Most Christians believe that no man can come to God except it be through Jesus. This means that anyone who wasn’t born into a Christian family and doesn’t believe in Jesus can not pray to God or even be saved — Christian exclusivity. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Stick with me and I’ll show you why. The verse they use to back up this false idea, that not even Jesus meant to give, is in the gospel of John:
- I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh to the Father but by me. (Jn 14:6)
This may not have even been spoken by Jesus himself since, as you’ll see further below, it contradicts something else he reportedly said. People use the interpretations they hear form the pulpit that their preachers got from bible school and they interpret metaphors literally when they were never meant to be taken that way. People just can’t think for themselves and think critically.
People just can’t think for themselves and think critically.
In the New Testament, Jesus never spoke without using a parable (Mat 13:34). When Jesus said, “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (Jn 6:53, 54)
Does that mean we literally eat his body and drink his blood? Of course not! He was speaking metaphorically. Right? The Truth originates from God. Jesus got the Truth From God and that is why he is CALLED the Truth. This is a metaphor. He is not and could not possibly literally BE the Truth since Truth is not a tangible thing and Jesus was obviously tangible.
For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; (Jn 17:8)
For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. (Jn 12:49)
…but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. (Jn 8:28)
Jesus was not “the Word”, as it says in John chapter 1. Just like Jesus said, the words that he spoke were not his own words (“I have not spoken of myself”), but everything he actually spoke he was words that were given to him to speak, what he learned from God. That’s literally what he said!
It is the same way with the verse in John 14:6. The words “I” and “me” represent his teachings and the words that he spoke that he received from God. When you say, “I believe in Jesus”, what are you really saying? You are actually saying that you believe in what Jesus taught and what he said. So what are you really saying? It means you receive what Jesus taught as truth and live by those words.
By saying “I believe in Jesus” you’re not just saying you believe he existed — unless you didn’t realize it, you’re actually saying that you believe in this word, that is what he taught.
God is the Origin of Truth
When you say, “I believe in Jesus”, what does that really mean? It could only mean one of two things: Either that you believe he existed or you believe what he said is true — what else could it mean? Whether he existed or not is really a mute point. Millions of people have existed.
Or, it means you believe what he said. But how do you know those are the things he actually said? There are many things he actually said that aren’t in the Bible and other things that are in the Bible that he never said at all. It’s like I just did — I compare scripture with scripture. When two things are contradictory, only one of them can be true. If it’s unclear, look deep inside your soul and take an honest look.
When two things are contradictory, only one of them can be true. If it’s unclear, look deep inside your soul and take an honest look.
When Jesus referred to the way, the truth and the life, he was speaking of the words that God had taught him. The words he spoke were not his own, but God’s words.
- the Way: the right way to live
- the Truth: what he taught was the Truth
- the Life: teachings that lead to entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven
The Truth is Universal — It’s Not limited to Christianity.
The truth is universal — not limited to only Christianity, but to the whole world throughout all time. It has been spoken by all prophets of all times that God sent to Man. So when Jesus referred to himself, he was speaking of the truth that he spoke.
In fact, no one can even come to Jesus unless God draws him. So it makes sense that many come to Jesus because they have already come to God! This is exactly the opposite that orthodoxy is teaching. If God draws men to Jesus, it’s usually because they have already come to God first!
Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. (Jn 6:45)
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. (Jn 6:44)
God is the author of all truth and he is every where. The truth is available to all men, no matter what religion, place or time they happened to be born. The truth is written in Men’s hearts.
When men live the truth that their hearts and consciences tell them, they are coming to God through the truth. Jesus was called the truth, because he spoke the truth that he received from God and NOT because he was God. The Truth came TO Jesus FROM God. God is the origin of Truth.
God is the author of all truth and he is every where. The truth is available to all men, no matter what religion, place or time they happened to be born.
Men who have never heard the name of Jesus believe in God and pray to him. Do you think that just because someone has never heard the name of Jesus that God will not hear them when they pray to him? Any man who prays to God in sincerity and with a true heart God hears.
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (Jn 4:23)
It’s not true that no man can pray to God without going through Jesus.
This is a gross misinterpretation fostered by orthodoxy to create an exclusivity for Christianity. In reality what Jesus was referring to is that there are many thieves and robbers who are not true shepherds of the sheep who are disguised as wolves in sheep’s clothing.
This is why Jesus said no man cometh unto the father but by me: there were so many wolves in sheep’s clothing. Jesus was a true shepherd who protected the sheep, and not as the hireling that ran away and left the sheep to the wolves. Jesus came to save the sheep from the wolves. He was an example for all true shepherds who lead their sheep to the Truth.
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (conditional)
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. (Jn 10:10-14)
Every true shepherd that God has sent is the way the truth and the life.
They must all follow the truth and not that of a hireling to get to God
This is why Jesus said “no man cometh unto the Father but by me“. There were and still are many false ways the thieves will use to “steal, and to kill, and to destroy” God’s sheep. ALL of those that live the truth of God, will come to Jesus — the truth. It is not always the other way around. Many come to Jesus but don’t live the Truth.
It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. (Jn 6:45)
ALL of those that live the Truth of God, will come to Jesus who taught the Truth
Any man can come to God through the truth, no matter where or what religion he or she is in. Do you think that Christ is the only prophet that God has sent to man throughout all ages and in every place on earth and to every man, woman and child that has ever existed? To think this is absolutely ludicrous!
If “God so loved the world” then he sent his messengers to all men, not just the Jews. Jesus was a messenger of Truth from God, but mainly to the Jewish people. He was a representative of the Truth that he learned from God. He even said that his words were not his own and he spoke nothing be what his Father sent him to speak.
For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. (Jn 12:49)
Jesus stands for the truth and the truth is what Jesus spoke. This is why he said I” (the Words of God) “am the way the truth and the life…”
So anyone, anywhere, at anytime that lives and speaks the Truth can come to God.
It is the Truth, that when we live it, that saves us. Believing in Jesus alone does not save. Don’t believe it? That’s what Jesus taught. Here’s the proof:
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. ….
And these (the unrighteous goats) shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Mat 25:34-46)
Who are the righteous? Those that did good works
As Jesus so clearly showed in Matthew 25. The righteous are those that go into “life eternal” or “enter the kingdom of Heaven”. It is not ONLY to those who “believe in Jesus as their savior”. Just believing is NOT enough. It is those that do Jesus’ teachings that go into eternal life.
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luk 6:46)
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (Jn 14:23)
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Mat 7:21)
Conclusion:
This is definite proof from the words of Jesus’ mouth that believing alone will not give you eternal life. Whether a man has even heard of Jesus or not, it doesn’t matter — this is NOT a condition for having eternal life — good works are. If any man has done good things to his fellow man, he has done it unto Jesus and he will go into everlasting life.
God is not exclusive to those of the Christian religion. Jesus was sent primarily to the Jewish people — to “seek and save that which is lost”. All men can come to the Father and it is the Father that reveals the Truth that Jesus taught. Like Jesus prayed, “that they all might be one as we are one.” The world should live as one, no matter what religion, what race or what place we live on this planet.
The Truth is universal — not limited to the Christian religion. It doesn’t matter what religion you are of or even if you are of no religion. It doesn’t matter where you live or what the color of your skin is. It’s not true that no man can come to God except through Christianity. There is no exclusivity with God.
Next: Who Was Jesus Part 3 | The Word was God