From: REXLEX@linac.fnal.gov
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Is Christianity really the ONLY way?
Date: 17 Dec 92 04:26:22 GMT
Organization: FNAL

In article <Dec.14.00.09.12.1992.2971@geneva.rutgers.edu> st14@cornell.edu
(Stephen Tseng) writes:
 
>There seems to be four ways out of this logical trap.

*Ways out.*  This is exactly what one does when he chooses to try and find a
way around some of the hard things of Xianity.  But it's precisely because of
the hard things of Xianity that I have not become agnostic or even, truthfully,
atheistic.  One of these is the exclusivity of the teachings of Christ and the
Apostles that show me that Xianity is truly from God.  It is unique in the
world of "religion" in many ways.  I have posted in the past on the exclusivity
of Xianity and will mail you a copy of one.  But for the time being, I think
that your question is most easily answered in the Gospel of John.  A careful
study of the "I am" statements extrudes the exclusive doctrine of Xianity. 
(Interesting to see extruded aluminum or extruded pipe in the making! Alot of
energy is expended and a lot of heat is produced!)  Christ chose his words
deliberately as He received them from the Father while being led by the Lord's
Spirit.  You see it wasn't just the Messiah making these claims, it was the
whole Godhead!  

Look at just one of them, say Jn 10 and the "I am the door" statement.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of
the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber.  But he
who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper
opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name, and
leads them out.  When he puts forth all his own, he goes before them, and the
sheep follow him because they know his voice.  And a stranger they simply will
not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of
strangers."  This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not
understand what those things were which He had been saying to them.  Jesus
therefore said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the
sheep.  All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not
hear them.  I AM the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and
shall go in and out, and find pasture."
(Jn 10 NASB)

Doesn't get much more exclusive.  This separates Xianity from all the other
religions.  It is God working for us, not man working towards God.  How can it
be any other way and still have 1) man retain his dignity, 2) God to be both
the just and the justifier.  Just as the Trinity gives a basis for the age old
question of unity & diversity, just as the eternal order of the Godhead in
communion before the foundation of the world gives a basis for law, for
communication, for love, just so this doctrine of exclusivity (and the reasons
for it) gives rise to true truth.  You must understand that the nation of
Israel was taught the exclusivity of God's way vs. all the other ways of the
world.  They are a -marvelous example- (selah) of it being *either* God's way
*or* no way.  Christian's, as the nation of Israel, are called.  Calling
involves two things.  One, a calling from, and two, a calling to.  We were
called out of the "world" and into the light.  

     Is the doctrine of people going to hell an overwhelming obstacle. 
Humanistically, yes.  Lets face it, man standing by himself in the pose of
Napoleon in saying, "I have done that, and I am doing this, and I will do
that," is exactly where Satan stood in his rebellion.  Admittedly, we all take
the Napoleonitic stance from time to time, but to take that stance against the
revealed truth of God (i.e. the teachings of Scripture) is out and out
rebellion.  This is were unredemeeded man stands.

     No, upon further reflection, I couldn't worship a God who DIDN'T send
people to hell.  Yes you heard me right.  Why? Because I couldn't worship a God
who was soft on sin.  Just as I get indignant with a blatantly bias call
against the Chicago Bulls, just so I become philosophically/theologically
indignant with those who insist in universalism.  God is infinite.  God's
holiness is infinite.  To rebel against God's is to rebel against His
infinitude and therefore requires an infinite act of redemption.  Only God can
perform infinite acts.  Therefore, only in the death and resurrection of the
Godman, was redemption offered to all *who will believe.*  

Yes I hear your objection of "What about those who never heard?"  Well, I guess
the easiest answer is Rom 1:18 - 3:21.  

Rom. 3:21   But now apart from the Law {the} righteousness of God has been
manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

Heb. 1:1-2  God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many
portions and in many ways,  in these last days has spoken to us in {His} Son,
whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.


God has never left man without His witness.  Are there special revelations? 
Sure.  The nation of Israel was blessed with them as is the world now in the
revealing of the Son and the further revelation of the Spirit in the
Scriptures.  So, you come back to Romans:

Rom. 1:20  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His
eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood
through what has been made, SO THAT THEY ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE.

Rom. 3:19  Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are
under the Law, that *every mouth may be closed*, and all the world may become
accountable to God;

Does this call for despair.  May it never be.  We were sent as ambassadors. 
The problem is that the salt has lost its purifying flavor.  We have hid our
light under a bushel basket instead of setting it on the hill top.  We have
allowed our minds, our theology to become conformed into the image of men
instead of transforming the men that we were sent to save! Ours is a high
calling, so "lets us work while it is still day for the time is coming when no
man shall work."  Is that dark day already here?  It may very possible be just
that.  Apocalyptic despair?  No, but I don't see the Church restoring itself
and the culture that it is in is dragging it down even further.  "There are
ravens in our tree!"  But all things are possible through Him.  We must be
diligent and we must, as clh has said with real meaning, be "neo-orthodox."  Of
course we don't mean that in its technical form, but rather we must live a
rebels life.  We must fight for true orthodoxy which today would constitue a
"neo-orthodoxy", for dead orthodoxy is no different than no orthodoxy, nay it
is worst.

enough.  Xianity must be exclusive or it conforms to the world and its ideas
and standards.  It too is being swallowed up in the gardens lie of having just
enough truth wrapped around the filling of the lie to make it palatable.  

-Rex