Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.
Isaiah 45:22 (ESV)
Ours has been labelled a “post-Christian” culture. There is no underlying Christian worldview that is generally affirmed by the world around us. Christianity, at best, is seen as a benign religion of good, quiet people. At worst, it is seen as a bigoted, self-righteous system of belief fostering judgmentalism.
One of the chief offending truths of Christianity is the claim of exclusivity. By this we mean Christianity’s claim that there is no other way to God other than through the person and work of Jesus Christ. The passage above from Isaiah is just one among many Biblical statements that supports that truth. The Lord declares that we must turn to Him if we are to be rescued from judgment. All the earth must look to Him – there is no other.
This obviously goes with Jesus’ statement in John 14:6, Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Here is yet another blatant claim to exclusivity.
This claim angers some. “How dare Christianity make that claim! How dare it be so arrogant and narrow minded!”
When someone critiques Christianity as being narrow minded they often want to say that God is much broader than one religion. All religions must be equally valid like a variety of roads leading to the top of the same mountain- all will get you there eventually even as other religions will get you to God. The problem with that view is that it is ignorant of other religions that are radically different in what they teach about the nature of God. Also, to critique a truth claim is to make a truth claim. Saying all religions lead to heaven is in reality making a strong statement about who God is and what it means to know Him.
Further, Christianity is not the only religion that makes such a claim. The issue then is which claim is legitimate. We have the Word made sure. Jesus’ validated His claims by being raised from the dead. We can trust His Word and the testimony of history.
The good news of the gospel is that while it makes exclusive claims we are called to make the offer of salvation to all who will listen and then trust God to call to Himself men, women, and children from every tongue, tribe, and nation. While the claim is exclusive, the gospel call goes out to the ends of the earth as Isaiah reminds us. The exclusive claim of the gospel is our comfort. We know we have certainty for our salvation and thank God for revealing that good news to us. This is news worth sharing.