Two Questions for Anyone Who Thinks Christianity is Too Narrow and Exclusive

The single biggest objection that our culture has to the Christian Gospel is its exclusivity.  Biblical Christians believe, on the basis of the clear teachings of Scripture and the words of Jesus Himself, that the only way to find eternal salvation and a place in heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ.  Usually, the objection to this is expressed in these terms: "You mean all those millions of people in the world who believe differently than you are going to hell?  You think your way is the only right way?  That's so arrogant, so exclusive!"

First of all, before I get to the two questions I must ask anyone who makes this objection, I'd like to make the following observations:

1.  This belief is not "my belief," in the same sense that a poem I write is my poem or a picture I draw is my picture.  People who raise this objection do so as if the Christian who believes this made it up yesterday morning over a cup of coffee for fun.  I believe this because Jesus Himself said it, and I believe He is the Son of God, demonstrated to be so by His resurrection from the dead.

2.  This problem is not unique to Christianity.  Islam and Judaism are exclusive religions, too.  So are many forms of Buddhism, which requires you to reject reality as being real in order to be redeemed.

3.  We don't raise this objection to other beliefs, especially ones we hold dearly.  From the serious to the ridiculous: Few people object to the narrow belief that pedophilia (child molestation) is a horribly immoral act.  Few people object to the narrow definition of water as being two parts hydrogen to one part oxygen (H2O) and no other chemical compound.  The nature of reality is such that, whenever we affirm a positive truth, we are, of necessity, denying all contradictory truths.  This is true in all areas of life: science, math, politics, art, religion, morality, etc.  To affirm anything is to deny its opposite.

Now, for the two questions. For anyone who thinks that Christianity is narrow in asserting that Christ is the only way of salvation, I have two questions:

1.  Apart from trusting in Jesus Christ and His life, death and resurrection, what is the basis of your hope for heaven?

2.  If Jesus is not the only way of salvation, then why did He have to die on the cross?  In other words, in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus begged His Father, if at all possible, to take away the cup (cup = the suffering of the cross), was God the Father just being pointlessly cruel in forcing His Son to endure needless suffering because, in fact, people could be redeemed in some other way, at some lesser cost?

Question #1 has only two possible answers: the mercy of God or the sufficient goodness of my own performance.  All religions boil it down to one or the other or some combination of the two.  If your hope is in the mercy of God, then on what basis do you think God can and will be merciful?  Can God be just and righteous and just "let it slide"?  Can He just overlook your sins and crimes against His holy law because He feels like it?  Or does God have to have some just basis for forgiving you of your sins?  Usually, other religions will then try to base the mercy of God in my actions, my goodness- because I meditated, gave, prayed, went on pilgrimage, was truly penitent, made restitution, did enough good deeds, etc., God will be merciful.

So really, for all other religions, the answers to question #1 boil down to one answer: I will get into heaven because of something I have done that is good enough to get me into heaven.  So, in the end, according to every other belief system, I go to heaven and another person goes to hell because I am, in the end, better than they are, in some way.

Christianity alone begins with the assertion that I can do nothing to save myself.  I am without hope in and of myself.  As the old saying goes, "The ground is level at the foot of the cross."  We are all equally helpless and equally in need of salvation because we cannot ever hope to be good enough to get into heaven on our own.

As for Question #2, think about it seriously for a minute: Jesus is in the Garden, praying in agony, sweating drops of blood.  He is begging His Father for some other way, some other path for salvation.  In the end, of course, He submits willingly to His Father, saying, "Not my will, but your will be done."  Jesus has come to do His Father's will and He will go to the cross willingly.  But if there was another way of getting right with God, then God's refusal to answer His Son's plea becomes cruelty of the highest order.  If the cross was not absolutely necessary, then it was unjust and unfair.  Because God loves His Son, Jesus, we can know that the cross had to be necessary.  There could be no other way!

In the end, everyone who has ever walked the face of the earth will stand before God either on the basis of his own merit, his own record of rule-keeping and righteousness OR he will will place his faith in Jesus, plead favor with God on the basis of the cross and be forgiven.  The arrogant position is NOT the position which says we need Jesus in order to be saved.  The truly arrogant position is the position that says to God, "I don't need Your gift of Your Son.  I can stand on my own two feet."