Part Three: One God, One Way, One Faith - A Defense For Why Jesus Is The Only Way of Salvation

 

Introduction:

This week our church is hosting a Vacation Bible School that has as its theme: "One Way" here New Hope Baptist Church: Watertown, NY > Vacation Bible School 2025. Every year, we try to offer a series of adult classes that coincide with whatever the VBS is studying. I've devoted the last two posts and today's to covering what I'll cover with the adults, thus our series: "One God, One Way, One Faith."

The last two posts have featured what I'm calling "a defense for why Jesus is the only way of salvation". In this short series I have proposed three stages or three steps that lead to this conclusion.

First, we proposed that since there is One God, it follows that there is One Way. We compared other views of what counts as ultimate reality. Included in our evaluation was giving an account for such things as objective truth, laws of logic, and objective morality. Any other worldview besides monotheism leads to the undoing of objective truth, laws of logic, and objective morality. Atheism, pantheism, panentheism, polytheism, dualism, agnosticism, and henotheism all suffer from viewing ultimate reality as one reality, with either no Divine agents or multiple Divine beings presiding over everything. One cannot hold to object truth in those systems, since truth by its very nature demands an objective standard. 

Monotheism, with its belief in two realities (God as ultimate reality, and then the created reality that had a beginning) grounds objective truth, morality, and laws of logic. We saw that only Christian monotheism, with its affirmation of the Trinity, grounds morality, truth, and logic, since only a Triune monotheism makes sense of God being truly self-sufficient and not in need of creation. 

Such a God chooses to interact with our world, designing our world as not only a physical, but moral order. As the God of love, He included such things as redemption and created free-will creatures such as ourselves. Interested readers who want to review this first point of "One God" in detail may read the first post here: Growing Christian Resources: Part One: One God, One Way, One Faith - A Defense For Why Jesus Is The Only Way of Salvation  

The second part of our series dealt with "One Way". As we built this second part off of the truth of "One God leading to One way", we saw that the incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ, is central to our argument. Jesus Christ repeatedly expressed Himself as the decisive revelation of God in history and humanity. He being truly God, and thus a member of the Trinity in which the entire Divine nature has "subsisted" or stood for all eternity, means He by nature of His deity is the proper ground of salvation, as seen in the Biblical phrase "salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9). 

   The doctrine of the incarnation teaches that this eternal, second Person of the Trinity, the Son, came to earth to have added unto His person a true and entire human nature (John 1:14). The Son of God incarnated to be the man, Jesus of Nazareth. He is the unique and total revelation of the Father (John 14:8, Hebrews 1:3) and thus the clear revelation of what God is like. 

As man, He represents all who would ever believe upon Him in the same way the original Adam was the representative of all mankind in the Garden of Eden (see Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:45-47). Therefore, Jesus Christ as truly God and truly man is uniquely the only way of salvation (John 14:6). No other founder of any religion ever claimed nor proved to be God. No other founder of any religion demonstrated His identity by raising from the dead. Interested readers may read more about this second part of the argument here Growing Christian Resources: Part Two: One God, One Way, One Faith - A Defense For Why Jesus Is The Only Way of Salvation.

In this short series, we have aimed to understand the Bible’s rationale for affirming that there is One God, One Way, and One Faith. It is that final piece, "One Faith" that will occupy our time in this final post for the series. In today's post, we will discover that saving faith as presented in the Bible is just as unique as Jesus the only way and as the Triune God, who is the One God of salvation.  

The Uniqueness of the Christian faith, and the manner of receiving salvation by faith alone.

    Years ago I heard R.C. Sproul give a lecture on the doctrine of saving faith found in the Scriptures. What he taught was this: saving faith has three essential elements to itself. I think of a three-legged stool upon which Biblical faith rests. 

1. There is “notitia” or the contents            of faith.

2. There is “assensus” or                            intellectual ascent to the faith.

3. Then there is “fiducia” or trust in the      Christ of faith.

In his teaching, Sproul noted the following, as reflected in an article he wrote here: Saving Faith: Foundations - An Overview of Systematic Theology with R.C. Sproul

    Sproul first noted: "What are the constituent elements of saving faith? The Protestant Reformers recognized that biblical faith has three essential aspects: notitia, assensus, and fiducia. Notitia refers to the content of faith, the things we believe." (Compare 1 Corinthians 15:2-4).

    Then Sproul moves on with the second element of saving faith: 

"Assensus is the conviction that the content of our faith is true. One can know about the Christian faith and yet believe that it is not true."  (Compare 2 Timothy 1:12)

    Then Sproul mentions one more leg or constituent element of saving faith, not only "notitia" (the doctrines "that we believe"), and "assensus" (agreement with the doctrines "because I believe"), but thirdly "fiduci", or "I trust in what I believe". Dr. Sproul stated again:

    "Fiducia refers to personal trust and reliance. Knowing and believing the content of the Christian faith is not enough, for even demons can do that (James 2:19). Faith is effectual only if one personally trusts in Christ alone for salvation." (See Rom. 10:8-10).

