions, imitating the example, and depending on the merits of Jesus Christ. He shows Himself to be the leader along the road, the guide to the wandering, the teacher of the ignorant, and the example to all.

Secondly He says, “I am the truth”. He is Himself the Eternal Truth. Truth is a representation of things as they are. The life, the purity, and the teachings of Jesus Christ were the most complete and perfect representation of the things that the eternal world has been, or can be; and Jesus presents it to man. But the radical nature of the truth of Christ is in believing that the truth encompasses a contradiction.

Philosopher J. C. Beall said  “The history of heresies, charitably interpreted, is really the history of Christians trying to get away from the contradiction of Christ,” “They flee the contradiction because of an unfounded dogmatism about logic that requires rejecting contradictions, but in so doing, they are actually losing the radical truth of God incarnate.” “The incarnation is supposed to be a radically unique event, bringing transcendence and immanence together in a unique way, and it certainly does so in a walking, talking contradictory being; it is no wonder that faith is required to embrace the truth of Christ.” [https://news.nd.edu/news/the-truth-about-christ-lies-in-contradiction-philosopher-finds/] 

Lastly He says, I am the life. This statement has two distinct paths of thought. Historically biblical scholars, theologians, and apologists have pointed to the most obvious answer: He is Himself the Source, Author, and Giver of eternal life. We cannot live outside of God; even our eternal existence is only possible in the palm of His hand. And yet when I read this, I see there is another way of interpreting this statement from Jesus. In a philosophical essence He is saying that the meaning of life is only discernible through Him. We see this in some of the statements made by Christ, such as, “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34)

The meaning of life, then, is about a complete faith in the sovereignty of God, complete surrender, and a metaphysical immersion in the Truth of our existence. We were created to worship God forever, willingly. Do you want to live to your purpose, do you want to fulfill your potential? Then the life you long for is only attained through Jesus.

The way is only down the narrow road; exclusive, intolerant, discriminatory, and hard. We follow it only through the grace and leading of God, and we follow it only because we must be changed - putting away selfish desires, dying to our old selves, and being regenerated to newness in Him.

In my book “Six Good Questions” I talk of Jesus’s teaching regarding the narrow way. “In Matthew 7:13–14, Jesus said, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Human nature gravitates toward ease and pleasure (Catholic World, Volume 50 – 1890, pg 254, Harvard University, Paulist Fathers);  Jesus was saying, if you follow what I teach you, life will be hard, you will encounter hardship, but the promise is eternal life.

I'm not a rock climber, and although I do enjoy perilous hiking, heights are not my idea of a good time. However, this verse takes an allegorical cue from the idea of searching for a route. The idea of a narrow gate suggests that the gate, or entrance, to the narrow way is not easy to find; and, the path behind the gate is also narrow. This suggests to me that the path to life, eternal life in this case, is restrictive and not prone to wandering or meandering. But, in my case, this restrictiveness also provides some degree of safety as well. The broad path is easy to find with its large and well-marked entrance; and the way is well traveled, but the freedom of this type of travel offers no protection to the person on the journey.

From time to time, these two paths will come in proximity to each other. A traveler on the narrow path will see someone on the broad way but, having been warned of the dangers, will not venture out to compel the other traveler to join them. Instead, they will call to the person on the broad way, warning them of their impending destruction .Each of these travelers has chosen their own way, which seems right to them (Proverbs 14:12), but one leads to eternal life and the other to eternal torment.

Let us draw this analogy out a little further. The person on the broad way sees that the other traveler is right in his warning but the access to the narrow way is nearly impossible to traverse. In order to make the change and travel from one path to the other they cannot do it on their own; and so a guide (John 16:13) must come alongside them to lead them into the narrow way. But if there is no effort on the part of the person leaving the broad way the guide will release them to return to where they came.

The idea of a narrow and restrictive route to eternity does not come across as being very attractive. The view, oftentimes, isn't great and the desire to wander is greatly hemmed in. The completion of the journey is the point; it is the journey which shapes and aids in endurance. However, it is the destination, the completion, which we strive for. This is why the thought of a narrow gate is oftentimes troubling, to be willfully selfless and conforming seems an absolutely limiting way to live. However, in that narrow path there is safety, comfort, and a sense of purpose.”

“When we read the word narrow, we tend to associate it with prejudicial selection. It sounds as though God has rated us all on some scale of acceptability and only allows a select few to enter His presence. However, a few verses earlier, Jesus had told the same audience, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened" (Matthew 7:7–8). Jesus made it clear: the path to eternal life is open to everyone who asks.

However, the gate to heaven is “narrow” in the sense of having a particular requirement for entrance –faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is found only in the Person of Jesus Christ; He is the only way (John 14:6). The “wide” gate is non-exclusive; it allows for human effort and all other (religions of the world).” [https://www.gotquestions.org/narrow-path.html]

Bill Mounce, writing for Zondervan Academic, says “The power of the “Two Ways” metaphor is that it emphasizes you must make a decision, and you must decide between one of two options. There is no third. There is no neutral position. As Jesus says, if you don’t decide for him, you have decided against him. It also emphasizes that there is only one path to life. The only other path leads to death.” [https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/concordance-or-meaning-matt-713-14-mondays-with-mounce]

When we begin to entertain the progressive, penentheistic view of syncretistic religious plurality, we entertain a lie. Romans 1:25 says, “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.” The religion of self affirmation robs us of freedom in Christ

Outro

When speaking of how we address the claims of Christianity, Tim Barnett of Red Pen Logic wrote, “So, Christianity is absolutely unique in what it claims. No other religion, or religious leader, has dealt with the reality of human sin. Only Jesus did that. Now, just because Christianity teaches that it’s an exclusive religion, doesn’t mean it’s not also inclusive. What do I mean by that? It’s exclusive in that it teaches that Jesus is the only way. But it’s also inclusive in that it’s a genuine offer of salvation to everyone who believes.” [https://www.str.org/w/is-christianity-the-only-way-]

The totalitarian proclivity of God's absolute sovereignty is what drives away those who would find fault in the Christian worldview. Atheists like Dawkins and Harris, and even other religious figures, have looked at what Christianity is ultimately pointing towards and respond by saying we cannot follow an absolute being. And yet, when Jesus came to Earth, He said, “okay here is the law, but, I tell you to love”; and as Christians, when we are telling people about what we believe – about what is in the Bible –  when Jesus says, “I am the way, and I am the truth, and I'm the life, and no one gets to the Father but by me.” If we do not have love, then what is being heard regarding the exclusivity of our faith is an extremely scary and soul crushing idea.

Prayer

Father God. I don’t want to change, I don’t want to pay a price to follow you; but You came to save us and bring us into an eternity with You and I realize that it is only through the narrow gate that eternity rests. Soften my heart to hear what You have to say that I might embrace the exclusive teaching of Your word.  Amen