“Did God actually say?” That is the question that brought the fall of man, and it is the same question that causes us to doubt the Word of God today. But as much as the enemy causes people to question what the Bible says, a little while after his initial question, God told him that the seed of the woman would crush his head. Jesus is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. Pilate didn’t take his life; Jesus gave it freely (John 10:18). I believe the Bible is the Word of God, that it is infallible, inerrant, authoritative, and sufficient. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible points to Jesus.

Even in the church, people call into question the truth of the Word of God and call into question the ministry of Jesus, specifically His death and resurrection. Some would say the book of Genesis is fiction; that Adam and Eve were not real people, the flood did not happen, and there was no crossing of the Red Sea. Did God actually say? Some say Jesus dying as our substitute to satisfy the wrath of God is cosmic child abuse. Still, others have said the resurrection isn’t literal. And there are those, even in the church, who say you can go to heaven without putting faith in Christ, those who say you can join Christianity and other religions. None of which is true according to the Bible. The fact of the matter is, God did actually say. He said sixty-six books worth of words and believers and non-believer’s alike will be judged according to how we responded to the gospel, the message that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16-17, John 20:30-31). When it is seen as humble not to speak definitively because everyone has “their truth” and there are no absolutes, the Bible declares The truth. The Bible tells us who God is and what He requires. It does not allow us to make God into our image, and it doesn’t matter if God’s Word offends our sensibilities; God is God, and we are not. He is holy and righteous, and we are sinners in need of redemption.

These statements fly in the face of modern thought but so did and so do Jesus’s words about Himself. In John 14:6, He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus doesn’t sound very accommodating, does He? There is no other way; all paths do not lead to God, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is THE way. There is no “my truth” or “your truth”; Jesus is THE truth. There is no life outside of Him, He is THE life, and if you are not born again, you will not receive eternal life but eternal punishment if you are not translated from darkness to light. Jesus is THE way, and there is no other provision made. There is no different path, and God does not understand that you seek Him in your own way. Romans 3:10-12 TLV ” As it is written, “There is no one righteous—no, not one. ¹¹ There is no one who understands, no one who seeks after God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless. There is no one who does good—no, not even one!”

We may see ourselves as good, it is popular to think we are all basically good, but that is not what the Bible teaches. We are all born into sin, and that is why we need a savior, and that savior is Jesus Christ. Jesus also said that He is the resurrection and the life, the good shepherd, and the light of the world (John 11:25, 10:14, 8:12). Jesus made it clear who He was. He was not just a good man or a moral teacher; He is the Son of God. John 1:1-4 and 14 TLV “In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were made through Him, and apart from Him nothing was made that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 14 And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We looked upon His glory, the glory of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus was from the beginning; Hebrews 11:3 tells us that the Word of God created the universe, Colossians 1:17 says all things are held together by Him. Jesus is full of grace and truth. He is the way the truth and the life. John 10:9 says He is the door; if anyone enters by Him, they will be saved.

The only way to the Father, the only access to heaven, and the only redemption from sin and the Hell we deserve is found in Jesus Christ.

Luke 13:24-30 TLV “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. ²⁵ Once the Master of the household gets up and shuts the door, and you’re standing outside and begin knocking on the door, saying, ‘Master, open up for us,’ then He will say to you, ‘I don’t know where you come from.’ ²⁶ Then you will start to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your company, and You taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ But He will say, ‘I tell you, I don’t know where you come from. Get away from Me, all of you evildoers!’” ²⁸ “There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. ²⁹ And they will come from the east and west and from the north and south, and they will recline at table in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ And indeed, some are last who shall be first, and some are first who shall be last.”

Matthew 7:13-14, 21-23 TLV ““Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. ¹⁴ How narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” ²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, and drive out demons in Your name, and perform many miracles in Your name?’ ²³ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’”

These are strong words when we speak much of the love of God and little of repentance. The Gospel message is not shallow nor easy. We are called to repent and forsake sin. Many have grown up in church or have attended for years, but they have never repented; they have never called out for salvation. Maybe you have prayed a prayer, but there is no evidence of change in your life. If you have been saved by grace, you will constantly be changed by that same grace. Jesus said hard things. Many of His disciples walked with Him no more after He said, eat my flesh and drink my blood. When He turned and asked the twelve disciples if they were leaving, Peter said, you alone have the words of eternal life. Eternity is not something you mess with; many will say Lord, Lord, and hear the dreaded words, I never knew you. Search your heart today, examine your life and make sure you are in right relationship with God through Jesus Christ today. If you have never placed faith in Jesus or if you have walked away from Him, in your own words, repent of your sins. That means to apologize for disobeying God. Ask for forgiveness and help to walk rightly before God; this is the first step of many. There will be times when we fall, but we get back up and continue being formed in the image of Christ.