    It is this element, along with the first two, which makes sufficient conditions for true saving faith. Do I trust in the God and what He has said in His Word about Jesus Christ and salvation? This is why the Apostle John in 2 John 1:9 uses the language of "abide" in reference to saving trust in God the Father and God the Son: "Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son."

I had noted Ephesians 4:4-6 in the first lesson of this short series, but it bears repeating again. Ephesians 4:4-6 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

      The Bible teaches that the way we know that salvation is one way is by not only the affirmation of the One Triune God and the One unique Savior, Jesus Christ, but also the one way through which salvation is received – by faith alone. Romans 3:24-26 “being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”  

Only two religions in the world. 

     The late D. James Kennedy once noted that there are only two religions in the world: salvation by grace through faith apart from works, and salvation by works. As I’ve studied various religions over the past three decades of Gospel ministry, I’ve found his observation to be true. 

    For instance, Mormonism teaches four different ways to receive salvation, always adding something to faith, what we could call a “faith+” approach. Islam has you observe the five pillars, which include prayers toward Mecca, a once-in-a-life pilgrimage, and other ethical prescriptions. Buddhism has you follow what it calls “eight noble truths”. All of these are works-based approaches to salvation. 

Why saving faith is unique. 

   The way to God is unique – Christ alone. God Himself is unique – God alone. Now realize that the way to receive salvation in Biblical Christianity is unique – by faith alone. Let me note three things about saving faith with Scripture references.

1. Faith is bestowed by God. 

    We know that no confession of Jesus Christ occurs apart from the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 12:3 “No one says ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit’”). Justifying faith is Divinely grounded by how its bestowed by God, that is it is a Divine gifting of God (Ephesians 2:8) that becomes a decision of the will to trust in Him (Acts 16:31). Charles Hodge, a nineteenth century theologian, says this about saving faith:“The first conscious exercise of the renewed soul is faith, as the first conscious act of a man born blind whose eyes have been opened, is seeing.” 

    Just as a baby is born with muscles, organs, and a brain to begin its life outside the womb, no doubt developed from conception, a born-again sinner has faith granted as a gift, an awakening, whereby the sinner is freed to exercise his or her decision to trust in Christ and repent of their sins. There is human faith, contrived and naturally stirred toward emotional or natural things. Only saving faith leads the sinner to trust in the Savior (see John 1:12-13; Romans 9:14-15; 1 Peter 1:3,5; James 1:18,21).

2. Faith is a divine work of God. 

    That is, faith is God’s doing. James 1:18a “In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth…”. Or again, 1 Corinthians 1:30a “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus…”. See also John 6:28-29 and Ephesians 2:8-9. Faith is a gift that is bestowed by God and a Divine work in the soul. Jesus notes this in John 6:39 "Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.'" 

3. Faith is prompted by the call              of God. 

      I think of Lydia in Acts 16:14 who was listening to Paul’s preaching: “and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.”  We do not see Lydia forced against her will to trust in Christ. If anything, her heart is "opened", nearly imperceptibly as a flower opens its petals to the light of the sun. The inward call of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel is what shines the light of God's glory in Christ to illuminate the sinner to the awfulness of their sin and the awesomeness of the Savior. The human will, bound by sin, is freed by that call of grace. Faith, implanted in the soil of the heart, springs up in the sinner as a free-made decision. 

    Only in Christianity to you have a supernaturally given, worked forth, and Divinely called faith. This unique quality of saving faith, in the Unique way of salvation, Jesus Christ, being Himself a member of the Triune God, explains why the Bible teaches only one way of salvation. 

Closing thoughts:

     As we close out this short study, I had you introduced to the Apostles’ Creed in the last two posts. Notice its first words: “we believe”. Can you say that? Do you believe? Do you have confidence in the doctrine or truth of Christ? Do you agree that He alone can save your soul? Do you trust in Him right now for your soul’s salvation. There is only one way – Jesus Christ.

Part Two: One God, One Way, One Faith - A Defense For Why Jesus Is The Only Way of Salvation

Introduction:

     We saw in our last post that God is One God here Growing Christian Resources: Part One: One God, One Way, One Faith - A Defense For Why Jesus Is The Only Way of Salvation. We also laid out the Bible’s teaching on the doctrine of the Trinity, and how it specifically defines Biblical Monotheism. 

    One God who alone is worthy of worship, forever identified as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, has specified the Person of the Son, incarnated as the man Christ Jesus, to be the only way to have salvation. Readers may wonder why we're focused on "One Way of salvation" as central to the Biblical Gospel. First, I certainly want non-Christian readers to see in print why Christian people hold to this claim of Christianity. As the reader will see in a moment, there are myths needing dispelled and good reasons given for this claim. 

    But there is a second reason. Two independent polls (Pew Survey, Religious Landscape Survey, 2008; Ligonier State of Theology Survey, 2022) surveyed Evangelical Christians on the subject of whether there is more than one way to God besides Jesus Christ. The former poll delivered the result of 57% claiming more than one way to God, with Ligonier's poll resulting in 58%. The view that there are many paths to God is called "religious pluralism". I'll deal with this viewpoint in a moment.

