"Jesus is the only way": required or not for a Christian?

[savagewind]

I suspect that it isn't essential to believe in Jesus the son, but he exemplified the power of The Holy Spirit which is most definitely essential for anything good. Amen.

 

[stvdv]

I think that what Jesus stands for is the only real hope for this Earth.

And, in case you would like my opinion here.......Humankind on this Earth is doomed. Just saying.

Yes, savagewind I am happy to have your opinion. And as much as I like to believe Humankind is not doomed, I can't believe this yet.

In case you would like my opinion here ...... KindHuman on this Earth is not doomed

[Oh, @Axe Elf: I didn't forget your education lesson from yesterday. Slowly soaking in. Doomed does not exist in this wonderful worldview you described; even Humankind is not doomed. Thinking this way only means we delude ourselves]

 

[savagewind]

Yes, savagewind I am happy to have your opinion. And as much as I like to believe Humankind is not doomed, I can't believe this yet.

In case you would like my opinion here ...... KindHuman on this Earth is not doomed

Right now it is according to God's Word. Will it change? God knows. I do not know.

 

[savagewind]

Yes, savagewind I am happy to have your opinion. And as much as I like to believe Humankind is not doomed, I can't believe this yet.

In case you would like my opinion here ...... KindHuman on this Earth is not doomed

By the way, I do not understand that one person has two opposite opinions here. Please, please, please, help me! @Jayhawker Soule

 

[stvdv]

By the way, I do not understand that one person has two opposite opinions here. Please, please, please, help me! @Jayhawker Soule

Just try to be 1 step ahead of others thinking these are 2 opposites:

Very simple [just plain logic; following the promises made in many scriptures]
Loving and kind human will not be doomed, if you belief in "the Beattles: All you need is LOVE", or in Jesus "LOVE thy neighbour as thyself"
Humankind seems to be doomed, because not "all humans" are "kind humans" anymore
[And according to the "educational" lesson @Axe Elf: gave me yesterday "doomed does not even exist"].

 

[savagewind]

Just try to be 1 step ahead of others thinking these are 2 opposites:

Very simple [just plain logic; following the promises made in many scriptures]
Loving and kind human will not be doomed, if you belief in "the Beattles: All you need is LOVE", or in Jesus "LOVE thy neighbour as thyself"
Humankind seems to be doomed, because not "all humans" are "kind humans" anymore
[And according to the "educational" lesson @Axe Elf: gave me yesterday "doomed does not even exist"].

That is true, but it is about the dead. To misrepresent what a person said is not loving him. It doesn't matter that he is dead.

 

[savagewind]

[And according to the "educational" lesson @Axe Elf: gave me yesterday "doomed does not even exist"].

I agree with you that it might be impossible for a single human "to be doomed". I mean all of us are doomed as too many people right now are on the road to destruction. There is little hope for the relatively few who are on the way to life. There is always the hope to be with God. But, God is A Spirit. That means that the righteous of God will also be spirits.

It really isn't that complicated, I think.

 

[stvdv]

That is true, but it is about the dead. To misrepresent what a person said is not loving him. It doesn't matter that he is dead

This is a very interesting line. "Misrepresent" what a person said is not loving. I agree. Some do it on purpose, others because of ignorance or blindness. We got a priest who really believed he was correct. But no empathy. I could not be angry, because I saw it was his ignorance, lack of empathy. But it's good we have a law to stop people without empathy hurting others. God's ways are strange, to secure LOVE we do hurt others in the process.

 

[BilliardsBall]

@BilliardsBall: Thanks for your thoughts. My premise is simple "I believe Jesus is "a" Savior. But for some Boeddhist, Boeddha might be the savior, or for an atheist or Humanist the savior might be (in) himself. My premise is clear I think "respect other views, don't interpret (fill in) for others what they must(have to, are supposed to) believe in". If you say IMHO I am totally fine with whatever you say. If you say my truth is the ONLY truth (like you do above), I am also fine, but don't agree.

