Thursday, July 3, 2008

Is Jesus Really "the Best Way" to the Father?

On page 110 of "The Shack" Jesus says to Mack:
I am the best way any human can relate to Papa or Sarayu.
(Papa = God the Father, and Sarayu = the Holy Spirit).

John 14:6 says:
I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

  • - to say that Jesus is "the best" way presupposes that there are other ways to have relationship with God. In other words, to say Jesus is the best way to the Father is to say that he is only one of other options; it's to say he is not the only way.
  • - However, when Jesus says "I am the way", he means the only way. He does not mean "a way", otherwise, Jesus would have said so.
  • - "No one comes to Father except through me" means not one person. This would mean that the only way to Father is through Jesus.
  • - THEREFORE, JESUS IS NOT THE BEST WAY TO THE FATHER,
  • JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY!

1 comment:

The Zenger Chronicles said...

Erich,
I completely agree. I read the book and the entire time I was in an uproar. The disturbing part for me was the friend who reccommended the book to me thought it was wonderful and prior to the this book uncovering our different foundational differences in beliefs, I thought she and I believed similarly.
While reading the book, I found my self surfing through the stored scripture in my head and heart finding Word to contradict most of the book.