    Why is this significant? Think about it. Statistically, on any given Sunday, even in so-called Bible believing churches, over half of professing Bible-believing Christians would dispute the position we're advocating for in these posts - that Jesus Christ is the only way one can get to Heaven, and that explicit faith in Him in required. 

    As readers will see today, the "one way" of salvation follows from "One God". The way of salvation is Jesus Christ. As we will see, He not only came to be truly man for us, but He also came as God with us (Matthew 1:21-23; 1 Timothy 2:5). In other words, the Biblical monotheism I argued for in last post includes in it the understanding that the Son is truly God, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. To affirm Biblical monotheism is to include the notion that the incarnate Son of God must be the only way, since Scripture tells us that "salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9).  

Myth-busting a claim by religious pluralism

    Religious pluralists will argue there is no privileged religion, since in their view, all religions are of the same value. The question to ask of course is this: is that true? 

    Before we get to the Scriptures that reveal the exclusivity of salvation in Jesus Christ, it is important to dispel a commonly held myth propagated by pluralism.  Pluralists will try to show that Christianity's exclusive truth claims is bigotry and mean-spirited, since according to them, it alone claims to be "the only way". When you fact-check other religions, you quickly discover Christianity isn't the only religion claiming exclusivity. Let’s look at a few other religions and their claims. 

1. The Bhagavad-Gita – One of the three main Hindu holy books. Hare Krishnas use this. Bhagavad-Gita 18:66 “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” This religious book believes Krishna to be one of three main deities which are part of a much larger group of deities in Hinduism (130 million or so).

2. Dhammapada – One of the main sources for Buddhism. Chapter 14 “He who has gone to refuge to the Buddha, the teaching and his order penetrates with transcendental wisdom the four fold truths.” Buddha did not believe in God or at least in a personalized deity. Ultimate reality is cyclical and impersonal.

3. Quran – The main book of Islam. Surah (Chapter) 47 – “God will render of none effect the works of those who believe not, and who turn away men from the way of God; but as to those who believe, and work righteousness, and believe the revelation which hath been sent down to Muhummad (for it is truth from their Lord), he will expiate their evil deeds from them, and will dispose their heart aright.”

4. Pluralism. Some may be surprised, since pluralism itself claims that there are multiple paths to God. However, Pluralism itself is an exclusivist claim. How so? It positions itself as the definitive world on all other religions. Further, it rules out exclusivist claims like "Jesus is the only way" in favor of its own objectivity "there are multiple paths to God". 

The uniqueness of Christianity is what sets it apart, even more so than its exclusive truth claim to be the only way to God.

Contrary to many today who promote “pluralism” or the belief that all ways lead to God, the above examples show that other religions claim exclusivity. What sets Christianity apart in its exclusive truth claims is the Person of Jesus. He claimed to be God (John 8:58). He gave His life for the sins of His people. He raised from the dead. 

The deities of Hinduism, Buddha, and Mohummad never claim to be the One True Living God. Never gave their lives for their people’s sins. Never raised from the dead to tell about it. The uniqueness of Jesus Christ sets Him apart as “The Way”. 

I’m going to present two main points as to why “The Way” to God is one way through Jesus Christ. First, we will note the Bible’s testimony. Then second, what sets Jesus Christ apart from all others, and thus proves that He alone is the way of salvation.

A. Biblical testimony of the one way of salvation.

Wherever theologians and professing Christians get the notion that there is possibly more than one way to God, or there is possibly of salvation outside of express faith in Jesus Christ, its not from the Bible. In such cases, practitioners of so-called "inclusivism" or the most extreme opposite view of exclusivism, universalism (all people will be saved regardless of what they believe) have to import a man-made system or philosophy.

 Below I’m going to lay out some of the Bible verses that talk about what theologians call “the exclusivity of the Gospel” or there only being one way to God.

Isaiah 35:8-9 “A highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for him who walks that way, and fools will not wander on it. 9 No lion will be there, nor will any vicious beast go up on it; these will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there.”

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Matthew 11:27 “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

John 10:9 “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’”

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”

Ephesians 2:18 “for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.”

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

Hebrews 10:19-22 “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

B. What makes Jesus Christ unique and thus the only way of salvation.

    I'm going to put forth five unique doctrines of Christianity that no other religion in the world shares. These five truths are tied to Jesus Christ, who himself is the core, the foundation, and exclusive personality of Christianity.

(B1). He alone is God in human flesh.

      Dr. Ed Hindson in “The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics”, page 138, notes this: “Jesus is deity on foot! He walks among men, but He lives above men. He looks like a man, but He talks like God. He is fully human and yet totally Divine. He is the window through which we see the nature and character of God in action. And He is the mirror through which we see ourselves in relation to God.”  The second main part of the Apostle’s Creed affirms: I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. See John 1:14; 14:6,8.

(B2). He alone was virgin born.

     Contrary to what you may hear on the internet today, the virginal conception and birth of Jesus Christ is unique among all religions and philosophies, whether modern or in antiquity. The Egyptian story of Osiris from the Egyptian Book of the Dead recounts Osiris deriving from the sky and earth gods. No virgin birth there. Mithra of Persian and Roman religious fame came out of a rock to journey into the netherworld – again no virgin birth. 

