For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5)
Today I was in the grocery store, waiting at the deli for a pound of turkey. There was another man who had asked for a pound of turkey right after me, only he had asked for “cracked pepper turkey” and I had asked for “garlic and herb turkey”. The woman who was helping him reached for the turkey that was laid out for me and went to use this for the man. She was about to give him the wrong deli sliced turkey to take home. I leaned in and let her know what kind of turkey it was and the simple mistake was easily straightened out.
Which way to Rome?
This world is filled with options. We have our options for beverages, meats, vegetables, churches, vehicles, clothing, etc. So many have come to say “whatever works for you is okay,” coming to accept the “all roads lead to god” mentality. This passage above tells us that there is only ONE God, and only ONE mediator between God and man. If you believe the Word of God to be true, which I do, then you must evaluate this truth with everything you come in contact with. Every road cannot lead to One God, especially when you look at all the roads.
Look at it this way you get on a plane and expect to go to Rome, Italy. Will you get there if the captain has the plane set up to go to Tokyo, Japan? No matter what you do you will never be able to convince the captain that his plane needs to go to Italy. He has the route planned out, his instruments in the control panel have been set up to take the route that is designed for the day. Every other passenger on the plane is ready to go to Tokyo. It doesn’t matter that you want to go to Rome. The plane will not be stopping there or detouring for your current desire. All planes do not fly to one airport, that would lead to a huge traffic control issue.
Here are some examples of religions that people believe are all leading to one place, but the Truth of God’s Word reveals something else!
1. Hinduism
*Hindus worship an “infinite oneness” made up of 300,000 gods and goddesses.
*Hindus work to be free from Karma by meditating on Brahman (oneness).
2. Buddhism
*Most Buddhists do not believe in any god or supernatural power. They follow the teachings of Buddha.
*Buddhists believe to avoid reincarnation into an evil world they must practice meditation and other disciplines until all selfish desires are abandoned on their own.
3. Muslims
*Muslims believe in one powerful god who is Allah. He is powerful, just, and distant.
*Allah is merciful to his followers dependent upon their good works and obedience on the 5 pillars of Islam.
4. New Age
*Followers refer to god as a higher consciousness within themselves.
*Origins are from ancient spiritual traditions. Followers believe that the self is the originator and the ultimate reality, or god.
5. Christianity – THE TRUE ROAD TO GOD
*Christians believe in One God who is omnipresent (everywhere), omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful). God doesn’t need more than one of Himself because He has all of the qualities that many of the other religions try to make up for in having many gods.
*Christians believe that God sent His One and only Son to live and die as a man on this earth. He has been the Savior for mankind. He was not prophet, not a religious sage, but He was God Himself. Jesus is the One who took on our sins for us. He has made a way for us to come to God, so that we do not have to work for our salvation. Christianity is the only religion that offers a relationship, a free way to come to God and have continual access to the trinity: God the Father, Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ.
*Jesus’ claims put Him in one of three categories: 1.) He was indeed God. 2.) He was deluded and crazy. 3.) Or He was simply lying. These are the only options we have been given with Jesus and the only one we can truly believe is the first one. There were thousands who saw Him after He resurrected from the dead. A prophecy that had been written hundreds of years before He was born, along with countless other prophecies that come true in Jesus lifetime. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). His life gave answers to many. We live today by the answers we have in the Word of God.
This all being said, Christianity shows us that there can only be one road. Just like one plane cannot go to two different locations at the same time, so also one person cannot choose to go in two directions at the same time. You choose to go left or right, north or south, east or west. Hell or Heaven. Jesus is the Savior, the One who took away the sins of the world. He was raised from the dead and lived a life for those who could not live it for themselves. He lived the perfect life that no human could live. He went to Heaven before us to prepare the way for us.
Now we are here to help people discern the truth from the lies. Fact from fiction. The one true road from all the fake roads that are out there. In the beginning of this devotion I shared about there being ONE God and One mediator. It’s still true. Only One God exists. My major in college was religion, I learned a lot and I would be willing to share more if anyone has questions. The most important thing is to keep coming back to the Truth. God’s Word! His Word will reveal the lies, the things that are not true, the false words, and the roads that lead to dead ends. May you be able to discern the truth from the lies! May you teach others how to get on the road that leads to eternal life, not the road that has more options! Is it more important to you that your friends and family are with you in Heaven happy and secure in eternity, or happy in the moment of options here and now?
Dear Father God, I pray that we will be convicted to lead people in the Truth of Your Word. May we show people what the Truth is and seek to help them find the ONLY road that leads to You. It is difficult for those who do not know you to find the right road, but for those of us who know You it is not difficult! May we go forth and carry Your name well! I pray I will treasure the times I can teach others of the One TRUE ROAD to ETERNITY!
Walking down the Right Road,
