Page 85 - Advanced Apologetics and World Views Revised

prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see
and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted
righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will divide him a portion with the many, and he
shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with
the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors”. He likened
the coming Sacrifice to a lamb, slaughtered for the sins of others.

Hundreds of years later, Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled in the perfect Lord Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary.
When the prophet John the Baptist saw Him, he cried, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the
sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Crowds thronged Him for healing and teaching, but the religious leaders
scorned Him. Mobs cried out, “Crucify Him!” Soldiers beat, mocked, and crucified Him. As Isaiah
foretold, Jesus was crucified in between two criminals but was buried in a rich man’s tomb. But He
didn’t remain in the grave. Because God accepted His Lamb’s sacrifice, He fulfilled another prophecy by
raising Jesus from the dead (Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 26:19).

Why did Jesus have to die?
Remember, the holy God cannot let sin go unpunished. To bear our own sins would be to suffer God’s
judgment in the flames of hell. Praise God, He kept His promise to send and sacrifice the perfect Lamb to
bear the sins of those who trust in Him. Jesus had to die because He is the only one who can pay the
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penalty for our sins.

Is Jesus the Only Way? lviii
Yes, Jesus is the only way to heaven. Such an exclusive statement may confuse,
surprise, or even offend, but it is true, nonetheless. The Bible teaches that there is
no other way to salvation than through Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself says in John 14:6,
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
me.” He is not a way, as in one of many; He is the way, as in the one and only. No
one, regardless of reputation, achievement, special knowledge, or personal holiness,
can come to God the Father except through Jesus.

Jesus is the only way to heaven for several reasons. Jesus was “chosen by God” to be the Savior (1 Peter
2:4). Jesus is the only One to have come down from heaven and returned there (John 3:13). He is the
only person to have lived a perfect human life (Hebrews 4:15). He is the only sacrifice for sin (1 John
2:2; Hebrews 10:26). He alone fulfilled the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17). He is the only man to
have conquered death forever (Hebrews 2:14–15). He is the only Mediator between God and man (1
Timothy 2:5). He is the only man whom God has “exalted . . . to the highest place” (Philippians 2:9).

Jesus spoke of Himself as the only way to heaven in several places besides John 14:6. He presented
Himself as the object of faith in Matthew 7:21–27. He said His words are life (John 6:63). He promised
that those who believe in Him will have eternal life (John 3:14–15). He is the gate of the sheep (John
10:7); the bread of life (John 6:35); and the resurrection (John 11:25). No one else can rightly claim those
titles.

The apostles’ preaching focused on the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Peter, speaking to the
Sanhedrin, clearly proclaimed Jesus as the only way to heaven: “Salvation is found in no one else, for
there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Paul,
speaking to the synagogue in Antioch, singled out Jesus as the Savior: “I want you to know that through

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