    In the Pali Canon of Buddhism, Buddha allegedly came about when two people from the celestial realm or “Brahma” touched his mother’s stomach. She was already a married woman, so again, no virgin birth there. 

    Among the Greeks, the historian Plutarch and the later Suetonius tell the story of the conception of Alexander the Great, the mighty conqueror. A serpent laid by the side of his mother and she became pregnant. You guessed it – no virgin. The Bible alone teaches a virgin birth, and Jesus alone fulfilled i

      Author Erwin W. Lutzer in his book “Christ Among Other gods”, page 79, notes this about Jesus’ virgin birth: “To be a Savior, Christ had to meet three requirements. First, He had to be a male, born of a woman as predicted in Genesis 3:15. He had to become one of us to redeem us. No angel could have been born our sin; He had to represent us in all respects. 

    Second, He had to be sinless in order to have the perfection God demands. As sinners, we cannot pay for our own sin even if we suffered forever, much less could we pay for the sin of someone else. Whether the sacrifice was accepted dependent on its value, its perfection. Third, he also had to be God, so that it could be said that God himself undertook a rescue mission to reconcile sinful humanity. If salvation is of the Lord he had to provide the very sacrifice he demanded.” He alone is God in the flesh. He alone experienced a virgin birth.

(B3). He alone died for sinners.

      We so often take for granted the uniqueness of Christ dying for our sins as a substitutionary atonement (Romans 3:24-26; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18; 3:18). No other founder or leader of any religion, philosophy, or movement in history ever died for His people for the sake of not only love, but for appeasing or propitiating the wrath of a Holy God. As man He died. As God, He provided the infinite value to the cross (Acts 20:28). Only Christ and Christianity proves God’s love via the cross (Rom 5:8).

(B4). He alone raised from the dead.

     Jesus Christ alone is God and man, alone had a virgin birth, and alone died for sin. We now see a fourth uniqueness about Jesus – His resurrection. Jesus predicted His own death and resurrection (see John 2:19-20 and roughly about ten more spots throughout the Gospel accounts). Remarkably, He raised from the dead as public vindication that all He achieved on the cross was accepted by God (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Acts 3:14-15). 

    Only the four Gospel accounts give us a consistent, historically rooted, and prophetically fulfilled narrative surrounding the events of the empty tomb. His subsequent twelve appearances over a forty-day period cemented the certainty we have of knowing that He physically, and bodily raised from the dead. Muhummad, though being claimed to have ascended into Heaven, never died for His people and certainly did not raised from the dead. Buddha’s remains were cremated and distributed among his followers. No other religion has this claim of a resurrection.

(B5). He alone is necessary for Christianity to exist and salvation to exist.

This final point on the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the way of salvation is meant to note how if you remove Him from Christianity, you have no Christianity.1 

 Biblical faith would collapse without Jesus Christ. He is the hinge of the first 39 books of the Bible in their anticipation of Him; and He is that same hinge of the 27 books of the New Testament in their proclamation of Him. 

All other religions will claim that our greatest need is enlightenment, moral reformation, or a code of laws to deal with our guilt and our problems. Christianity alone tells us we need the Savior. Our problem is sin, not ignorance. The message and the Master are one-and-the-same, meaning Jesus Christ is the Good News of the Gospel. If we don’t have Him at saving faith, we don’t have God, nor reconciliation, nor forgiveness of sins.

    I close with the Apostles’ Creed. Notice how it summarizes Jesus Christ in His uniqueness.  

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. 

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic (that is, universal) church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

In tomorrow's post we will close out this short series by noting "One Faith", and what makes saving faith in particular unique to Christianity. 

Endnote:

1. I’ve dealt with Muslims in the past. Any Muslim will tell you that as important as Muhummad is, Islam would still be Islam with or without Muhummad (severely altered, but not eliminated). 

  The principles of enlightenment taught by Buddha could be recreated without him as seen in other similar Eastern faiths. Hinduism claims no central deity or founder. 

Mormonism, though claiming Jesus as their Savior too, yet have a different Jesus who is one among a long string of deities stretching back through eternity. You could still have Mormonism without Christ. All other religions can still persist with or without their founder because they are simply human made principles and morals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part One: One God, One Way, One Faith - A Defense For Why Jesus Is The Only Way of Salvation

Introduction:

I decided to break away momentarily from what has been our long-term series on the Nicene Creed to present a short series I've entitled "One God, One Way, One Faith". Why? This week our church will host a VBS that has as its theme: "One Way" here New Hope Baptist Church: Watertown, NY > Vacation Bible School 2025. Every year, we try to offer a series of adult classes that coincide with whatever the VBS is studying. What follows are notes from this year's study which I've already mentioned: "One God, One Way, One Faith".

What this study is about
    This study is about giving Scriptural,
apologetical, and historical reasons why there is only one way of salvation in Jesus Christ. Scripturally, we will turn to the doctrines of God, Christ, and saving faith to demonstrate this truth. One God, One Way, and One Faith will be our cornerstones.

