By Bob Caldwell

Feeling ill, you go to the doctor. He has some bad news and some good news. He gives you the bad news first: you have a fatal illness. But then, with a comforting smile, he explains that there's only one treatment that's 100% effective. You politely go on to tell him that you've heard of other cures. Although none have been tested, you deeply believe in your heart that there must be another solution.

If the doctor knows the other treatments are useless, would it be loving for him to let you just walk out the door with your beliefs? Of course not. It would be criminal for him to say, "It doesn’t matter what medications you use, all that matters is that you believe it works." The most loving thing he can do for you is to share the truth, no matter how narrow the view may seem.

Jesus Christ said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Pretty bold statement! You might think, "How could a loving God have such a narrow view?" "What arrogance." You might think Jesus would never say such a thing. But the truth is, He did. Let's examine what Jesus said about Himself.

The Way

If there is a "Way" then there must be a place. The place is the presence of God the Father. Jesus, the Son of God, offers Himself as the doorway to get us there. It is a spiritual rebirth that gives us abundant and eternal life. Jesus is the way to God because He alone has removed the sentence of death that each of us must pay. If there were other ways, perhaps another cure for our spiritual disease, He would have told us.

The Truth

Every religion, in some way, is forced to deal with the sense of guilt. Some offer rituals. Others attempt to unlock the secret powers within. Some say that God really doesn't care and that there is no such thing as right and wrong. They contend that the feelings of guilt are just an illusion.

Can an illusion truly be responsible for a conscienceness that all of humanity feels? Because Jesus is Truth, he reveals man's depravitity and need for help. He made it clear over and over again that He came into the world to pay the just penalty for guilt and sin. The Bible says that God did not send His Son to condemn the world; but rather to save it. So how did He do this?

Through His momentous death on the cross, Jesus removed the barrier of sin between God and man. His actions have never been duplicated in human history. No guru, philosophy or religion would dare claim the power to remove sin's punishment from humanity.

The Life

Three days after Jesus was executed, He rose from the dead and conquered death. Through His resurrection He removed the sting of death that awaits us all. He said, "I am the Resurrection and the Life—he who lives in and believes in me will never die." Jesus has the right and the authority to proclaim that He will provide legitimate Life to those who believe.

The loving thing to do...

If you believe that God could care less about humanity, His words may not reach your heart. If, on the other hand, you believe Him to be loving and just, you should listen to what He said about Himself. Like a good doctor, wouldn't He be honest with you and want to see you cured?

Let's be honest though. Usually the problem is that we hate being told that we can't heal ourselves. It is human nature to not ask for help. We pretend to be doctors and we prescribe our own cures. Essentially, we would rather die than admit that we are sick.

Put your preconceptions about Christianity aside and truly listen to what Jesus Christ said about Himself. By His words, and more importantly His actions, He has proven Himself to be God's one and only solution for man's spiritual dilemma.