"The" 6-18-23
Overview
"God Is Too Big to Fit into One Religion"?
A popular slogan claims that God is too vast to be confined to a single religion—that all paths lead up the same mountain, and we are simply worshiping the same God by different names. At first glance this sounds humble and generous. Scripture certainly affirms that God is great beyond measure. Psalm 145:3 declares, "Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable." 1 Chronicles 29:11 ascribes to him all greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty. But greatness is not the same as contradiction.
The principle of non-contradiction is simple: A cannot be both A and non-A at the same time. Apply it to the world's religions and the slogan collapses. Islam denies the Trinity, denies that Jesus is the Son of God, and denies that he died on the cross. Christianity confesses one God in three persons and proclaims Christ crucified as the Son of God. Hinduism affirms hundreds of millions of gods; Christianity confesses one. These are not different paths up the same mountain—they are mutually exclusive truth claims about who God is. Both cannot be true at once.
What settles the matter is not our preference but God's own word. In John 14:6, Jesus tells troubled disciples, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Note the article: not a way, but the way. The same exclusivity rings through Scripture. John 10:9—"I am the gate." Acts 4:12—"There is salvation in no one else." 1 Timothy 2:5—"There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." 1 John 2:23—"No one who denies the Son has the Father." To deny Christ as Savior and Lord is not to worship the true God by another name; it is to miss the Father altogether.
The temptation behind the slogan is old and persistent: to fashion a god more agreeable to our preferences, to shrink him down to our size. Every religion outside of Christ is, finally, idolatry shaped by human hands and minds. And here is the wonder of the gospel: God sees our idol-making and, instead of turning away, sends his Son. On the cross Christ bears the sin of idol-makers like us, pays the debt, and declares us forgiven. A recent survey found 42% of self-identified Christians said God accepts the worship of all religions. May we not be among them. The originator of every other major world religion is dead; Jesus lives. That is the guarantee that his words—and his exclusive claim—are true. Hold fast to him, and tell others the truth in love: there is one way, one truth, one life, and his name is Jesus Christ.
Transcript
Would you open your Bibles please with me to the Gospel of John the 14th chapter for our study today? 3s
If you're using a Pew edition of Holy Scripture, you're going to find that on page 95 in the New Testament. 10s
Page 95, the 14th chapter of the Gospel of John. 17s
The Apostle Paul had come to Athens and he was waiting. 24s
He was waiting, Acts 17th chapter tells us, for Paul or for Timothy and for Silas to join him. 32s
So as he was waiting for Timothy and Silas to join him there in Athens, he was looking around and he noticed that in Athens, 42s
there was a host of idol worship that was going on. 52s
It was said in the day that there were more gods in Athens than men, and that was deeply, deeply troubling the Apostle Paul. 59s
As we reflect on the world, there's a host of religions, aren't there, and a host of false gods, of course, small case G. 74s
You've ever heard the phrase? 89s
There are many ways up the mountain to God. 92s
You've ever heard the phrase? 96s
There's a lot of ways to get to God. 98s
You've ever heard the phrase? 104s
We all worship the same God. 107s
We just call Him something different. 111s
The bumper sticker for our examination today, as we continue on in the summer series, bumper sticker theology, 118s
is related to those comments. 123s
The bumper sticker is this. 127s
God is too big to fit into one religion. 131s
God is too big to fit into one religion. 140s
Have you seen that? 150s
Now certainly, God is great. 152s
Psalm 145, it says this, 156s
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. 161s
His greatness is unsertiable. 165s
First Chronicles, the 29th chapter. 169s
Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. 172s
For all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours. 178s
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head of a wall. 183s
Psalm 40. 191s
To whom then will you compare me? 193s
Or who is my equal? 196s
Says the Holy One. 198s
And so the argument goes, 201s
God is so great. 202s
God is so large. 205s
God is so majestic. 206s
God is so wonderful that he can't be contained in one religion. 209s
It's as if he just spills over the banks because he can't be contained. 216s
God is too big to fit into one religion. 225s
Is that correct? 240s
It's correct. 245s
It's called the Principle of Non-Contradiction. 247s
It's a simple principle of logic. 252s
The formula is a simple formula. 257s
A, whatever A is, can't be both A and non-A at the same time. 261s
A, whatever A is, can't be both A and non-A at the same time. 270s
For example, the grocery store that's right behind the church here. 277s
Some would maintain that that's the third service here. 286s
That occurs, right? 290s
After service, many people will run into each other's shopping, right? 293s
But the grocery store right behind us here. 298s
It's a simple formula. 303s
One cannot say that that is Tom Thumb grocery store and it's also croakers. 304s
Why? 314s
Because that's violation of the Principle of Non-Contradiction. 314s
If I say, I'm going to go to croakers and pick something up. 318s
Now I'm just speaking, or I may be an error. 323s
But if I say, I'm going to go to Tom Thumb and croakers and pick a few things up, 326s
well, they can't be. 334s
Because A can't be both A and non-A at the same time. 335s
If I say, that's an ant. 345s
And that's also an ardver. 350s
That's a violation of the Principle of Non-Contradiction. 354s
Because A the ant can't be an ant and a non-A an ardver at the same time. 359s
Can it? 369s
Let's apply it. 371s
Sadly, the fastest growing religion in the world is Islam. 375s
The Muslim believes that God is not Trinitarian. 381s
Christianity, of course, believes in one God in three persons. 389s
One cannot say that God is non-trinitarian and Trinitarian at the same time. 396s