As a matter of apologetics or "defense of the Christian faith", we will compare Christianity to other religions, offering  an apologetic or “defense of the Christian faith’s uniqueness”. In seeing the uniqueness of Christianity, the reader will hopefully better understand the Biblical teaching on the exclusivity of One God, One Way, One Faith. When I say “exclusivity”, I simply refer to that explicit trust in Jesus Christ, who reveals the true living God and salvation in the Gospel, as the only way of salvation (John 3:16). 

Then lastly, I will introduce the student to the historic Apostle’s Creed as a witness to Christianity’s historic confession of One God, One Way, and One faith.

Why the exclusivity of the Gospel is so important to study.

The bi-annual Ligonier State of Theology Poll conducts a survey among Evangelical Christians and the wider American population to see what they believe about key Biblical doctrines. On the survey’s website here: https://thestateoftheology.com/, we read the following:

“Key to orthodox Christianity is Jesus’ own assertion that He alone is “the way, and the truth, and the life,” and that “no one comes to the Father except through [Him]” (John 14:6, emphasis added). Trends over time and the 2022 survey results reveal an increasingly unbiblical belief among evangelicals that God is pleased by worship that comes from those outside the Christian faith.”

In one of its questions the poll asked Bible believing Christians (i.e. Evangelicals) as to whether they agree or disagree with the following: “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.”  This poll, conducted every two years since 2016, found the following answers year by year. 2016 48% agree. 2018 51% agree. 2020 42% agree. 2022 56% agree. Our key verse is John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”  In this short series of posts, we want to look at the Bible’s rationale for affirming that there is One God, One Way, and One Faith by noting its emphasis on "One God".

A. Biblical Monotheism: God is One God in Being, Three in Person.

      The Bible affirms this fundamental truth that there is only One God. To argue for what I'll call "Biblical monotheism" is to express the foundation for why there is only one way of salvation. The argument is simple: One God leads to one way of salvation. 

    The Bible teaches “monotheism” meaning “one God”. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”  James 2:19 “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” 

    Establishing the One God of the Bible as the basis for “One Salvation” and “One faith” is the goal of this lesson. Let’s probe further to grasp what I’ll call “Biblical monotheism”. 

    Biblical monotheism asserts that God is a “Unity in Trinity and a Trinity in Unity”. That is, God is One God in being and Three in identity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We will note two main points making up Biblical monotheism. First, that God is one God in unity. Then second, this One God is three persons in identity. Noting the Trinity lends not only to showing the uniqueness of the Christian faith, but also to why there is only one way of salvation, due to this One God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let's unpack each of these truths in their order.

A1. One God in unity.

There are many more passages we could note as to this first main point of there being “One God”. James P. Boice, a great 19^th century Baptist theologian, lists the following headings from his “Abstracts of Systematic Theology, Chapter 4” with proof texts for God being One God.

(1.) The passages which declare explicitly that God is one: Deut. 6:4; Mal. 2:10: “Hath not one God created us?” Mark 12:29, 32; 1 Tim. 2:5; Eph. 4:5, 6; James 2:19.

(2.) Those that assert that there is none else or none beside him: Deut. 4:35, 39; 1 Sam. 2:2; 2 Sam. 7:22; 1 Kings 8:60; Isa. 44:6, 8; Isa. 45:5, 6, 21, 22; Isa. 46:9; Joel 2:27.

(3.) That he alone is God: 2 Sam. 22:32; Neh. 9:6; Ps. 18:31; 86:10; Isa. 37:16; 43:10, 12; 46:9; John 17:3; 1 Cor. 8:4-6.

A2. Three persons in identity.

Let’s establish our second main point about Biblical monotheism: God is One God who is Three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Dr. Boice offers the following definition:

“THE Scripture doctrine of the Trinity is set forth in the abstract of principles of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in these words (Art. III.): ‘God is revealed to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence or being.’

          Dr. Boice then writes:

“The scriptural proofs of the personality and divinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit having now been considered, it is proper to notice a few passages of Scripture in which the Three are revealed distinctly, by being mentioned, or manifested together.” (See Matt. 3:17; Matt. 28:19, John 14:26, and 15:26, 1 Cor. 8:6, 12:4-6)

B. Weaknesses of non-Christian monotheistic views  and non-monotheistic views.

    As we laid out the definition and Scripture proofs for "Biblical monotheism" (i.e. the doctrine of the Trinity), lets compare and contrast it to other positions. We must note that when it comes to world religions and the philosophies of men, there have been seven general categories: 

Monotheism (One God).

Polytheism (many gods).

Pantheism (Everything is God).

Panentheism (God is in everything, the universe is His body).

Henotheism (One powerful God among lesser gods).

Atheism (no God). 

Agnosticism (we cannot know whether there is a God).

     Below I will list the weaknesses of non-Christian monotheistic views and non-monotheistic views.

Non-Christian monotheistic views and their weaknesses.

B1. Deism – God made the world and left it to itself. Weakness: Denies God’s personal involvement in our world, possibility of miracles, possibility of revelation. Not the God of the Bible.

B2. Non-Trinitarian monotheisms – Whether Islam, modern Judaism, or others, to say God is simply a unity without the Trinity makes God dependent somehow on the creation to complete Himself. The Biblical portrayal of God consistently reveals He is self-sufficient and Personal, requiring the ability to interact within Himself. 

