If you believe that the Scriptures are the supreme and final
authority in all matters of faith and practice, and if you are responsible for
utilizing the traditional tools of interpreting text and honoring the original
meaning intended to the best of your abilities, you know right well that the
Word of God nowhere teaches that all roads lead to Heaven. That’s the world’s
version; there is no hell, and all are heaven bound.
Think for a moment how people might perceive us who do not share
our theological values when we declare the truth of Jn 14:6,
Jesus said to him [Thomas], I
am the way, the truth, and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through Me [emphasis
mine].
Fanatic! Dogmatic! Bible-thumper! Self-righteous! Arrogant!
Narrow-minded bigot! Intolerant! Heartless! Hypocrite! Heretic! Literalist!
Baptist!! “Et cetera, et cetera!” as the King of Siam [Yul Brynner] would say
in the King and I [1956]. Perhaps, you can relate to some of
these epithets being ascribed to you for believing the words of Jesus in John
14:6, literally. I am guilty of being a Baptist for sure!
Why would our critics use acerbic or sarcastic descriptions of those
who hold the Word of God in high esteem and heavily rely upon it as their moral
compass in a very dark and evil world? The answer is simply that they do not recognize the authority of
the Word of God as superior. Now, they would not have a problem with Jn 14:6,
if Jesus had said, “I am a way, a truth, and a life,” and delete the second half of the verse.
This passage of Scripture and those who proclaim it contradict all
the other religions of the world advocating that man must do something to be
saved. There are only two ideologies of salvation in the world: grace and
works. Authentic Christianity embraces the former; the world embraces the
latter or rejects the idea of salvation altogether. Even under the umbrella of
Christianity, there are non-biblical ideologies lurking in the shadows, those claiming to believe that salvation is of works, for example.
They may even embrace the terminology of Christianity, but it requires us to ask
something so basic as to the identity of their God when it is said, “In God we trust,” the meaning of salvation, etc.
If you ask someone the question, “What must you do to go to heaven” it cuts right to the chase and arrives at the heart of
their theology. Often those claiming to be believers either don’t believe
that Jesus Christ is Yahweh or they may say faith + works = salvation. In other words, we must
have faith, but it must be earned by works of righteousness or something to that effect (contrast Titus 3:5).
They may parade as a believer by their words and ways, but a
closer examination of what is believed reveals them to be something altogether
different. Unfortunately, we have to peel the layers of the onion to get to the
core; God who is all-knowing doesn’t have to use the onion technique (cf. Jer 17:10). We claim
to be a Christian nation, but America, generally speaking, is far from it. Goodness, the
demons believe in God, and we know they are all heading to the lake of fire for eternity (Jas 2:19)! A right theology without saving faith is useless.
Now we are not saying works are not important in progressive
sanctification, living for Jesus, and maturing in the faith. Visible fruit is a sign of
spiritual vitality. But when it comes to positional sanctification or
salvation, works have absolutely, unequivocally nothing to do with it! Nothing!
(Eph 2:8-9; cf. Rom 115-6) Fruits or works only support a claim of salvation
(cf. Eph 2:10; Jas 2:18). We are not saved by works but by grace alone, through
faith alone, in Christ alone. Any element of works in salvation is contrary to
the historic gospel (cf. Gal 1:8-9). Jesus said, No one comes to
the Father except through Me (Jn 14:6b). We come to God the Father through
a Person (His Son Jesus Christ), not through a merit-based system.
I know we should be promoting the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus
Christ in all things and not a denominational label. But good Bible-believing
churches avoid using “Baptist in their logo as if it is taboo in marketing
Christianity. I am a Christian by conviction and a Baptist by preference. I actually
think of myself more as a Biblicist than a Christian or a Baptist, but I do not
evade either one with an ulterior motive. I do not know of any Baptist churches
or Bible-believing interdenominational churches or Christians to be perfect. That
is exclusively reserved for Jesus. Many good churches believe like the Baptists,
but don’t want to be labeled as “Baptist.” It is a marketing gimmick for the word
Baptist has a negative connotation; I’m guessing. Doctrine divides; it is
supposed to!! If you cling to John 14:6, you are declaring to the world
everybody is wrong who does not believe it!
Let’s say, for instance, your church name is “Loving God Loving People” from Anytown, USA, an LGLP movement of Christianity in America. The Word is believed and taught. The growth rate is outpacing all the surrounding local churches. People are getting saved; church members are growing in the Lord and giving and outreach are phenomenal! Who wouldn’t praise Yahweh for that! Avoiding a Baptist label has not hurt you one iota. God is blessing the movement for His glory. Eventually, the problem with sticking with the truth surfaces.