Anyway thanks for pointing this out. Because your reply made me double check my post and I saw there was quite a confusing part. Below makes it clearer.

Reading other posts on the forum, I expect that most Christians vote "2".
Red part is correct and not confusing, I hope!
It's a pity I am not allowed to correct this confusion in the original first post. But "edit" button has disappeared.

*): Below is correct and not confusing:
From the above it seems to me reasonable to conclude the following:
A = For a good Christian "Jesus is the only way" is not essential to believe in
B = For a good Christian "God, and knowledge of God" is not essential

*): Below is the confusing part:
1): As a Christian I agree to A + B [God+Jesus is not essential to believe in]
2): As a Christian I do not agree to A + B [God+Jesus is not essential to believe in]
3): As a non Christian I agree to A + B [God+Jesus is not essential to believe in]
4): As a non Christian I do not agree to A + B [God+Jesus is not essential to believe in]

*): Not confusing is when I put it as follows:
In the below: (A + B)=[God+Jesus is not essential to believe in]
1): As a Christian I agree to A + B
2): As a Christian I do not agree to A + B
3): As a non Christian I agree to A + B
4): As a non Christian I do not agree to A + B

IMHO Jesus is the Christ, the Way, the Truth, Life, and claimed to be many things no one else had ever claimed. Either He's the biggest liar who ever lived or God, Savior and Christ IMHO.

Thanks for clarifying.

 

[stvdv]

IMHO Jesus is the Christ, the Way, the Truth, Life, and claimed to be many things no one else had ever claimed. Either He's the biggest liar who ever lived or God, Savior and Christ IMHO.

Thanks for clarifying.

I believe Jesus is God !!!. But I also fully respect other religions [believe systems] AND never belittle them, their faith, messenger or holy person. So if a Buddhist would claim Buddha is God IMHO, I also agree. And remembering the "education" @Axe Elf gave me about 4ht dimension, no time and stuff, so Jesus is of all times, then Buddha also.
"Jesus is the only way": required or not for a Christian?[education]

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

The Way is the Way. Who is talking about it is irrelevant.

 

[Ponder This]

A): I Totally agree on this. Follow Jesus and He can save you. No need to know anymore. But also not meaning it's the only way for all.
I took another verse in which Jesus says:"Love God with whole your heart...." + "Love thy neighbour as thyself" as base for my post
These are the 2 Great Commandments. When I read this, I interpret this as "Do these 2 and you will be saved; nothing else Jesus asks from us"
BUT believing this doesn't exclude you can also be saved on the way you described above. God, Jesus out of their abundance of Love for us provides so many ways to get saved. Just chose the one you can follow best. Chosing 1 doesn't exclude the other.

Jesus doesn't say to choose the best way for you. He says there is only one way.

Matthew 22:40

"All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."​

B): Nobody alive now can give you proof of God, I think. Please if you can, proof this wrong. If nobody has proof of even the existence of God, not even a clear definition of physical God (earlier post, people didn't like other dimensions so much, that's why I keep it simple to physical), I think it implies trouble to get saved by knowing God. And anyway Jesus said that "Loving God" is alike "Love thy neighbour as thyself". So hereby making free the way to salvation for atheists and humanists also. I like this inclusiveness of Jesus very much. That's all there was, why I put B: here. I don't want to exclude atheist and humanist from Bliss and all the other good stuff there is to have.

If God took on physical form and stood in front of atheists, clear to see in the flesh, the atheists would still deny him. Miracles will not convince them. Just ask a few atheists what it would take to actually convince them of God and you will see that the bar is higher than that. Miracles and physical forms are like magic tricks to them and fail to address any real objection that they have. If you claim that physical proof of God would satisfy you, then maybe you should re-examine yourself. Would it really satisfy you? I suspect not. Things of the flesh are of the flesh, things of the spirit are of the spirit.

John 3:5-6

Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."​

 

[stvdv]

Jesus doesn't say to choose the best way for you. He says there is only one way.

Thanks for this:
To claim to know God is insanity.

