Read
John 14:6.
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
Jesus made a lot of radical statements when He was on earth, but the one that seems to upset unbelievers the most is John 14:6. Why do you think this is true?
- According to what Jesus said, is there any other way to have a relationship with God and be in Heaven without trusting in Him? (No!)
- Jesus taught that trusting in His payment for our sins is the only way to be made perfectly clean. Do you remember why we must be perfectly clean? (God is Holy, perfect and clean, and He can't allow us to make Him dirty with our sins.)
Think about the history surrounding Noah and the ark in
Genesis 6:5-8. According to this passage in the Bible:
- How did God describe mankind during the days of Noah (People filled with great wickedness; even their thoughts were evil)
- What did God do as a result? (God, the Perfect Judge, looked at all people and declared them all guilty. They all deserved the death penalty.)
- How did God describe Noah? (Noah was a man to be granted God's Grace)
- What did God provide for Noah? (A way for Noah and his family to be saved from the death penalty)
God's perfect judgment was coming. He told Noah what He was going to do, and how Noah could survive.
- What did Noah need to do to escape the Flood? (Trust what God provided as the only way to be saved, by getting in the boat!)
Imagine you were Noah. What if you said to God:
- "Building a boat that big is going to be so much work! God, can You wait to flood the earth until power tools are invented?" Or,
- "There's never been a flood before. God, are You sure I really need to build a boat? I'm a pretty good swimmer..." Or,
- "God, You are so loving and kind. You'll forgive me and save me even if I don't build a boat like You said, right?" Or,
- "God, that makes no sense to me at all! I'm just going to pretend that You never said that!"
Did Noah actually say any of those things? (
No!) But a lot of people today use excuses like these to try to find their own way to God!
The Bible says:
"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." (
Hebrews 11:7
)
Just as Noah had to trust God in faith and get on the boat to escape the Flood, so we need to trust God in faith and accept Jesus' payment for our sin! Jesus is the only way to be saved and be with God!
Would God be just and fair to send His own Son to die on a cross for our sin, and then allow other ways to forgive sin?
WHY DOES THIS MATTER:
Because God is Just, He made the perfect Way for us to get to Him. Jesus, God's Son, is the only way to God. It is by faith in Jesus that we escape the judgment for our sin.
TAKING ACTION:
God has made the way for you to get to know Him through Jesus. He doesn't say you have to fly to the moon, or grow up first, or be the strongest or smartest or fastest. You don't even have to "be good enough." Ask God to help you trust His promises. Ask Him to help you obey His Word, the Bible. Thank Him that He gave us Jesus.
