Twitter is not the place to post profound theology. You only get 140 characters (including spaces) to say something. Nevertheless, I recently posted on Twitter the reason why Jesus is the only way to Heaven (and I did it with two characters to spare!). I wrote: “There’s only one way to Heaven because there’s only one God that exists who’s made only one offer of forgiveness through His only one Son.” Though I didn’t write a lot, I still said a lot. It just needs to be unpacked.
You’ll notice I wrote “one” several times. That’s because one excludes two. You’re probably thinking, Wow, that was profound. I know it sounds simple, but it’s important. One God precludes two gods or multiple gods, and that means there’s only one being we must listen to about our eternal destiny. Here’s what I mean about each component of the tweet.
One God: We have good reason to believe that God exists and that He is the only one. Everything that is created needs a creator. This is a universal experience and it’s without exception. That means creation needs a Creator. Even if you lean towards Big Bang cosmology, a big bang needs a big Banger. All of space, time, and matter must have been brought into existence by someone or something. We call that being “God.”
Given that God is real, we also know there can only be one ultimate being in the universe. This is a matter of logic. If there were a being greater than God, then He would be God. Therefore, it is that being who is ultimately in charge, and we are accountable only to Him. We also know there is only one God by revelation. The one God has plainly spoken to humanity (through Scripture) and told us there are no other gods.
Therefore, the universe is God’s kingdom. He’s the King and it’s His domain. He’s the sovereign and we’re His subjects.
One offer: Since there’s only one God who exists, there can only be one offer for forgiveness. There’s no other being out there to even make an additional offer. We are left with the terms of His pardon, whether we like them or not.
Fortunately, the one God is loving and His terms are gracious. Even though we’ve committed crimes that violate His code of conduct, He is willing to grant us a pardon. We can accept the pardon and be acquitted or pay the penalty ourselves. It’s our choice.
One Son: Since the one God makes only one offer for forgiveness, we have to discover the details of His offer from Him. It turns out He’s appointed an advocate to appeal on our behalf: His one Son. The Son is God’s next of kin, making Him a divine being and without guilt. He is, therefore, a suitable candidate to fulfill the terms of the pardon.
God arranges a trade: our guilt for His Son’s innocence. We are absolved from our crimes while the Son is punished. The guilty are made innocent and the innocent is made guilty.
One way: There’s only one God who’s made only one offer through His one Son. That’s why there is only one way to Heaven. We live under God’s jurisdiction. We’ve committed crimes against Him. He’s the only one who can offer a pardon. That’s why there is only one way.
It’s like getting arrested by the FBI. You’re guilty of committing a crime on United States soil, which is under U.S. jurisdiction. Only the U.S. government has the authority to offer you a pardon. You can accept the terms of the pardon and go free or pay for the crime. There are no multiple paths to freedom. No other country can offer you a pardon. It’s the U.S. way or there’s no way.
That’s why Jesus is the only way. As I said in my tweet, “There’s only one way to Heaven because there’s only one God that exists who’s made only one offer of forgiveness through His only one Son.”