Can one believe in Christianity and universalism simultaneously? Jesus Himself clearly tells us that He is the way. He is the way of truth, the way to eternal life, and the way we come to God the Father. Without faith in Christ, we are separated from God. But let’s dive deeper into this topic.

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” -John 14:6 ESV

Feeling conflicted

This verse takes me back to a time when I was a senior in high school. Before I put my faith in Christ, I was attending a Q&A session where students could ask faith leaders tough questions. One of the questions asked was, “As Christians, what do we say to our friends of other faiths?” A woman I really looked up to at the time responded. “We encourage them to be the best follower of whatever religion they belong to.”

I don’t remember her exact words as she expanded on her answer. But, the clear idea was that no matter what we believe in, if we follow that faith wholeheartedly, it honors the one true God the same. Essentially, she was saying all roads lead to heaven.

I remember sitting in the group feeling conflicted. On one hand, this would make my life a whole lot easier. If faith ever came up with friends and there were conflicting beliefs, I didn’t have to have an awkward conversation. I wouldn’t have to evangelize. But on the other hand, I wondered:

What was the point of Jesus dying for our sins if all faiths lead to heaven?

Christianity and Universalism

This idea that all roads lead to the same God and/or heaven is called universalism. It’s a super common belief in our culture. Even many professing Christians attempt to believe in both Christianity and universalism. On the surface, universalism may seem like the most loving belief. If all faiths lead to the same god, then we don’t have to have tough conversations. We don’t have to risk hurting anyone’s feelings or making anyone uncomfortable. It’s the “you do you” mentality and the idea that one faith doesn’t suit all people for all time.

But, if we dive deeper into this belief, we start to see it crumble. If God doesn’t care if you worship Jesus, then why would He send Him? Out of His great love, God the Father sent His only Son to die on a cross for the forgiveness of sins. He rose from the dead so we could be declared righteous in His sight and promised eternal life. God sent His perfect Son to die the most gruesome, torturous, completely undeserved death for utterly unworthy sinners. Why would God go through all that if He was indifferent to what we believed in?

If universalism were true, it would make Christ’s sacrifice meaningless. It wouldn’t have been necessary at all, but we read throughout Scripture that it was necessary from the very beginning. The human connection to God was broken in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve took the bite of the forbidden fruit they broke their perfect communion with God. It was Adam’s sin that led to condemnation for us all. However, it was also through one Man’s righteous act that many will be made righteous.

Some key verses:

“Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” -Romans 5:18-19 ESV (emphasis added)

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, […] For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” -Ephesians 2:4-6 & 8-9 ESV (emphasis added)

God has made it clear

God clearly states many times in His Word, that there is only one way to Himself. There is one way to salvation, one way to forgiveness of sin, and one way to eternal life in heaven. Only one way is true. Christianity and universalism are contradictory beliefs. Universalism denies what God Himself has said for thousands of years. He does not change, nor does He contradict Himself.

Universalism is a works-based mentality that is also contrary to Scripture. It’s the idea that if we just live as good people, doing good works, faithful to whatever god we believe in, that will be enough. It is by the grace of Jesus Christ alone, through faith in Jesus Christ alone that we are saved, not by works. It’s entirely a gift from God! And while universalism seems like the most open-minded belief, it is actually completely closed-minded to the almighty power of God. He truly came to save people of all walks of life (Galatians 3:28). He has complete power to do so through one man – Jesus Christ!

Almost two years after that Q&A session, I came to faith in Christ. Quickly, I learned that Christianity and universalism cannot coexist. Universalism embraces the world and its ever-changing ideologies and religions. True Christian faith embraces the one true God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We can either choose to believe in Him or not, but what is true will always remain: Faith in Jesus is the only way. Jesus + nothing = salvation. 🖤

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Response

If you have already placed your faith in Christ, reflect on God’s goodness today. Praise Him for all He has done for you!

If you have not put your faith in Christ, you can do so right now! Make this prayer your own today and continue praying to Jesus and studying the Bible each day. He loves you and wants a relationship with you!

Pray:

Jesus, I believe You are God. You are the only way, the truth and the life. I confess that I am a sinner and that there are no works I can do to become right with you. I believe you died on the cross in my place and rose from the dead so that my sins would be forgiven in full – so that I could experience new life in You. Thank You for loving me and for this undeserved gift of grace! I am ready to turn from my old beliefs and sinful ways of living to follow you with my whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. Continue to grow my trust in You and show me how to walk in Your ways for the rest of my life. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, please reach out to me! I would love to hear from you and as your sister in Christ, welcome you into God’s family and offer guidance in any way you might need. 🖤 Whether it’s me or someone else… tell someone about your new faith in Christ!

