"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
A Christian is supposed to believe that Christ is the road to life, to heaven and to eternity. But in doing so, either knowingly or unknowingly, directly or indirectly, he seems to condemn the world’s majority population to eternal hell. Is this right? Is this justified? What’s the rationale for this belief?
Let’s go back to Jesus. Did He believe in eternal hell-fire for unbelievers? Did He claim that He was the ONLY way? When doing so did he ever realize that there are millions around the world who’d never know Him? Did He ever care that his claims if true would literally throw millions of people in the danger of hell-fire? Did Jesus have a heart to claim that?
Spending eternity in hell - is that so easy?
There can be only two reasoning here: Either Jesus did not claim that He was the ONLY way (or) He did claim but he has given everything in our disposal to prevent people from spending their eternity in Hell.
If Jesus had a heart and claimed that He was the only way, I can easily visualize Him as follows:
1) He would have warned about hell so many times
2) He would have stressed on final Judgment so many times
3) He would have shown the urgency in proclaiming the Gospel – either He Himself would have proclaimed or encouraged others to do.
4) He wouldn’t have considered His life or His disciples’ lives more important than winning souls
5) He would have done everything possible to win as many as possible.
For all of the above, The Gospel of Matthew says a big yes!
Jesus talks about Judgment and hell-fire in almost every chapter of Matthew. How good will it be if we – who identify ourselves as Christians – lived every moment of our lives with thoughts on eternity! How good will it be if we ask God to make us a blessing to the fallen world! How good will it be if everyone did everything with the sole purpose of populating heaven!
Jesus is coming soon! Whether our lives are short or long, the only thing that will stand is how much we have lived up to our calling.
Let’s get on straight with the Bible. Let’s not be content anymore with our traditional styles of preaching or doing ministry or worship. Rather let us look unto Bible to learn what it conveys and what it asks us to prioritize. Let us try to imitate how Jesus ministered, how Paul and the other apostles ministered.
Keeping the Bible as our sole authority let us read and meditate on the following verses (Matthew 10) and allow God to share His burden.
As you go, proclaim this message: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Whoever publicly acknowledges Me I will also acknowledge before My Father in heaven. But whoever publicly disowns Me I will disown before My Father in heaven.
Anyone who loves their father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves a son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
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