    Also, God is a God of love, meaning there needed to be a subject to give love (the Father), a subject to receive love (the Son), and a third subject to complete the circuit of love (the Holy Spirit), see Luke 3:21-22; Romans 5:4-5; 1 John 4:8, 16. Any monotheism without the Triune persons is an incomplete monotheism.

Non-monotheistic views and their weaknesses.

B3. Polytheism – The weaknesses here are that multiple deities have different wills, which leads to conflict, which leads to the absence of objective truth and morality. When you read the polytheistic accounts of Egypt, Greece, or Rome, such systems could not consistently develop a universal sense of right or wrong or truth. 

    Even if they affirmed it, their system could not account for it. Only Biblical Monotheism, having truth and morality as grounded in God, and the Personal involvement of the Trinity, can makes sense of truth and morality. A subset of Polytheism is Dualism, which sees an evil deity and a good deity in conflict with one another. Similar weaknesses beset dualism.

B4. Henotheism. This view sees One God among lesser deities. It suffers the same problems as Polytheism.

B5. Atheism – Without One God, there is no grounding for morality, truth, meaning, or purpose in life. Sometimes a weakness in a worldview is seen in not only logical inconsistency, but also whether it is livable. Atheists will still perform burial rights for their dead loved ones, still pursue a good noble life, and follow the golden rule. Their worldview tells them there is no value to such things, yet their humanity and behavior betrays what they truly know – that God exists (see Romans 1:18-20).

B6. Agnosticism – By stating “I cannot know there is a god” or “We cannot know anything about any god” is self-defeating.

B7. Panentheism and Pantheism – I decided to lump these together, since both affirm a view of deity that is impersonal. The weakness here is that if God were impersonal, there would be no morality or truth, since moral and truth categories require personal agents (one who is the standard, the other who receives the standard). Pantheists (such as Buddhists Hindus) and Panentheists (many who believe God is evolving with history) resort to believing there are no objective truth nor morality.

C. How the Apostle’s Creed highlights One God who is Three Persons.

    Now that we have overviewed the Biblical and apologetical reasons why One God is the basis for the one way of salvation, I want to close out today's post with historical evidence for Christianity confessing the exclusivity of salvation as argued for in this opening post. The Apostle's Creed is stated below. Deriving from at least the second or third century, the Apostle's Creed represents what early Christians confessed, as well as what even earlier church fathers would had inherited from the Apostles themselves. Although the Apostles did not pen the creed, it reflects the historic Christian faith that we find in the New Testament.

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit

and born of the virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to hell.

The third day he rose again from the dead.

He ascended to heaven

and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.

From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

      As you can see, the Church from the days of Christ and the Apostles has affirmed there is only one truly and living God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One God. One Way. One Faith. 

Conclusion:

I close with Ephesians 4:4-6, which is an early creedal expression Paul inserted under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Notice the repetition of the word “one”: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

    In our next post we will continue with this short series, noting Biblical, apologetical, and historical arguments for why Jesus Christ is the One Way of salvation. 

 

 

 

The Goodness of Good Friday - Reflections From Romans 5

 

Introduction:

    Today is what Christians the world-over call "Good Friday". Why call a day "Good" when the most evil act perpetrated by men - the crucifixion of Jesus Christ - took place? The ultimate cause behind the crucifixion was God Himself (Acts 2:23-24; Acts 4:26-28).

    God the Father sent the Son to become the incarnate Jesus of Nazareth. The Divine Son would live a perfect human life as "The Word made flesh" (John 1:14), to qualify as the "perfect Lamb of God", to die once and for all for sin (1 Peter 1:17-18; 3:18). The goodness achieved that day far outweighed the evil. 

    As we consider this Good Friday, we will look at one of the clearest passages in the Bible on the atoning death of Christ - Romans 5:6-21. What we will discover is the goodness of Good Friday.

1. The Goodness of salvation accomplished.   Romans 5:6-8 (WHAT HAPPENED FOR ME)

Paul writes in Romans 5:6-8 "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." 

John Murray, past Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, wrote a classic book in 1975 on the atoning work of Jesus Christ entitled: “Redemption Accomplished And Applied”. I’ve always found the terms he used in that title helpful in wrapping my arms around the Biblical doctrine of Christ's substitutionary atonement. 

The idea of “salvation accomplished” means the historic event of the cross, along with His resurrection from the dead. This is what Jesus Christ did for me or what we could also call "what happened for me". 

    The cross is where sin’s debt was paid; and the empty tomb is where the payment was approved. Murray’s book discusses at length how necessary Christ’s death was on the cross to accomplish salvation. There were no other methods or ways God could had set forth His saving work. 

    For Murray, the plan of God required an absolute effort from Himself to bring His overall saving work to its completion. As it concerns Jesus’ work on the cross, Murray writes: 

“Without it, we lack the elements necessary to make intelligible the meaning of Calvary and the marvel of its supreme love to men.”

Remember, in salvation accomplished, I’m talking about what Christ did for me. This is what had to happen for me, on my behalf. It would require all four Gospels to present what Jesus accomplished "for me" in a span of six hours. Let me mention two verses from the Gospels of Mark and Luke that highlight "salvation accomplished".

