How Many Roads Lead to
Heaven?
On a map you can see many roads into any major city. You can pick whatever route
suits you. Many people think the same thing about variety among churches --
"We're all on different roads to the same place," they say. Can such
a thing be so?
Do you believe we can follow different roads? What does the Bible say about
it? The Bible speaks of only two roads. In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus said, "...
the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are
many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that
leads to life, and there are few who find it." Yes, there are different
roads, but only one goes to Heaven, and it is narrow.
In John 4, when the woman at the well met Jesus, she immediately pointed out
that her people worshipped differently from His (John 4:19-20). Jesus did not
reply that both roads led to the same place -- He said that one road was right
and the other was wrong (John 4:22), and that if she wished to please God, her
worship must be "in truth" (John 4:24).
In Acts 15:1-31, the apostles disputed with some who believed in Jesus but taught
error about what one must do to be saved. Instead of concluding that there were
different roads, they gave notice to the churches that one road was right and
the other was wrong.
The idea of "different roads" is used to avoid discussing different
religious teachings and practices. After all, does doctrine really matter if
your attitude is right? Indeed it does. The Bible says that there are doctrines
that God hates (Revelation 2:15), and that some doctrines are of demons (I Timothy
4:1). Taking heed to doctrine is necessary for salvation (I Timothy 4:16, II
John 9), because obedience to God's "form of doctrine" is what makes
one free from sin (Romans 6:17-18). Even many who believe in Jesus are on the
wrong road because they do not obey (Luke 6:46, Matthew 7:21-23).
Multiple roads result when men choose their own ways, but only God's way is
right. The "different roads" philosophy has led churches to abandon
the question of what is right, and instead accept a wide diversity of belief.
But we should not be ashamed to say that some beliefs are right, and others
are wrong, because that is what God says. "There is a way that seems right
to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 14:12). If people
are on different roads, they are not all headed for Heaven.
By Erin Percell
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