Intolerance vs. Truth

Jesus said to him, 

"I am the way, the truth and the life;

no one comes to the Father but through me."

And with that simple statement, Jesus became the most intolerant person who ever lived.  At least that's what the world wants you to believe.

Christianity is grounded in the truth that God exists, that sin broke our relationship with Him and the only way to restore it is to put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, who paid for our sins on the cross.  Now, if there were multiple gods with multiple demands, then I guess you could pick and choose which ones you wanted to spend eternity with and follow a multitude of ways to reach the various gods.

But there aren't multiple gods. There is One. And in His Word He says there is only one way to reach Him - through His Son.  

Today, believing this is not the problem, as long as you don't force your belief on anyone else.   If you choose to speak out against other religions or have the audacity to condemn other "ways," then you have a problem.  You are labelled intolerant, because if truth is relative you are forcing your truth on others...this is a big problem and it's a lie that Satan is using to keep the lost.

By the way, truth is not relative.

Okay, so let's rein this in a bit.  Here are some basic truths for you to understand:

• Jesus IS the only way
• If the world doesn't run after Jesus, they are going to hell - a real place of suffering
• We have been given truth to steward and our call includes being a light in a dark world
• As we shine the light, Jesus also warned us that we will be rejected, even persecuted
• But hiding our light under a bushel is neglecting our call and is also a detriment to a dying world - would you keep the antidote from a victim dying from poison? 
• And finally - you understand the gospel because God has given you the faith to not only understand it but to believe it - without this gift of faith, no matter how bright your light is, it is going to be misunderstood, ridiculed and rejected - and that's really okay

So, embrace the call to stick out like a green fish in a bowl of goldfish.  Be a light, give the truth, point to Jesus and live your life in a way that attracts the searching.  It is a loving thing to be a truth speaker and this truth stands above all:  Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father.  It's an intolerant message - intolerant of any other method or religion, but a necessary message nonetheless.