That would violate the Principle of Non-Contradiction. 405s
The Muslim says that Jesus did not die on the cross. 411s
The Muslim says that Jesus is not the Son of God. 417s
If he was to be the Son of God to say that would be blasphemous. 422s
The Christian, of course, says Jesus died on the cross and Jesus is the Son of God. 426s
So to say then that at the same time Jesus is not the Son of God and Jesus didn't die in the cross. 433s
And Jesus died in the cross and is the Son of God to say that at the same time would violate the Principle of Non-Contradiction. 444s
One more. 457s
Hinduism. 459s
Hinduism says there are hundreds of 460s
millions of gods. 462s
Hundreds of millions of them. 465s
Christianity, of course, says, here's one God. 467s
Three persons. 473s
One cannot say then that God is one God in three persons. 476s
And that there are hundreds of millions of gods. 482s
One can't say that at the same time without simply logicly. 487s
Logically being in error. 491s
Tom Thum is not progurs. 497s
The ant is also not the hard work at the same time. 500s
And God cannot fit into contradictory truth claims with regard to himself, 506s
His essence, His being and His work. 515s
That violates a simple principle of logic. 519s
So what can we say? 530s
What can we say? 533s
Look at me, please. 536s
The Gospel of John, the 14th chapter. 538s
This is part of the discourse of the last supper of our Lord. 542s
And just before the 14th chapter, the disciples have received some troubling news. 548s
Look at verse 13, verse 33. 554s
Jesus says this to them. 559s
Little children, I'm with you only a little longer. 561s
You will look for me. 566s
And as I said to the Jews, so now I say to you, 567s
where I'm going, you cannot come. 570s
Verse 36. 574s
Simon Peter said to him, 577s
Lord, where are you going? 578s
Jesus answered, where I am going, you cannot follow me now, 580s
but you will follow afterward. 584s
Well, this is troubling to the disciples. 587s
Jesus then recorded in the 14th chapter, verse 1. 590s
Do not let your hearts be troubled. 594s
Believe in God, believe also in me. 597s
In my father's house, there are many dwelling places. 600s
If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 604s
And if I go and prepare a place for you, 610s
I will come again and will take you to myself 613s
so that where I am, there you may be also. 616s
And you know the way to the place where I'm going. 623s
Well, Thomas, just comprehending this. 628s
But you love Thomas because he just states it. 631s
Verse 5, Thomas said to him, Lord, we don't know where you're going. 635s
How can we know the way? 638s
Verse 6. 640s
Jesus said to him, I am, 642s
the way and the truth and the life, 644s
no one comes to the Father except through me. 650s
The way, the truth, the life. 657s
The way to God, the truth about God, 660s
the life, the one who possesses life. 665s
It's not a, it's the, the. 669s
And that statement is not out of the ordinary. 676s
In John the 10th chapter, Jesus says this, 681s
I am the gate, 685s
whoever enters by me will be saved 689s
and will come in and go out and find pasture. 692s
In Acts 4 chapter, it says, 697s
there is salvation in no one else 699s
for there's no other name under heaven, 703s
given among mortals by which we must be saved. 707s
Verse 10, a, two. 711s
For there is one God. 713s
There's also one mediator between God and humankind. 717s
Christ Jesus, himself, human, who gave himself a ransom for all. 722s
John 3, whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, 729s
whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, 734s
but must endure God's wrath. 738s
Verse 11, no one who denies the Son has the Father, 741s
everyone who confesses the Son has the Father also. 748s
You can't say no one who denies the Son, 754s
no one who denies that Christ is Messiah and Lord, 759s
no one who denies Him. 764s
No one who denies the Son has the Father. 767s
If you deny Christ then as Savior and Lord, 773s
you're not worshiping God 779s
because you have denied the Savior. 781s
No one who denies the Son has the Father. 786s
The way, the truth, the life. 792s
All of these verses sound so exclusive. 805s
Don't they? 811s
They sound so exclusive. 812s
Because they are. 818s
They are. 823s
And the only one whose words matter is God. 827s
The temptation for us, beloved. 838s
The temptation for us is to fashion a God by our hands 842s
or by our mind that is more suited to our preferences, 848s
our thoughts what we think should be. 855s
And we can fashion that false God, 861s
and we can form our own idols. 865s
All of the religions outside of Christianity is idolatry, 871s
formed in the minds of human beings, 877s
and to one degree or another, 881s
we can all be guilty of forming our own understanding, 885s
divorced from Scripture of who God is, 891s
and when we do, 896s
it's just an attempt to bring God down to our size. 899s
But what does God do? 908s
God grace upon grace sends his son to us idol makers, 911s
and on the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ bears all of our sin, 917s
including all of our idol making. 923s
He pays the debt for our idol making, 927s
and declares us for given, for given. 934s
The very one who is Lord, 943s
sees in us our idol making, 947s
and instead of turning away, 952s
he sends his son to us, 955s
God is too big to fit into one religion, 969s
and that belief is so common, isn't it? 974s
It's so common, 42%. 981s
42% of people in a recent survey said, 986s
God accepts the worship of all religions. 993s
42%. 1000s
And here's the thing, 1005s
100% of those responding to that survey, 1008s
identify themselves as a Christian. 1013s
42% of Christians believe that God accepts the worship, 1024s
and the belief of all religions. 1033s
May there not be one person in this church 1042s
that couldn't answer that survey correctly. 1049s
Jesus said, 1059s
I'm the way and the truth and the life. 1062s
No one comes to the Father except through me. 1067s
The guarantee that Christianity is right is the Lord Jesus Christ. 1072s
The guarantee that the Bible is the truth 1078s
is because of the claim of the one who says that it's true, 1083s
the Lord Jesus Christ. 1088s
The originator of every major religion in the world is dead, 1091s
and Jesus lives. 1099s
God is too big to fit into one religion. 1105s
God would never be so small to acquiesce to that. 1116s