by Jarrod Jacobs
Synopsis: Many profess to follow Jesus Christ but do so in very different ways. Are we permitted such latitude?
Among the many denominational contradictions that we hear today is the teaching that says we can follow Christ in different ways. Perhaps we have heard people talk about heaven and eternity, and we have heard them say, “There are many roads to the same goal.” Some tell us that they are following Jesus in their way, and, therefore, we need to find the way to Christ that fits us best. This line of thinking is common in the religious world. I remember one man said, “You do what you want to do, and I’ll do what I want to do—that’s the way religion ought to be!” I have heard TV preachers say words to the effect that they were thankful for the religious division, and how each “church” provides its own “flavor” so that people can choose a church that fits them best. I know we have heard the old saying: “Choose the church of your choice.” This is an outgrowth of the thinking that we can follow Christ in different ways.
This false doctrine has not only been preached, but it has also been sung through the years. Don Williams, a famous country singer, sang a song written by Roger Cook and Sam Hogin which included the line: “I don’t believe that heaven waits for only those who congregate. I like to think of God as love. . .” This song was seemingly saying that, since God is love, He does not care as much about people “congregating” as men do! Heaven is not just for those who “congregate” but also for folks who don’t! Isn’t that a nice thought? Tom T. Hall had a hit with the song, “Me and Jesus got our own thing going.” (This song was also “covered” by George Jones, Brad Paisley, and others.) I know we could think of many other examples of songs, articles, sermons, etc., that assert that there are many ways to follow Christ or many roads to the same goal. Regardless of the media outlet, we have been fed a steady diet of this through the years. As a result, anyone who teaches that there is only one way to heaven or one way to follow the Lord is ridiculed. He will be mocked, called a “Pharisee,” “narrow-minded,” or worse.
If the doctrine that says we can follow Christ in different ways is true, would it not make sense that this teaching would be found in Scripture? Of course, it would. However, when we read the Bible, we do not see God teaching such a doctrine. From Genesis through Revelation, we see God emphasizing the fact that there is just one way to please Him. Regardless of the dispensation, this is a consistent theme.
In the days of Genesis, God said that, in order to please Him, Adam and Eve needed to dress and keep the garden and not eat of the forbidden tree in the midst of the garden (Gen. 2:15-17). This is pretty straight-forward. When they ate of the tree that was forbidden, they sinned and were driven from the garden that day (Gen. 3:6-24). Reading the context (Gen. 2:15-3:24), do we see room for varying views concerning the eating of the forbidden fruit? Read it and see if there was some way Eve or Adam could have said, “I thought there were many ways to please you, Lord, not just one way. I thought it did not matter if I ate from the tree or not.”
In the next chapter, we see Cain and Abel offering sacrifices to God (Gen. 4:1-5). The Lord was pleased with Abel’s sacrifice but displeased with Cain’s. Why didn’t Cain argue that there are many ways to please God? Why did he not say that he did the best he could with what he had and that God’s love ought to cover him since he tried hard? Where are these types of arguments found in Scripture? Where did Cain try to justify himself by saying there are many ways to please God? No, such statements did not originate with God! In fact, God gave Cain the recipe for success (Gen. 4:7), but he refused and sank deeper into sin (vv. 8-15). In the beginning, God did not teach that there are many ways to please Him.
Another example of there not being many ways to please God can be seen in a study of Noah and the ark. God called upon Noah to build an ark according to His specifications (Gen. 6:14-16), because He was going to destroy the world by water (v. 17). If anyone wished to be saved from the impending flood, what was necessary? Put simply; they had to get in the ark and stay there! Ultimately, only “eight souls were saved by water” (1 Pet. 3:20). Why were only eight souls saved? It is because only eight souls got in the ark! There was no other ark for folks to enter. Furthermore, no other sailing vessel would do except the ark that Noah had built. There were not many arks floating around where people could choose the ark of their choice! There was only one, and whoever was not on that ark drowned in the flood (1 Pet. 3:20)!
When we move into the Mosaic period, the time which spanned from Mount Sinai to the death of Christ, do we find God changing His mind? No, we find God being strict in His commands. It was not for men to argue with God and set up another way to follow Him. Passages like Exodus 20:3 are self-explanatory in showing us that there are not many ways to follow God. There is only one way. Just as we do not have a choice of Gods, we do not have a choice of ways to get to God!
In studying 1 Kings 11-13, we find that Jeroboam tried to set up a new religion for the people to keep the citizens of the Northern Kingdom from returning to Jerusalem. When we read this section, we do not find God or the prophets somehow endorsing this and encouraging Jeroboam’s religion. We do not hear folks saying, “There are many roads to heaven.” We do not read of the prophets saying, “Choose the god of your choice.” God did not condone the actions of Jeroboam. Instead, what we find is Jeroboam being condemned by the young prophet for his actions (1 Kings 13:1-5). Choosing a “different road” to get to God was strictly condemned throughout the Old Testament!
In the days of Malachi, God condemned the people for their lack of reverence, for stealing from God, and their bad attitude toward God’s worship (Mal. 1:6, 9-14, 3:8). Notice that God did not accept their worship, but challenged them to offer their marred animals to their governor (civil leader) and see if he would accept them (Mal. 1:8). If a man would find this unacceptable, why did they think God would think it is acceptable? Again, we do not see God telling men that there are many ways to please Him, nor that He accepts just any kind of animal, etc. There were not many ways leading to God, but only one. In this book, God told the people they were failing!
When studying the New Testament, we do not see a change in God’s attitude. First, while Christ was on earth, He told His apostles, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). In other words, if we wish to have life, and wish to know the truth, we will follow the one way through Christ! There are not many ways to get to the Father. We will go through Christ to the Father, or we will not go! He is our forerunner who has gone ahead, and we must follow Him and no one else (Heb. 6:20)!
Back in John 10, Jesus called Himself, “the door” (John 10:7, 9). He also said that anyone who tries to enter in any other way is a “thief and a robber” (John 10:1). To listen to some folks, we get the impression that there are many doors and many ways to heaven. This is not what Jesus said! He said there is only one way and we need to respect those words!
In the book of Romans, we see this sentiment once more. In chapter one, we read that the gospel is “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (v. 16). In other words, we see once more that there are not many ways to Christ, but only one! Romans 1:16 affirms that the gospel is God’s “power unto salvation.” Therefore, listening to the words of men, or reading from some ancient tome will not bring about salvation. We cannot follow what we please and still go to heaven. We will follow Christ’s will, His gospel, or we will not go (2 Thess. 1:6-9)! No, there are not different ways to follow Christ. There is only one way! This is taught again in Matthew 7:13-14. There is but one narrow way that leads to life, and we must respect this truth.
No, there are not many different ways to follow Christ. There is just one way to do it—His way! Let us not listen to men who wish to incorporate their opinions into the gospel. When they do this and teach that there are many ways to heaven, they are like the people in Galatians 1:6-9. They have perverted the gospel, and have only the wrath of God to look forward to if they do not repent! Let us not fall for their ways!
Author Bio: Jarrod has served as a preacher and elder with the Caneyville (KY) church of Christ for six years. He and his wife, Becky, have two sons who also do “fill-in” preaching in the area. The church website is caneyvillechurchofchrist.com. He can be reached at jacobspublications@gmail.com.
