A common criticism the world has of the Christian is, “Why do you have to be so narrow minded? Why can you be more broadminded? Why does Jesus have to be the only way to heaven?”
But there are some things we simply can’t be broadminded about. We certainly can’t be broadminded when it comes to mathematics.
If a student takes a test, and says that 2+2=10, and the teacher marks it wrong, can the student argue with the teacher saying, “Come on, let’s be broadminded about this. 10, 4, it’s not so different.”
We also can’t be broadminded about medical procedures.
Imagine you have a bad kidney and it has to be removed. The doctor knocks you out and when you wake up, not only is your kidney still there, but one of your teeth is missing.
You ask the doctor, “What happened to my tooth? You were supposed to remove my kidney.”
The doctor says, “Oh, tooth, kidney, it’s all the same. You’ve got to be broadminded about these things.”
Well, if we can’t be broadminded about these things, how much less can we be broadminded when it comes to eternal life. Especially when Jesus says,
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)
Jesus makes it clear that you cannot come to God on your own terms. You must come to him on his.
A person once put it this way: “You can either go to heaven God’s way or to hell your own.”
What is God’s way? Jesus tells us,
I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
Let’s put it another way.
If there were another way to heaven besides Jesus, would God have forced him to go to the cross? How can we spit on the cross of Christ by seeking another way to God? How can we spit on the gift of God this way?
Being broadminded can be a good thing. But not when it comes to eternal life.
How about you? Are you seeking eternal life on God’s terms? Or your own?
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 