Happy Good Friday!

Good Friday: We always just passively acknowledge it. It’s the Friday before Easter. Last day to get to the store to buy your Easter ham and Easter eggs.

But it is a day I like to reflect on.

Several month ago I had a brief conversation with some friends who, being broad minded, reflected that even though they have a love for Jesus, they acknowledge that there are many ways to get to heaven. They have some very well educated friends who are sincere Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Mormon, traditional Jewish, etc. Those friends have their sincere beliefs in the after-life and we have ours. It will be wonderful (and humbling) when we all see each other in the afterlife only to realize that God has a very big tent, indeed.

I reminded them of John 14:6 where Jesus stated clearly that He is the only way. They replied that they understood that when John wrote his gospel, he was having to push back against some outliers (Gnostics) who were trying to redefine Christianity. And they believed that this discussion in John’s gospel was for addressing that issue and not the other great religions of the world. I believe that this view point is becoming the predominant viewpoint of modern Christianity. 

So here is my Good Friday gift to you.  If you don’t have the Instaverse widget, go get it now at   http://www.instaverse.com

It is free and really quite fun.  It installs in just a few minutes. Then, when you hover your pointer over a scripture, it pops it up in a little box right in front of you.  Now scroll through these scriptures:

John 8:24, John 14: 6, Acts 4:12, Acts 10:43, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:13, Galatians 3:26, Eph 1:7, Titus 2:13, 1 Thes 4:13, 1 John 5: 11, 12  , Romans 10:9, 1 John 2:2, Matthew 10:32, Ephesians 1: 20-22. 1 Corinthians 15:24, Colossians 1:15-17, 1 Timothy 2: 5-6,  1 John 2: 23.  

You see, it is like this.  The founders of all those other great religions were likely great men.  They really had to think some things out, and then perfect a life according to what they reasoned.  But none of them paid for your sins.  Jesus did.  Only He could do it.  Only He did it.

Some modern Christians find this exclusivity very distasteful in our world, today.  I tell you that the exclusivity claim is a lie.   How can something be exclusive if it is free to everyone?  For everyone who trusts Him as Lord and Savior, on Good Friday, Jesus died for our sins.  God, his Father accepted His sacrifice as full payment. 

Philippians 2: 10-11.  Happy Good Friday!