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“My feelings are not God. God is God. My feelings do not define truth. God’s Word defines truth. My feelings are echoes and responses to what my mind perceives. And sometimes – many times – my feelings are out of sync with the truth. When that happens – and it happens every day in some measure – I try not to bend the truth to justify my imperfect feelings, but rather, I plead with God: Purify my perceptions of your truth and transform my feelings so that they are in sync with the truth.” -John Piper

I came across this quote recently on Pinterest and it spoke to me personally, but I also believe it’s such an important word for the times we’re living in.

A biblical look at our feelings

In the second half of Isaiah 45:19, God says, “I the LORD speak the truth; I declare what is right.” Therefore, we can trust God’s complete written Word. He speaks through His Word with intent, which means His Word was not made for us to read our own interpretation into based on our feelings. He had specific purposes in all He said and wants to communicate with us and it’s through the power of the Spirit and diligent study of the Bible with a reliable translation that we learn God’s original intent.

I mention reliable translation, because sadly not all translations are reliable. Stick to word-for-word translations like the ESV and NASB. It also can be helpful to invest in a good study Bible. My favorites are the ESV Study Bible and The ESV Keyword Study Bible, which gives you the ability to reference key words in the original Hebrew and Greek.

A good Bible is our foundation in learning to interpret God’s Word accurately, and of course, it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to understand what His Word says. But, we are also called to learn about Him in community. Belonging to a church that preaches directly from the Bible and studying the Bible with other women has been huge in my personal growth and I know it is because that is God’s design for the church!

When our feelings are out of sync with truth

I mention all of this, because it’s in knowing God and what He has spoken through the Bible that we are able to see when our feelings are out of sync with the truth. Without the Word of God grounding us, we are much more easily tempted to bend the truth to align with our feelings, instead of comparing our feelings to what is true. It’s in understanding what God says in His Word and trusting what He says is true that we are able to tell if our feelings are accurate perceptions of the world around us.

We hear phrases like, “Your feelings are valid,” and “Do what makes you happy,” or “Speak your truth,” all the time in our culture. Our feelings are very real, but are they always valid? I think about when I was a young girl and I would get angry at my sister for stealing something of mine. More often than not, I’d realize I just misplaced it. Were those feelings of anger really valid? What if what makes us happy is actually harming us? Even good things can become idols and unhealthy obsessions. And what if our perceptions of truth are merely things we learned from life’s experiences, but aren’t grounded in anything beyond our own understanding? God says in Proverbs 3:5 ESV, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Emphasis added).

Stay grounded in Scripture

We must be grounded in God’s Word to be able to perceive our feelings and what’s happening in the world around us accurately. When was the last time you prayed for godly wisdom? For God to transform your feelings to align them to what He says is true? These can be hard questions, but they are essential to our growth. It is typically so much easier to see these pitfalls in others, so ask God to reveal your own blindspots.

Here’s a prayer to you can make your own today:

Heavenly Father, You are good and Your Word is true. I confess (insert your sins, shortcomings, struggles, etc). I am grateful for Your patience with me when I mess up. Thank You for (insert what He taught you or reminded you of today). Father, I pray You will give me wisdom and align my thoughts to what You say is true. Give me discernment to understand the difference between worldly “wisdom” and true wisdom that comes from You. Reveal my blindspots. Give me a greater hunger for Your Word and fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I may accurately understand what’s true. (Add any additional requests you have.) In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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“Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.” -Psalm 63:3 ESV

Steadfast: A word study

That word steadfast has been one of my favorite words lately. I’ve reflected on it so many times over the past year during my quiet time meditation. According to dictionary.com, steadfast means to be fixed or firm in a direction or purpose – unwavering. The the word for steadfast in the original Hebrew is chesed (pronounced kheh’-sed) and it refers to God’s devout loving-kindness, mercy, and faithfulness at the very core of His character and actions.

God is steadfast. Therefore, His love is steadfast – unwavering, faithful, and kind.

Meditate on God’s steadfast love

Pause for a moment. Can you think of a moment in your life where you experienced God’s loving-kindness and mercy? I can think of several off the top of my head, but ultimately, I think back to the Gospel.

