He alone...

I love this statement by pastoral theologian Andrew Purves:


"The incarnation of Jesus Christ discloses the only path to God, and he is thus alone our human destiny. John 14:6 has been taken very seriously by the church in its reflection of the meditation of Christ: 'No one comes to the Father except through me.' This is both an absolute claim and a singular statement of authority and access. In the face of today's religious pluralism this affirmation may seem offensive. We should certainly respect all religious viewpoints and treat all person of whatever creed with dignity. But Christian faith as expressed through the creeds and confessions of the church makes a singular claim for Jesus Christ that cannot be compromised without undoing the gospel itself - Because of who he is. Here we must speak of truth. He alone is the mediator between the Creator and the creation, between God and a sinful humanity; he reveals the Father and does God's work for us and among us; and at the last he brings us home to communion with the Father in union with himself through the Holy Spirit. All other paths to God, no matter how apparently pious, are inadequate, are ultimately not saving, and, indeed, are ultimately deadly, leading to judgment. This singular claim is not made on behalf of the church, or any theological school, or system of doctrine, but is made by the New Testament on behalf of Jesus Christ, who makes it for himself" (Andrew Purves).