The big deal about Jesus
On the night of His betrayal and arrest, Jesus was with His apostles and He sought to comfort them in light of His imminent departure from them. He assured them that, although He was "going," He would return and receive them to Himself. In the course of that discussion, Jesus made the statement about Himself which is so well-known: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
Maybe it is NOT so well-known. A Presbyterian minister by the name of Dirk Ficca was quoted in a recent Associated Press news story as saying, "If God is at work in our lives whether we’re Christian or not, what’s the big deal about Jesus?" The story continues by noting that Ficca believes that the Presbyterians should seek "some converts but realize that God is working in all people to bring about salvation."
It seems pretty clear to me from the passage cited in John’s gospel that Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father. Jesus did NOT say that He was one of several ways or even "a" way, but instead He presented Himself as the exclusive way to the Father, i.e., to salvation. In this age of "tolerance" and political correctness, it is hard for some people to accept or teach this truth, but Jesus was not infected by the political correctness virus as His discussions with the Pharisees illustrate!
The apostle Peter likewise understood Jesus to be the only way to salvation. He affirmed to the Jewish Sanhedrin: "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Why did the apostles and other Christians feel compelled to preach Jesus, even to the point of losing their lives, if salvation could come by other means or other agents?
Let me tell you what the "big deal" is about Jesus. He was not, as believed by some world religions, simply another prophet sent by God. He claimed to be the Son of God, a claim substantiated by His resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4). Either He was whom He claimed to be…or He was a colossal fraud. He was not JUST a wise teacher.
Mr. Ficca, the "big deal" is that Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, died on the cross for the remission of our sins (Matthew 26:28). Many men have died in the name of religion, but none of them lived a perfect life and thus could offer themselves as an effective sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 4:15; 9:11-28).
I understand why Mr. Ficca plainly contradicted the Holy Scriptures. He "directs the Chicago-based Parliament of the World’s Religions." I suspect that he is looking for a way to justify those who will not submit to the Lordship of Jesus. Consider the words of Jesus: "If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins" (John 8:24).