False & Deceptive Peace
Pastor Leslie Chua
“For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”—
yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”
The Holy Scripture makes exclusive claims about God and the salvation of man.
Bible-believing Christians believe that there is only one God and there are no other gods except Him. He is the Creator of all things in existence. This is an exclusive claim of Christianity. The apostle, Paul, made this assertion in his letter to the Corinthian church. The “gods” and “lords” refer to created spiritual beings that have been assigned to positions of authority in the spiritual realm and the demonic entities that people worship.
Here is another exclusive claim of Christianity: believing in Jesus Christ is the only way to God. In other words, a person can only be saved and receive eternal life by believing in Jesus and receiving Him as his Lord and Saviour.
This claim is stated clearly and repeatedly throughout the New Testament Scripture. Jesus, Himself, made this exclusive claim when He said - “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
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Here is another exclusive claim of Christianity: believing in Jesus Christ is the only way to God. In other words, a person can only be saved and receive eternal life by believing in Jesus and receiving Him as his Lord and Saviour.
No one professing to be a Christian can deny, ignore, or contradict these exclusive claims of Jesus, the apostles, and the Bible. Such people are either not serious Christians or they are deceived.
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Jesus could not have made it any clearer. After saying that He is the way, the truth, and the life, He asserted that no one could get to the Father except through Him.
No one professing to be a Christian can deny, ignore, or contradict these exclusive claims of Jesus, the apostles, and the Bible. Such people are either not serious Christians or they are deceived. Having the right foundational biblical beliefs about God and salvation is important. It is a matter of eternal life and death.
Recent Controversial Remarks by Pope Francis
Recently, Pope Francis made certain controversial remarks when he spoke at an interreligious meeting with young people in Singapore. Immediately, his remarks went viral and it caught the attention of many people, especially Christians, worldwide.
You can watch him making these remarks in this YouTube video clip that is released by the Catholic News Network titled “Pope: All Religions are Paths to God.” Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ciUnpSqiOQ
Here is the transcript: “Because every religion is a way to arrive at God. Sort of a comparison, an example would be they're sort of like different languages in order to arrive at God. But God is God for all. And if God is God for all, then we're all sons and daughters of God. But my God is more important than your God. Is that true? There's only one God and each of us is a language, so to speak, in order to arrive at God. Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, there are different paths.”
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Is the Pope correct in saying that all religions will lead you to God? Absolutely not. He is directly contradicting the explicit teachings in the Bible.
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Essentially, the Pope is saying that there are different pathways to reach God and these pathways are found in the different religions. They will lead you to the same God. To him, God reaches out to different people in different parts of the world and different cultures in different ways. There is no difference. Ultimately, you will get to the one and only God.
Is the Pope correct in saying that all religions will lead you to God? Absolutely not. He is directly contradicting the explicit teachings in the Bible.
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Besides, Jesus’ exclusive claim that He is the only way, truth, and life stands in stark contrast to the idea that there are different paths to God. The remark made by Pope Francis is fundamentally wrong.
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Except for the three monotheistic faiths – Christianity, Judaism, and Islam – most major religions have many gods. God cannot reveal Himself in different ways through different religions and contradict Himself. It just does not make any sense.
Besides, Jesus’ exclusive claim that He is the only way, truth, and life stands in stark contrast to the idea that there are different paths to God. The remark made by Pope Francis is fundamentally wrong.
The Pope’s unequivocal remark goes viral because it is controversial. It differs from the centuries-old Catholic belief. It sends shockwaves through the Catholic church. The Protestant community is also taken aback by his seemingly new position. Does this represent a shift in position by the Vatican?
Religious Peace & Harmony
Pope Francis has been at the forefront of promoting global peace and religious harmony around the world.
In 2019, Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, signed the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together. The objective is to lay down guidelines on how different faiths can co-exist peacefully and advance a culture of mutual respect.
People must be free to follow their personal religious beliefs and convictions without fear of harassment and persecution.
Unfortunately, religious intolerance has resulted in hatred and massacres throughout history. The situation today is no better. In several parts of the world, Christians continue to suffer persecution and martyrdom.
Given that, interfaith initiatives to promote religious tolerance and harmony among adherents of different faiths are important and necessary. All such efforts are laudable.
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People must be free to follow their personal religious beliefs and convictions without fear of harassment and persecution.
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Having said that, Christians do not have to compromise biblical teachings for the sake of religious tolerance and harmony. The same goes for the followers of all the other faiths. Everyone should be able to teach and practise the uniqueness of their religious beliefs freely without having to walk on eggshells.
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Religious peace and harmony can be achieved and maintained if people of different faiths and philosophical persuasions bear in mind the virtues of mutual respect and tolerance.
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We can share our beliefs and state our claims categorically. However, we must be careful not to impose our beliefs on people of other faiths. We do not have to argue that we are right and others are wrong. Instead, we present and speak the truth in love. After all, God is love. Be mindful to maintain mutual respect at all times.
Religious peace and harmony can be achieved and maintained if people of different faiths and philosophical persuasions bear in mind the virtues of mutual respect and tolerance.
No Compromise
Let me reiterate a point that I made earlier. Christians do not need to compromise biblical teachings for the sake of religious tolerance and harmony. This is true even when we are making certain unique biblical claims that are exclusive such as salvation is only through faith in Jesus Christ.
Increasingly, Christians are coming under pressure for making exclusive claims such as this. It is deemed to be arrogant and intolerant.
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Christians do not need to compromise biblical teachings for the sake of religious tolerance and harmony. This is true even when we are making certain unique biblical claims that are exclusive such as salvation is only through faith in Jesus Christ.
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A contributor to Huffington Post wrote: “To suggest that 1 out of 4,200 religions holds all of the truth and the key to salvation is not only arrogant, it is spiritually narcissistic.”
Former U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said in a media interview, “A lot of young people are leaving the Church, in part because the way they understand what Christianity has become… so judgmental, so alienating that they think to themselves, ‘well, I don’t need that.’”
Such accusation comes mostly from atheists. People of other faiths are less critical because they know that their religious teachings also contain some unique and exclusive features.
No matter what people might say, there is no getting around the Word of God. We cannot compromise by tweaking it to sound less exclusive and more accommodating. The truth is the truth. It cannot be altered to suit the cultural sensitivities.