My Way or No Way

Many people scoff at the Christian belief that only through Jesus will any person will make it to heaven. It is seen as exclusive, because anyone who doesn’t believe, no matter how good or kind, will be doomed to hell for all eternity. It’s a club they can never get into, as though God will take only a certain kind of people, the rest be damned. That's a petty, bigoted God no thoughtful person should worship.

Let’s look at this another way.

I receive an invitation to a party from a friend. I show up at his home at the appointed time. It could either be a fancy mansion with many wings and rooms and surrounded by a massive granite wall no one could scale without a ladder. It could also be a small one-room house with a short wooden fence even a small child could step over without trouble. It doesn’t matter; I announce myself but one way. Do I run through the darkened back yard, climb the side fence, or sneak through a window? Or do I walk to the front, open the gate, and knock on the door?

Jesus is the gate to heaven. It's never locked and swings both ways. Every human has been sent an invitation to his house. It’s up to us whether or not to accept it, and arrive as any considerate person would.

Through the front door.