The ultimate display of God’s steadfast love for humanity was the Father, sending His perfect Son to die on behalf of undeserving sinners and be raised from the dead to give new and eternal life to all who put their faith in Him alone. I think of the kindness displayed through the Holy Spirit who, by His grace, softens our hearts to the Gospel message so we are able to put our faith in Christ. Then, He goes even further in His loving-kindness by making our hearts His dwelling place, sealing us with the promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Understanding the Gospel

To fully understand the Gospel, we have to be willing to acknowledge the seriousness of our sin.

According to God’s perfect and complete written Word, the righteous and just punishment for sin is hell. Acknowledging this truth can make us very uncomfortable – so uncomfortable, we tend to skip this part when thinking of our own sin or in proclaiming the Gospel to others. But, taking this step is what leads to repentance. In fact, it is the crucial step we must take in order to fully appreciate the magnitude of this beautiful gift of salvation and new life in Christ. When we accept the reality of hell and agree with God that we are sinners in need of a Savior, we are able to understand the Gospel with the proper perspective. He didn’t have to make a way, yet He made a way. He didn’t do it because we deserved it, He did it because His steadfast love is at the very core of His character.

In Christ, we are given new life. All other roads lead to hell. His steadfast love is truly better than anything life apart from Him can offer. And wherever you are in our faith journey, whether you are a new Christian, or you have been following Him for decades, the good news of the Gospel will forever be at the center of our praise and worship.

We never outgrow the power of the Gospel.

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“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” -Isaiah 26:3 ESV

My husband encouraged me to meditate on this verse, because lately, I’ve been feeling pretty anxious and fearful about the future.

Meditating on this passage

Meditation is biblical, but there is a way to meditate that’s in line with God’s Word and a way that’s not. No where in the Bible does God command us to empty our minds or repeat mantras in a way that many understand meditation today. What God does say about meditation is found in Psalm 1:2 ESV which says, “but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” In other words, proper, biblical meditation is actively thoughtful. It involves deep reflection on the Word and ways of God and how to apply the truth to our lives. Knowing what the Bible says is one thing, but applying the teachings is where transformation happens.

As I meditate on this verse in that way, the truth that comes to mind is this:

When we put all our trust in Jesus, He will keep us in perfect peace.

Living in perfect peace

Easier said than done! The Lord has been convicting me through recent experiences and a message at church that I have been applying this truth circumstantially (and not very well, I might add) and forgetting that when our eyes are fixed on Jesus, when all of our trust is truly in Him, we experience this perfect peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

This is not a one-time thing. It’s a constant decision and I’ve been getting that wrong in this area of my walk with the Lord. The best way I can describe it is like how I have been treating some shoulder pain I’ve been having recently. When they hurt, I take a Tylenol or rest on the couch, which provides relief, but I’m not getting to the root of the issue. Why do my shoulders hurt? What could I be doing to adjust my posture or strengthen and loosen my muscles? A lot!

It’s the same with this scripture passage. When I’m fearful and anxious, I focus on my breathing, I lie down, I vent (complain), I’ll even say a quick prayer or remember scripture passages like Philippians 4:6 (sadly, oftentimes an afterthought). I’ll find some peace in the moment, but when anxiety hits again, I fumble through this same process. Does that sound like perfect peace?

God’s Word is not meant to be used like Tylenol

I’ve been treating this truth like Tylenol. I remember helpful verses in the moment and it provides temporary relief. But what if I take it a step further and make prayer and meditation my first response? And even when the fears and anxiousness subside, what if I continued meditating on the truth that we do not need to fear because God is with us and promises to strengthen us (Isaiah 41:10)? What if I incorporated that into more of my praise and worship and regularly confessed where my trust is weak? Wouldn’t that be a better, wiser approach?

Coping with fear and anxiety

Again, easier said than done. But, I wanted to share these thoughts with you today, because many close to me, including myself, are wrestling with anxiety and fears of all kinds, so I think it’s safe to assume many of you are with us in these struggles. You’re not alone! And I know God intends to grow us through it.

How are you coping with fear and anxiety? Are you trusting God fully? Are you trusting He is faithful to keep His promises? That He will care for you when you bring your anxieties to Him (1 Peter 5:7)? That He will keep you in perfect peace when you submit your thoughts to Him and trust Him fully with everything?

Keep your thoughts fixed on Him. I’ll leave you with one more verse so we can all learn to better apply these truths to our lives at all times and experience His promise of perfect peace:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” -Philippians 4:8-9 ESV

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