Why do I need salvation and why is Jesus
Christ the only way?
1Pet 5:8 Be sensible, watch, because your adversary the Devil
walks about as a roaring lion seeking someone he may devour;
Psa 91:13 You shall tread on the lion and adder; the young lion
and the serpent You shall trample under foot.
Satan best weapon is to deceive. To twist the truth. That is his nature. He is the father
of lies. He lied to Adam and Eve and he will and is still lying to the world today. It is of
utmost importance that we understand the authenticity of the Christian religion and the
necessity of salvation for mankind.
We need to know what the difference is between true religion and false religion.
Definition of 'religion' Webster Dictionary
1. (noun) religion
the outward act or form by which men indicate their recognition
of the existence of a god or of gods having power over their
destiny, to whom obedience, service, and honor are due; the
feeling or expression of human love, fear, or awe of some
superhuman and overruling power, whether by profession of
belief, by observance of rites and ceremonies, or by the conduct
of life; a system of faith and worship; a manifestation of piety;
as, ethical religions; monotheistic religions; natural religion;
revealed religion; the religion of the Jews; the religion of idol
worshipers
2. (noun) religion
specifically, conformity in faith and life to the precepts inculcated
in the Bible, respecting the conduct of life and duty toward God
and man; the Christian faith and practice
3. (noun) religion
a monastic or religious order subject to a regulated mode of life;
the religious state; as, to enter religion
4. (noun) religion
strictness of fidelity in conforming to any practice, as if it were
an enjoined rule of conduct
All religions have a strong historical basis and it is on this that many people base their
trust or faith in the religion. This historical basis is of great importance for it allows us to
evaluate the religion.
The Christian scriptures are historically outstanding and deserve serious considerations.
We can even say that the history of the Bible is so compelling that to doubt the Bible is
to doubt history itself since it is the most historically verifiable book of all antiquity. The
only book more historically verifiable than the Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible) is the
New Testament.
But what is religion? It can be defined as, “a believing in, a god or gods, to be
worshipped (in short).” Well over 90% of the world’s population adhere to some form of
religion.
Most religions consist of rules and rituals through which they please God or the gods
they worship. So basically we can say there are two kinds of religion, rule-based and
ritual-based religions.
True religion is neither based on rule-based or on ritual-based principles. True religion is
based on relationship. Two things that all religions hold are that humanity is somehow
separated from God and needs to be reconciled to Him. False religion seeks to solve
this problem by observing rules and rituals. True religion solves the problem by
recognising that only God could rectify the separation, and that He has done so.
True religion however does also have rules and ritual, but the rules and rituals are
observed out of gratitude for the salvation God has provided not in an effort to obtain
that salvation.
It is important to realize that these rules and rituals are the results of the relationship
with God by grace through faith. False religion is doing things (rules and rituals) in order
to earn Gods favour.
Christianity is a religion that is based on relationship, therefore falls into the category of
a true religion. But it is so much more than a “true religion”, Christianity is an intimate,
personal, covenantal relationship between God and the people that chose Him as their
Father.
Many religions have an historical figure. For the Christianity it is Jesus Christ. Jesus
confirmed His spiritual teaching with a test that only divine power could pass. These
teaching are confirmed by the death and resurrection of His literal body. A fact which he
prophesied and fulfilled in himself (John 20;21; 1Cor 15).
Mat 16:21 From that time, Jesus began to show to His disciples
that it was necessary for Him to go away to Jerusalem, and to
suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes,
and to be killed, and to be raised on the third day.
Mat 20:18 Behold! We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son
of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and scribes. And they
will condemn Him to death.
Mat 20:19 And they will deliver Him up to the nations to mock,
and to scourge, and to crucify. And the third day He will rise
again.
Mar 8:31 And He began to teach them that it is necessary for
the Son of Man to suffer many things and to be rejected of the
elders and chief priests and scribes, and to be killed, and after
three days to rise again.
Luk 9:22 saying, The Son of Man must suffer many things and
be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be
killed, and be raised the third day.
So Jesus deserve special consideration, in fact there is no other religion that can show
an empty grave. Evidence supporting the resurrection of Jesus is overwhelming. There
were over 500 witnesses, the empty tomb. Jesus enemies could easily stopped all talk
of the resurrection by just producing His dead body. His grave was heavily guarded by
Roman soldiers. Consider it that His closest followers had fled in fear at his arrest and
crucifixion. It is most unlikely that this ragtag band of fishermen would have gone head
to head against trained Roman soldiers to steal the body of Christ. Nor would they have
sacrificed their lives and become martyrs as most of them did for a fraud. The simple
fact is that the resurrection of Jesus Christ cannot be explained away.
The truth about the 500 witnesses
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=129823903
Resurrection of Jesus – Definitions
http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Resurrection_of_Jesus
You can know Jesus rose from the dead
http://www.resurrection.azprophecy.com/you-can-know-jesus-rose-again.php
What do we know about Jesus - from non biblical sources
http://www.provethebible.net/T2-Divin/D-0201.htm
Evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ
http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/josh2.html
Any one who has power over death deserves to be heard. Jesus proved His power over
death therefore we need to hear what He has to says. Jesus claims to be the only way
to salvation.
Joh 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.
He is not a way, He is not one of the many ways, He is the Way.
“All religion lead to God”, is a statement that is very common in today’s world. And this
is a true statement. All but one leads to His judgement. Only Christianity leads to His
forgiveness and eternal life.
Everyone will meet God after death.
Heb 9:27 And as it is reserved to men once to die, and after
this, Judgment
The decision to embrace the truth about God is very important. This is why right thinking
about God is so critical.
PW Louw
ChristCreations (www.christcreations.co.za)
Heb 3:7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice,
Heb 3:8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the
wilderness:
Heb 3:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
Heb 3:10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in
their heart; and they have not known my ways.
Heb 3:11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in
departing from the living God.
Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be
hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Heb 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our
confidence stedfast unto the end;
Heb 3:15 While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in
the provocation.
Heb 3:16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of
Egypt by Moses.
Heb 3:17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had
sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
Heb 3:18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them
that believed not?
Heb 3:19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
KJV