Jesus Would Disagree With That

  There is a popular sentiment in our world today. You may have heard it expressed like this:

   One can be spiritual but not religious.

   It is not necessary to go to church and give money for many, nature can be a church.

   It doesn’t matter what you believe in as long as you have belief.

   There are a lot of different ways to heaven.

   Religion is personal, everyone's interpretation will be a bit different.

  In other words, there is no one right religion.  All points of view, all approach to faith are equally valid. There is no “either/or” when it comes to faith, faith by itself is enough.

  Jesus however would have disagreed with this vehemently.

"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."

John 8:24 

"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.  "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

John 3:17-18 

"He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”

Mark 16:16  

  Jesus very clearly taught He is the only way a person can be saved, and that that salvation requires an active belief in Him.  A belief so active it obeys what Jesus tells us to do.  As we read in John 3:36, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

  It might be a popular comforting thing to think that salvation is much easier than we think, but it isn’t true. As we are told in 1^st Peter 4:18, “AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER?”

  There is an either/or when it comes to salvation. It is either Jesus and his way or it is no way at all.