Many for Many

No religious leader can claim that a particular religion is the only way to obtain eternity because there are so many faiths bringing out ways and means to seek God. No one in this world can claim that only one particular political party should exist because there are many political leaders, and they strive hard to contribute their best service to their country. No city can be made as the capital of the whole globe because there are many countries in this world and each nation should have their respective governing state.

One for the One

As far as the universe is concerned, there must be only one God as there is only one universe. The whole world is trying to reach out to God through various means by assuming God as an object.

People are in search of God in their own way, and many have lost their hope in this pursuit. Moreover, when the path is not known, it kindles anger and frustration creating chaos, like our trips we used to take back when GPS was not readily available on our phones. I can remember times when our journey ended prematurely as we had to turn back because we could not find the exact route for our destination.

The toil of fools wearies them; they do not know the way to town.

Ecclesiastes 10:15

Know Your Destination

David in Psalm 39, asked God to give him the wisdom to count his days on this earth. Because David realized that knowing the fleeting years was the real wisdom, he counted it as a blessing. On the contrary, while we live on this earth, we only take stock of our material blessings.

We celebrate every year our birthdays, assuming that one more year has been added to our lives. Practically speaking, God has already numbered our days, and as we grow, we are nearing the bridge that connects us to our permanent city.

For Abraham was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Hebrews 11:10-11

Through various distractions like birthday celebrations, satan blinds our eyes to see the truth. As a result, instead of equipping us with the strength of God for a better onward journey, we are wasting our time on this earth through events connected to our birthday parties.

Focus on the Destination

We tend to remember earlier days and compare it with our present day. God delivered the Israelites from their bondage in a miraculous way, yet they remembered the vegetables and meat that they were eating during their slavery and were longing for it. Unknowingly, they were longing to go back to their slavery just for some mere perishable vegetables and meat.

God would have placed us in a different environment that might not be similar to the conditions of the place where we would have grown up. A different culture, a different dialect, a different climate, or different food habits may bother us consistently in our present-day living.

These conditions are prevailing in our lives because of God’s desire to lift us to a higher platform. If we look back and long for the life that we lived in the place where we were born, we may miss the higher schemes that God has kept for us in the offing.

The author of the book of Hebrews recorded the fact that our forefathers died before receiving the promise of God. The significance is that they were not in doubt, and they are all still living in faith even though they were dead. If they would have longed to go back to the place where they were born, then they would have reached back to their birthplace. Instead, they longed for the promised city.

People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Hebrews 11:14-16

Way to the Destination

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

John 14:1-2

Jesus, after giving assurance about a place for us in His Father’s house, confidently tells His disciples that they all know the way. When someone, who we do not recognize, greets us with a cheerful smile, we would not ask his name because it is embarrassing. But Thomas, not feeling shy, told Jesus that he did not know the way irrespective of the confidence that Jesus had on His disciples.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

John 14:6

Different Paths

We are happy to tell people about Jesus, and invite them to our church services. Often we call them to Christian Crusades, that they may experience some miracles. At the same time, we are reluctant to tell that they can attain salvation only through Jesus.

If we say so, then we may be labelled as religious fundamentalists. When we say that Jesus is the only way for our salvation, we are not irrational but rational. While saying so, we must know what happened on the day of crucifixion.

In this world, evil, love, justice, and forgiveness are standing apart and are dealt with separately. Evil is portrayed through terrible looking animals and giants, while religions have been created to speculate love. Justice brings forth death as the result of sin committed by people. Revenge and punishment is the slogan of the town, and no one ever thinks about forgiveness.

Absolute Truth

Jesus took all the evil of humans on Him to exhibit His Father’s Love towards people. Jesus had gone through the death, the punishment for the sinners, and pronounced forgiveness. Thus, evil, love, justice, and forgiveness converges in Jesus with fullness by creating peace through His blood.

Out of his fullness, we have all received grace in place of grace already given.

John 1:16 

The love of God has predestined salvation to all mankind before the creation of the world. Jesus has the fullness of all the four elements comprehended in Him to accomplish the will of His Father. When it is God’s unique plan, not emphasizing the truth that salvation is only through Jesus may be against His will.

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Colossians 1:19-20

Lord, please give us courage, wisdom and opportunity to spread this absolute and incontestable truth to all people.