Today, I will talk about the proper and biblical way to access God. In the Bible, there was an old way to approach God, and millions of people still believe this is the proper way and try to access God through it. However, today's passages reveal that God has created a new way to access Him.
I have three questions to answer in my sermon today.
- What is the first and foremost quality of the Savior to redeem all sins of the world?
- Why Christian Bible say that Jesus is the only way, while other religious people claim that there are several ways.
- What is the spiritual meaning of Christian salvation, and what are the practical ways to enjoy it in daily life?
Introduction
There are three major monotheistic religions in the world. Monotheism is the belief in the existence of only one God. Christianity including Protestants and Catholics, is one of the largest, encompassing 31.1% of the world's population. The second largest is Islam, followed by 24.9% of the world's population. About 1.9 billion individuals believe that Allah is the only God. The third monotheistic religion is Judaism. It has about 15.7 million followers. There are 6.3 million people in the United States.
Among these three major religions, only Christianity believes that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. Islam acknowledges Jesus as one of the prophets but holds that Muhammad is the last and greatest prophet. In Judaism, they are still waiting for the Messiah to come and save them. Each religion has its own beliefs and claims that its way is the true way to access God.
However, the problem is that these religions often fight and argue with each other, claiming that their faith is the only way and other are false religions.
What is your response as a Christian when Jewish or Islamic believers challenge the authority of Jesus Christ as the truth and the only way? Let’s look at the answers found in today’s passages.
Main Massages
In John 1:14, the Apostle John talks about the divine quality in Jesus Christ. It is a good Bible reference when Islamic followers claim the legitimacy of Jesus Christ as the way. In verse 14 says, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." This verse speaks to where Jesus Christ came from. He came from God. He was living with God without a physical body because He was the Logos. He became flesh to dwell among us because He should redeem the sins of all humanity.
The first and foremost quality or requirement to be the redeemer is to be sinless, to take away the sins of all humanity. A person who is without sin can stand as a surety or redeemer for us before God. Romans 3:23-24 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” That’s why God, the Second Person of the Trinity, had to come into this world and die—because He is the only one who lived among us without the problem of sin.
In 2005, I arrived in Farmington Hills, MI, as a foreign student. At that time, I couldn't buy a car to drive to school, nor could I rent an apartment because I had no credit. I needed a co-signer to act as guarantor. Finally, my brother-in-law co-signed for me. So, I could buy a car to drive.
Likewise, only Jesus Christ can act as our co-signer before God because He is the only one without sin. Through only him, we can see the glory of God and the fullness of God’s grace and truth.
The Islamic religion claims that Muhammad, born around 570 AD, as the last and greatest prophet, but the problem is that he was having a fully human father and mother. He may have had the best human qualities, but he did not possess divine qualities. According this historical fact, Muhammad could not be the redeemer mentioned in the Bible because he could not be sinless.
Religion of the Law
Verse 17 says, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” This verse discusses about the transition from the age of the Law given by Moses to the age of grace introduced by Jesus Christ in the Bible. God gave Moses the law in the Old Testament, which governed the people of Israel as their way to access God for around 1,500 years. However, verse 17 emphasizes the shift in authority from the Law of Moses to the grace and truth of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 1:1-2 provides a clear biblical answer to this, “1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.”
God made the new and better way through Jesus Christ to access to His Kingdom for us. Jesus also said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
New Way to Access
When I came to the States in 2005, I stayed at my sister’s house for a while until I got my own apartment. Her house was located on 8 Mile between Halsted and Farmington Rd. She had a couple of acres on her property. One day, my brother-in-law made a plan to split the property to build other houses to sell. So, he went to the building department of the city of Farmington. They suggested two conditions for him to get building permits. The first condition was to connect to the city water because they were using well water. The second condition was to close the driveway that opened toward 8 Mile Rd and make a new driveway to Goldsmith St. So, he closed the driveway that connected to 8 Mile directly and made a new driveway on Goldsmith.
After that construction, no one could access my sister’s house through the old way from 8 mile because it was closed off. The only way to access it was from Goldsmith, where he made the new driveway. I was there to help him with the construction.
God changed the old way of approaching Him to a new way through Jesus. Jewish believers are not completely wrong; they have not yet embraced the new covenant and continue to follow the old ways.
Conclusion
Today's passages help us gain a deeper theological understanding of how the Bible proves that Jesus Christ is the only way to access God. Through these passages, we learn how to respond when followers of Judaism and Islam challenge the authority of Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world.
The biblical answer is clear about that Jesus is the only way to access God because God created a new and living way, and he decided to welcome people into His Kingdom only through Jesus Christ.
Finally, I want to share with you what is the practical way to enjoy our salvation in our daily lives. John 17:3 says, “Eternal life is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom God has sent.” The key point of this verse is that eternal life means truly knowing God who sent us Jesus Christ as our Redeemer. This “knowing” isn’t just about having information; it’s about a deep, experiential knowledge and have connection with God and Jesus Christ.
Call to Action:
I, as a pastor, encourage you to take a step deeper into your spiritual practices be it through prayer, scripture reading, or worship together in truth and spirit together. These are spiritual practices that Christian can do for holding and enjoy our salvation in our daily lives.
@ 07.14.24 Pastor Cloud Poy
@ Photo on Unsplash의Brendan Church