A. He bought me from my sin. 

 Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” 

    The term “ransom” concerns the price paid to emancipate a slave. In His humanity, Jesus lived a perfect life of 33 years, fulfilling what was required by God’s Law. He offered up a perfect life through His active obedience. 

    For Him to be qualified to accomplish redemption at the cross, He had to live a perfect life prior to it. It was His perfect humanity that provided valid payment for my sins, and it was His deity that provided infinite value in payment for my sins.   

B. He sought me despite my sin. 

Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” 

    Now we have the act of death on the cross. The perfect life offered up in being the ransom for sinners qualified Him to be our Savior leading to the cross. It is here that what He accomplished paid for salvation at the cross. Remember, we have not only a perfect humanity, but the undiminished deity of the Divine Son of God. He paid the ransom to God as man and acted salvation as God. The title “Son of Man” speaks both to His deity and humanity. As man, Jesus Christ sought after Zachaeus. As God, He knew where to find this wee little man. 

    So, we see that the first good of Good Friday was that "salvation was accomplished by Christ", defining what needed to happen for me". But now notice secondly....

2. The Goodness of salvation applied.   Romans 5:9-11 (WHAT HAPPENED TO ME, IN SAVING FAITH)

In salvation accomplished, I understand that something had to happen for me. I could not bring it about. But now in salvation applied, upon the work of saving grace in saving faith, I understand something happens to me. That which “happened for me” is a historical, physical event, acted forth by God, for God, for sinners such as myself. Now what is needed is a connecting heavenly work, done by the Holy Spirit to apply that accomplished work to me. The cross-work of Christ is validated by His resurrection from the dead. It is on that basis that the Holy Spirit takes what Jesus achieved and applies it to those who believe. 

    The historical event becomes the heavenly reality granted "to me" at saving faith. We don’t have time to expound on all the graces that the Holy Spirit works forth in the sinner’s salvation. We know that those whom He calls on the inside of the heart by the Word of God (Romans 10:17), He brings forth that miracle of the New Birth, saving faith, and repentance. John 1:12-13 spells this out, as well as 2 Timothy 2:25. What happens to sinners so drawn, called, and converted by the Spirit through faith in salvation applied?

A. My legal problems with God ended in justification.  Romans 5:9

    Paul writes in Romans 5:9 "Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him." 

    Why God's wrath? Why did the settled opposition of the Divine Father need directed at the Divine incarnate Son on the cross. We read in Deuteronomy 27:26 "Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’" 

    The Law of God was violated originally in the Garden of Eden. When God made man, He placed within his heart the law of God in the form of the human conscience (Romans 2:14-15). 

    This form of God's Law was broken in the treachery of our original parents. Millennia later, that same Law, given to Moses and Israel in inscripturated form, came with a curse for any who violated it. The Apostle Paul comments in Galatians 3:10 "For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.” Gal 3:24 "Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith." 

    Unless Christ bore the curse, I and all descended from Adam would have legal problems with God. Because Christ bore the curse as the New Adam, that meant His perfect life of righteousness could be "imputed" or credited to my otherwise bankrupt spiritual account at saving faith. This is what the Bible calls " justification by faith". But notice also...

B. My spiritual plight with God ended in reconciliation.  Romans 5:10

    We read further in Romans 5:10 "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (see also Romans 3:23). We are spiritually separated from God from conception and birth (Psalm 51). What is needed is reconciliation. 

    Paul explains how bad off we all are in Ephesians 2:12 "remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world."

     When a sinner, so drawn by the Spirit in saving faith, trusts in all that Christ is and has accomplished, the grace of reconciliation is applied. 

C. My relational pain with God ended in adoption. Romans 5:11

    We read on in Romans 5:11 "And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation." How can a reconciled, justified sinner have confidence to exalt in God lest they are also considered as adopted sons and daughters? Paul writes in  Galatians 4:6-7 "Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!'  7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God." 

    We then read in Ephesians 2:18 "for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father." The argument of Romans 5 follows through into Romans 8, where Paul brings forth the truth of the believer's adoption by God (Romans 8:14-16). 

    These three truths of justification, reconciliation, and adoption comprise the three-braided rope of "salvation applied" at saving faith - a rope that cannot be broken. Then, what we find in Romans 5:12-21 is an introduction to what will be the overall argument that follows in Romans chapters 6,7,8, what I am calling "salvation experienced". 

    We saw in "salvation accomplished" that something happened for me. We observed in "salvation applied" that something happens to me in saving faith. But the Christian life doesn't stop there. Notice....

3. The Goodness of salvation experienced.  Romans 5:12-21 (WHAT IS HAPPENING IN ME, SANCTIFICATION)

As mentioned, Paul is introducing what He will expound upon in Romans 6, namely the experiential union the Christian has with Jesus Christ. To introduce this truth, Paul places side-by-side the first Adam, original Adam, and then of course Jesus Christ, whom Paul calls elsewhere the "New Adam" (see 1 Corinthians 15:45-47). 

