Our lives are dedicated to the service of Jesus Christ. We walk and talk with Him daily. He has delivered us from a life of uselessness and sin and made us a new creation through a birth from Above. By His mercy we are forgiven and by faith in His redemptive work on the Cross we stand righteous in the Father’s eyes. Our salvation and our eternal destiny rest solely, exclusively on the ministry of God’s grace afforded us by our faith in the person and the sacrificial work of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
Exclusive? Yes! But look at how wide that door is that the Father has opened to us: “Whoever believes!”
John 3:13-18 (ESV) 13 “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
Jesus Christ is the only One who is perfect.
He is the only one who knows you perfectly.
He is the only one who can know you perfectly and handle that knowledge with patience and tenderness.
Jesus Christ is the only One who is everywhere all the time.
He is the only one who can sustain and walk with everyone intimately – interminably.
He is ever with you.
He is the only One who could offer to live relationally with you – AND with all who love Him – and actually keep that promise!
Jesus Christ is the only One who knows EXACTLY what you need in your body, your soul, and in your spirit – RIGHT NOW and all the time. He is the only One powerful enough and loving enough and gentle enough and caring enough and thoughtful enough and understanding enough to help you make those things real in your life that are within your grasp to achieve AND to give you those things – on every level – that He knows are beyond your power to do. He is, indeed, all in all.
He is the only One intelligent enough to know what you can handle –
in terms of responsibility
in terms of blessings
in terms of spiritual revelation
in terms of spiritual gifts
in terms of material possessions
in terms of friends
in terms of health
in terms of personal influence
in terms of trials and testings
in terms of temptations
in terms of family
AND He is the only One
wise enough
and strong-willed enough
and unbiased enough
and broad-minded enough
and authoritative enough
to manage all those things that He gives you that make up who you are and what you do and what your potential is in every area of your life.
AND Jesus Christ is the only One with the personal fortitude and foreknowledge to see through all your lusts and your childishness and your immaturity and to know when to tell you “NO” and when to tell you “Yes.”
Jesus Christ is the only One who can give your heart eyes and ears.
He is the only one beautiful enough to satisfy the longing in your heart to see true, pure, innocent, infinite love!
He is the only One with the Words of encouragement and hope that your heart of hearts yearns and thirsts to hear!
Jesus Christ is the only One righteousness enough and pure enough and perfect enough to condemn you with fair and true judgment to everlasting torment in hell… But He is also the only One who is merciful enough and forgiving enough and unselfish enough and loving enough NOT to wash His hands of the plague of your rebellion and willful sin and disobedience and NOT flush you, and all the trouble and hassles you are to Him, our of His sight. NO! He stood beside you in the courtroom of your hopeless doom, embraced the helplessness of your certain guilt and passionately prevailed on The Judge to let Him take your place on the gallows. They laid His lifeless body in a borrowed tomb. They posted guards and sealed it shut.
But, Jesus Christ is the only One
loving enough
and innocent enough
and faithful enough
in the Father’s eyes that He would send His Holy Spirit in irresistable power to break the bonds of death, hell and the grave over Jesus.
And the Father has decreed that He would likewise impart by that same power of the Holy Spirit to all who simply, humbly believe in the person and the finished work of Christ the freedom of forgiveness and the reality of being a new creation in Christ and the glory of everlasting life with Him!
Read some of the passages in Holy Scriptures (KJV) that speak of the exclusivity of our loving Master, Jesus Christ:
1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
There is only one door into the Kingdom of Heaven: Jesus Christ.
John 10:1-18 1 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. 6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. 7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. 17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”
There is only one way to enter and be accepted into the Kingdom of Heaven: through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:14-18 14 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
John 14:6 6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
“John 11:25-26 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”
Acts 4:10-12 10 “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Philippians 2:9-11 9 “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Jesus Christ is unique in the Universe: no one else has the job or the ability that He has to grant eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Colossians 1:13-20 13 “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”
Colossians 2:8-10, 12 8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”
[Scripture quotation marked “ESV” ® is from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]