Now, if you promote a strong John 14:6 theology, over time the world will see to it that LGLP churches of America are too doctrinally divisive like the Baptist’s faith. Avoiding Baptist on your church sign was never the problem. It doesn’t matter what you call yourself; it is the doctrinal position the enemy opposes. In time, if LGLP churches remain faithful to the Word, they will become stigmatized along with the Baptist churches who remain faithful to the Word; sadly, not all do today, which is part of the advancement of apostasy in the end times. Call or identify yourself what you will as a church body, but it is erroneous thinking to cling to doctrines that are biblical in nature and expect it is not going to have a polarizing effect on the world at large. Good doctrine rightly divides truth from spiritual error, like John 14:6.
I will give you a negative word today: witnessing. It strikes fear in a lot of believers who feel intimidated that they do not know enough or are afraid of rejection or embarrassment. Witnessing is like growing up. Tell what you know; we are expected to be witnesses for Christ. It is not optional but obligatory. When I came to Christ, I didn’t even know where the book of Genesis was in the Bible! That was a testament on how many times I opened up the Bible when I was without Christ. The reality is that we don’t have all the answers; we never will, but Jesus does. We cannot save a single soul; Jesus does. We need to share the Word with our world, shamelessly (Rom 1:16), being wise as serpents but harmless as doves.
I am of the opinion that no one has a right not to be offended, particularly a Christian (cf. 2 Tim 3:12). Getting right down to it, the church is actually for believers. We have flipped evangelism for years from going out personally and being a witness for Christ in our concentric circles of influence to simply inviting others to church. It is a clever way of avoiding our responsibility of being a witness. Since God is omniscient, He sees right through our motives. I am not opposed, however, to inviting people to church.
I am of the opinion that no one has a right not to be offended, particularly a Christian (cf. 2 Tim 3:12). Getting right down to it, the church is actually for believers. We have flipped evangelism for years from going out personally and being a witness for Christ in our concentric circles of influence to simply inviting others to church. It is a clever way of avoiding our responsibility of being a witness. Since God is omniscient, He sees right through our motives. I am not opposed, however, to inviting people to church.
Why do you think the word Baptist is replaced with another name for a Bible-believing church that shares the Baptist faith? It is an overt disassociation from mainline denominational dogma in order to attract unbelievers to church! Church to a lost person is the one place he or she does not want to go anyway! The church is for believers to worship, fellowship, give to help, receive spiritual support, and inspiration to go back out into the world and live for Jesus as a witness. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, but it can be a challenge at times and a test of our faith and resolve to love and obey Yahweh.
Do you recall the words of Yahweh to Samuel when the Israelites
wanted a king like all the other nations,
…they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I
should not reign over them (1 Sam 8:7,
emphasis mine).
As I witness to others, the enemy wants us to take all the negative
responses directed our way – personally, but “Get behind me Satan” is a great
stance to take. The reality is that unbelievers are rejecting the authority of
the Word for their life, regardless of their firewall. Our job is not to break through the wall of resistance but share the Word.
We need to be a mouthpiece for Yahweh and proclaim His Word to all; it brings forth spiritual life,
For
as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but
water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the
sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My
mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and
it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Isa 55:10-11).
It has always been an
authority issue with the lost, a debilitating spiritual issue,
We will not have this
man to reign over us (Lk 19:14).
The
words of Yahweh through Jeremiah come to mind,
Each one follows the dictates of his own evil heart, so that no
one listens to Me (Jer 16:12).
According to John 14:6, no one has the right to believe whatever
they so desire and expect to enter the kingdom of God – except
through Me. Jesus told Nicodemus, …unless one is born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (Jn 3:3). Jesus was
alerting Nick to some vital spiritual information, Truly, truly, I say to
you (KJV).
Without spiritual regeneration, Nick cannot
see the kingdom of God in his current spiritual state. And get this!
He was a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews (Jn
3:1) the teacher of Israel (Jn 3:10)! Kind of
scary, right? If the blind lead the blind they are both ditch-prone (Mt 15:14)! There is a
lot of that going on today right here in the good old “Christian” country of
the U.S. of A. They are teaching a ditch theology that leads to their destruction, but, ironically, they also accuse churches, like the Baptists, for being too divisive with their ditch-avoidance
theology, like Jn 14:6, for instance. <><
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