by Jon McCartney
GUEST COLUMNIST
You have likely heard the saying, "All roads lead to Rome." Hmmm, I don't think Bates Canyon Road does. I'm pretty certain Smelter Road doesn't. And I am positive the street my house is on doesn't either. So after a very quick analysis it is clear that the old saying is wrong.
Of course it doesn't always matter if old sayings are true or false. If you are not intending to go to Rome, it might not matter what roads go there, and what roads do not. On the other hand, if you do desire to go to Rome, you may be very upset if you get on Highway 15 and end up in Canada or San Diego. If you took Route 66 you would likely be disappointed to end up in either Chicago or Los Angeles.
You could complain that someone "told" you that all roads led to Rome. But, if you needed to get to Rome to claim an inheritance left to you by your old Uncle Claudius, you would still be out of luck and out of your inheritance, no matter how faithfully you plodded down State Highway 89.
The same thing is true regarding the spiritual realm. There are those who will tell you that all roads lead to heaven; just pick one and you will get there eventually. The problem is they are not there to help you out or to take the blame if they are wrong. (Well, if they are not in heaven they are "there," wherever "there" is. But that is not going to help you very much at all by then, and having someone to point your finger at is not going to change your situation one bit.)
So if all roads don't lead to heaven, which one does? And how can we know that we are on the right road?
First of all you must ask, "What and where is heaven?" It is where God dwells with His people. Then I think it a fair question to ask if God wants you there with Him at all. If He doesn't, I doubt if He would provide a way to get there. But, if He does, then without a doubt He would provide a road, and He would make sure the road was clearly marked.
Nearly 2,000 years ago, there were some people who were interested in getting to heaven, and they asked a man how they could get there. Although the man gave them many different answers depending on how they asked the question, the answer was always the same. He alone could take them.
He didn't say he would point to the way. Neither did he say that he would show them the way. The way wasn't a road or a journey they could embark on by themselves, no matter how much preparation or sacrifice they went through. They needed him. He alone could take them. If they didn't want him, they couldn't find their way -- ever.
There are many who would discount what this man had said. Certainly many throughout time have said they know the way to heaven. People have a tendency to think that they can do anything, given enough time. Others think that since heaven is where God dwells, and since God created us, that He would make certain that all roads lead to Him, so that everyone would make it, no matter what.
Well, I am no outdoorsman -- physically or spiritually -- so I am certain that if it were up to me, you and I would be lost forever. Outdoors or indoors, I can get lost looking for my own car keys.
But this man didn't say that all roads lead to heaven; he said only one road does. In addition, this man didn't say that he could point to the road, and that with enough determination and tenacity you could make it along the road yourself. He said that he alone is the road. He alone is the way. He alone can take you to heaven. This is very different than anything anyone else ever said.
Jesus is different. He is not just a wise man. He is not just a guide. He said very clearly that if you want life eternal, He alone is the way. In fact, He underscored that by saying that no one could ever come to the Father -- that is no one could dwell in heaven -- except by coming to Jesus first.
I know, I know. There are many who will accuse me of being a narrow-minded, negative- thinking pessimist. But they are wrong. I am very broad-minded. So broad in fact that I believe that God the Son did and will do for me what I could never do for myself. And I am not negative. I am positive that Jesus alone is the way to receive the free gift of eternal life if I just repent, and put my faith in His finished work on the cross. Further, I am totally optimistic that if you will repent of your sins and put your faith in Jesus, He will give you the gift of eternal life too, just as He promised.
But what about all those other roads? Where did they come from, and where do they go? The answer is simple, and it is twofold. People are arrogant and filled with pride. They believe they can find God on their own. But God makes it clear that He cannot be found unless He chooses to reveal Himself. And He has been equally clear that the only way He will reveal Himself to us is through His Son, Jesus Christ. So being full of pride, people invent religion, which is just man's attempt to reach God. But just as man could not build a tower in the Plain of Shinar that would enable them to reach God, so you cannot build a religion that will enable you to reach God. Jesus, on the other hand, is God's way to reach us.
The second answer of why so many roads appear to exist is that not only is God real, but so is Satan. And Satan hates God and mankind so he tricks people into making up false religions. Satan knows that no matter how you ended up on the wrong road, you cannot shift the blame to anyone in the end. If you perish without Christ you are lost forever. This is Satan's goal, and your destruction is all he cares about.
I realize that receiving eternal life by putting your faith in Christ alone is not popular today. It doesn't give you any credit for what you do. It doesn't allow your free spirit any room for salvific creativity, whatever that is.
That is true. But neither does faith in Christ leave you all alone on the wrong road for all eternity. Where it does leave you is in the presence of God for all eternity. It allows you to be who God created you to be, empowered by the Holy Spirit who dwells in everyone who is born again through faith in Christ. And although it is not popular with the world, it is exactly what God requires of you to become one of His children, and that makes you popular with God.
Choose life, choose Christ.
Jon McCartney is pastor of the First Baptist Church located at 580 S. Main in Tooele. Worship celebration is Sunday at 11 a.m. Bible study for all ages is at 9:45 a.m.