Street Prophets

Many Paths to God: The Biblical Case

Sun Aug 24, 2008 at 02:54:47 PM PDT

Many times over the years, I've been asked to explain my belief that there are many paths to God, and that any human being cannot claim to know the heart and mind of the Infinite Universe.

Over the years I have been asked to show Biblical support for that belief and therefore I've done quite a bit of research.

This diary is not intended to convince anyone that I am "right," but rather to provide aid to others who try to explain their viewpoints on ecumenism to Christian friends and family.

Christians of all stripes have faced criticism of the use of Bible verses to justify opinions and actions.  The most common (and sometimes well-deserved) criticism is to say that someone is "cherry-picking" verses to support his belief/cause.  (I'm sure this is common in other faiths, but I haven't been privy to those conversations).

Therefore, the best way to make the case for Biblical support of something is to find multiple verses throughout the Bible.  

Now, of course there are Bible verses that support the contention that Christianity (or Judaism) is the "only way to heaven."  But I think there are enough verses to also support the opposite belief:  that each individual needs to find his/her own path.

So let's jump in to those verses:

Psalm 145
v8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
      slow to anger and rich in love.

v9 The LORD is good to all;
      he has compassion on all he has made.

v17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways
      and loving toward all he has made.

v18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
      to all who call on him in truth.

v19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
      he hears their cry and saves them.

v20 The LORD watches over all who love him,      
but all the wicked he will destroy.

Isaiah 56
1 This is what the LORD says:
      "Maintain justice
      and do what is right,
      for my salvation is close at hand
      and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man who does this,
      the man who holds it fast,
      who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it,
      and keeps his hand from doing any evil."

3 Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD say,
      "The LORD will surely exclude me from his people."
      And let not any eunuch complain,
      "I am only a dry tree."

4 For this is what the LORD says:
      "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
      who choose what pleases me
      and hold fast to my covenant-

5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls
      a memorial and a name
      better than sons and daughters;
      I will give them an everlasting name
      that will not be cut off.

6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD
      to serve him,
      to love the name of the LORD,
      and to worship him,
      all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
      and who hold fast to my covenant-

7 these I will bring to my holy mountain
      and give them joy in my house of prayer.
      Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
      will be accepted on my altar;
      for my house will be called
      a house of prayer for all nations."

8 The Sovereign LORD declares—
      he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
      "I will gather still others to them
      besides those already gathered."

Jeremiah 8:8
" 'How can you say, "We are wise, for we have the law of the LORD," when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?

Matthew 7:8
For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Matthew 8
The Centurion
10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.
11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

Mathew 12:50
Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is brother and sister to me.

Luke 11:10
For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Luke 12:10
And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

John 3
20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

John 10
14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—
15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

Acts 10
v1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.

v4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked.  The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.

v15 The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."
v34 Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism
v35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.

Romans 8
26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

Romans 10:12
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,

James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

1 John 4
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

3 John 1:11
Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.

Additionally, I would love to hear of other verses I may have overlooked or missed.  Feel free to add more in the comments section!


Tags: Ecumenism, Christianity, Bible study (all tags)

View Comments | 157 comments