Jesus and Nothing Else
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.”
Luke 5:36–38
In the time of Christ, it was common for people to adopt bits and pieces of other religions into their own. The Romans often took the gods of conquered lands and adapted them to their own pantheon of deities that they worshiped. We see the same trends in our day with the common teaching that all religious roads lead to the same destination. There is a popular bumper sticker featuring the symbols of a number of different religions to spell out the word “Coexist.”
Jesus did not come to add a little bit to what had gone before. He certainly did not come to simply put a patch on the Old Testament sacrifice system (which was never meant to be a substitute for the ultimate sacrifice Christ Himself would provide). Instead He came with a radically transforming message of salvation—a salvation that did not depend on national identity, religious regulations, or a system of sacrifices and offerings. He came to provide the single, only hope of salvation through His own death, burial, and resurrection.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Anyone who wants to add to or take away from that message is teaching false doctrine. There are no other options for salvation. People who sincerely follow other doctrines are lost, despite the depth of their conviction. Jesus is and always will be the only hope of salvation.
Luke 5:36–38
In the time of Christ, it was common for people to adopt bits and pieces of other religions into their own. The Romans often took the gods of conquered lands and adapted them to their own pantheon of deities that they worshiped. We see the same trends in our day with the common teaching that all religious roads lead to the same destination. There is a popular bumper sticker featuring the symbols of a number of different religions to spell out the word “Coexist.”
Jesus did not come to add a little bit to what had gone before. He certainly did not come to simply put a patch on the Old Testament sacrifice system (which was never meant to be a substitute for the ultimate sacrifice Christ Himself would provide). Instead He came with a radically transforming message of salvation—a salvation that did not depend on national identity, religious regulations, or a system of sacrifices and offerings. He came to provide the single, only hope of salvation through His own death, burial, and resurrection.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Anyone who wants to add to or take away from that message is teaching false doctrine. There are no other options for salvation. People who sincerely follow other doctrines are lost, despite the depth of their conviction. Jesus is and always will be the only hope of salvation.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Hold to the truth that Jesus is the only way to Heaven and share that same truth with others.
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