    Adrian Rogers has noted that we gain more in Christ than we lost in Adam. The Scriptures bear out that our overall experience and identity is defined by whomever we have union. As I cite the remainder of Romans 5:12-21, I'll insert headings in parenthesis that expound what we can call "the badness of sin experienced in Adam" and "the goodness of what is experienced in Jesus Christ".

A. The badness of sin experienced in Adam.   Romans 5:12-14 

    Romans 5:12-13 (Sin’s consequences) Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— 13 (sin’s condemnation) for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 

     Romans 5:14 (sin’s corruption) Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

B. The goodness of salvation experienced in Jesus.  Romans 5:15-21

    Romans 5:15-21  (imparation of the Son’s consequences) But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. 16 The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. 

    Romans 5:17 (the imputation of the Son’s credited righteousness) For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

    Romans 5:18 (the inwardness of the Son’s completed work) So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. 20 The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

    The above gives us a taste of the goodness accomplished on the cross, applied in saving faith, and experienced in sanctification.  

    For any reading this post today, let me ask you: have you received by faith all that Jesus accomplished for you? If not, wherever you are at, simply pray and ask God to forgive you of your sins and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to become your Savior, Lord and Treasure. Acknowledge that you trust in His finished work on the cross and that you believe He raised from the dead. You too can then have applied the goodness of Good Friday, and from this day forward experience the goodness of Good Friday worked forth in you by the Holy Spirit. 

Salvation Paid In Full - Why "Good Friday" Is So Good

 

Introduction

       Today is what Christians the world-over refer to as "Good Friday". Why the adjective "Good"? The Son of God incarnate, Jesus Christ, who perfectly, flawlessly, lived the only sinless human life before men, offered Himself up to death on a merciless cross. That act was at once a depiction of human hatred and Divine love (see Acts 2:23; Romans 5:8). 

    What made Jesus' death on the cross good on the Friday He died was what it achieved. Jesus uttered 56 words in the six hours he hung on the cross. 56 words, stretched over seven sayings, emphasized His intent, His love, and His achievement of redemption. His accomplishment signalled the "good" of Good Friday. His forthcoming resurrection proved that what He did was accepted by the Father. That's the good news of the Gospel. 

     At the church where I pastor, we annually celebrate Good Friday by having what is called "The Seven Sayings of Jesus from the Cross" service. The words that Jesus spoke during His crucificxion are what I alluded to above, and which are the focus of the service we'll have at the church this evening. Let me draw your attention to one of those statements expressed by our Lord in the final hours before He died on the cross.

Salvation "paid in full"

    

    One of the final words Jesus would express before breathing His last is recorded by John the Apostle in John 19:30 -

Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. 

       In the underlying Greek text of this passage, the words, “It is finished” are one word - "τετέλεσται" ("te-tell-es-tie"). Moulton and Milligan’s Greek Lexicon (i.e dictionary), page 630, cites examples from ancient receipts where this word was used to express “payment in full”. I'm sure most readers have had that thrilling experience of making a final payment on something. To see a "zero" balance at the bottom of the bill signals you're no longer underthreat of penalty for late payments, nor the weight of debt owed. The bill is satisfied. 

    Better yet, for perhaps fewer persons who have had someone pay the balance of a long-standing debt, what emotions come to the surface when you realize that someone else satisfied a debt you had accrued? Gratitude? Humility? Wondering why? That's all included in this one little word in the Greek that we translate into the phrase "it is finished". 

    The verb "τετέλεσται" ("te-tell-es-tie") is in what we call the "perfect tense", which means that a particular act, having been done in the past, has abiding consequences into the present. Quite literally, what is intended in the phrase "it is finished" is "it has been finished, and is still finished, never to be repeated". What Jesus said from the cross over 2,000 years ago has ripple effects that changes the life of anyone who receives all He has done and is by faith (Ephesians 1:7). So, what exactly was He claiming to have “paid in full”? 

The cross and the empty tomb demonstrate that the benefits of salvation were paid in full

    The Four Gospels tell us about the events of cross and empty tomb. The Book of Acts contains the preaching of the cross and empty tomb. It is in the New Testament letters and Revelation that we find the meaning of the cross and empty tomb. What follows is a sample of all the benefits of salvation “paid in full” on the cross. As you read each verse below, note the underlined words.

1. Freedom from condemnation. 

Galatians 3:13 "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”

2. Forgiveness of sins. 

Ephesians 1:7 "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace."

3. Full pardon. 

Colossians 2:14 "having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."

4. Flourishing spiritual life. 

Titus 2:11-12 "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age."

5. Final defeat of Satan. 

Hebrews 2:14 "Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil."

6. Freedom to live for God. 

1 Peter 2:24 "and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."

7. Forever adoption. 

Revelation 5:9 “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation."

    Every benefit can only become reality in someone's life when they receive what Jesus accomplished by faith. Apart from faith, the debt of sin and judgment is owed (see Romans 6:23).

Closing thoughts for this Good Friday

    When Jesus said those words, all of these, and more, were “paid in full”! For all who receive Him by faith apart from good works, the debt is paid in full. Reflect on what Jesus has done. I close with words from a dear old Hymn "Jesus paid it all" - "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow".