Text: John 14:110

Topic: What exclusivity means to Christians

Introduction

• The exclusive claims of Christ in the Bible are scandalous in our society, which applauds diversity.

God places exclusive demands on our behavior.

• These demands free us to be all we can be.

Illustration: Elzinga's former student always slept with the women he dated and wondered why he couldn't sustain a relationship, so Elzinga explained the freedom in saving sex for marriage, and the student's relationships improved.

Illustration: Married libertarian philosopher Ayn Rand had an affair without remorse, but when her lover cheated on her, she became enraged, endangering her libertarian movement.

• Illustration: The parable of the Good Samaritan illustrates how God wants us to treat our neighbors: The Good Samaritan stops to help the beaten man despite the victim's different background.
• Illustration: P John Rankin has won the respect of his adversaries in the abortion debate by not hating them, but by praying for them.
• Christians are to be ambassadors to the unsaved world, not exclusive.

The gospel makes an exclusive salvation claim.

• All roads do not lead to God; only one does.

Illustration: Elzinga uses the example of the root canal he had to prove the point: if his doctor had said there were other ways to access the tooth than through the mouth, Elzinga would have gone elsewhere.

Illustration: One of Elzinga's friends thinks that for the sincere, all roads eventually lead to God; however he doesn't think that if his van needs new tires he can fix the problem by investing in a new ignition system.

• The scandal of the gospel's exclusivity is not a scandal to those who have been broken, realizing they don't deserve salvation.