Exactly my point. Your interpretation "He says there is only ONE way". You write "as if you know God".

Just for your information. Creation is creation. It is ever changing. ONE way sounds quite absurd to me

But if it makes you feel happy "To claim you know God = Truth" be my guest, I will not debate you on that

I leave the things of God to God

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

If God took on physical form and stood in front of atheists, clear to see in the flesh, the atheists would still deny him.

If He showed up, many of His followers would deny Him.

 

[Ponder This]

Thanks for this:
To claim to know God is insanity.

Exactly my point. Your interpretation "He says there is only ONE way". You write "as if you know God".

Just for your information. Creation is creation. It is ever changing. ONE way sounds quite absurd to me

But if it makes you feel happy "To claim you know God = Truth" be my guest, I will not debate you on that

I leave the things of God to God

I'm sorry if I've offended you.

If He showed up, many of His followers would deny Him.

touché

 

[stvdv]

I'm sorry if I've offended you

You didn't really offend me [though I don't agree of course], you more surprised me. I was happy reading your 2 very clear quotes under all your messages. And could not understand your "ONE way" together with your 2 quotes.

And sure if someone tells me "My truth is better than yours (of my brothers')" then this can be called agression [many wars have been fought over only this issue, so that's kind of a fact]. But with your 2 quotes I couldn't believe you really meant what you wrote. That's why you didn't offend me. I saw it more like a typo. When offended I rather check out to be sure.

 

[BilliardsBall]

I believe Jesus is God !!!. But I also fully respect other religions [believe systems] AND never belittle them, their faith, messenger or holy person. So if a Buddhist would claim Buddha is God IMHO, I also agree. And remembering the "education" @Axe Elf gave me about 4ht dimension, no time and stuff, so Jesus is of all times, then Buddha also.
"Jesus is the only way": required or not for a Christian?[education]

I appreciate your desire to be loving and inclusive, but think of Jesus's statement that unless you trust Him and no other... IMHO He is the sole Savior so ways that detract from Christianity are false.

 

[stvdv]

I appreciate your desire to be loving and inclusive, but think of Jesus's statement that unless you trust Him and no other... IMHO He is the sole Savior so ways that detract from Christianity are false.

Thank you, I do appreciate the respectful way you express your sincere concern, wishing me also to have the best !

 

[Muffled]

I believe that Jesus speaks the truth when He says He is the Way. However what that means in this instance according to context is: the way to where Jesus is going.

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 ¶ And whither I go, ye know the way.

I believe any other way will be destroyed in fire. Be there or be square.

 

[Muffled]

My understanding is the ‘Jesus is the only way’ tradition is mainly to keep memberships from falling as nowhere in the Bible is the Word ‘only’ used.

Jesus emphasised love of God and man emphatically. But when He said He was the way it means to me that the way to God is through the Manifestation of God and that man of himself cannot find the way to God without the help of a Manifestation of God which Christ was.

It’s like comparing the light of the sun to the light of a candle. The sun uncovers vast areas of darkness whereas a candle may just struggle to illuminate a small room.

So by turning to the Sun of Reality, the Manifestation, we get much more truth and spiritual light than from ourselves who are but tiny candles in this vast existence.

No man, no matter how acute his reasoning or perception is endowed with infallible knowledge but the Manifestations of God are innately all knowing as God has sent them to guide us and has endowed them with the Holy Spirit.

Ignorance implies there is knowledge for ignorance is the absence of knowledge. Imperfection implies there is perfection for imperfection is but lack of perfection and imperfect beings implies there is a Perfect Being with perfect knowledge and They are the Manifestations of God Who appear from time to time.

There is no man in existence who knows everything there is to know to categorically disprove or deny this but we do have the Lives and Teachings of These Suns of Reality to turn to for proof they were Infallible Perfect Beings.

We may reject Them out of ignorance or bias but not knowledge for none of us are all knowing.

I believe that is speculation. I have not seen it expressed anywhere in Christianity.

I believe that is the null hypothesis. I can't see any reason to use it since exclusivity can be discerned from context.