Listen to these solemn words from the Lord Jesus Christ: “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for IF YOU DO NOT BELIEVE THAT I AM HE, YOU WILL DIE IN YOUR SINS….He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and HE WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE THE SON SHALL NOT SEE LIFE, BUT THE WRATH OF GOD ABIDES ON HIM” (John 8:24 and 3:36…NKJV). We learn here that all who refuse to believe on Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as their Savior will “die in their sins” (with their sins unforgiven) and will “not see life” (eternal life) but rather experience “the wrath of God abiding on them”( eternally in hell…see Revelation 20:11-15). This would include those who reject Christianity and embrace “other religions.”

This may seem unfair and narrow to many, but it is the truth of God. Jesus said clearly and emphatically, “I am THE WAY, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except THROUGH ME” (John 14:6). In John 10:9 He said, “I am THE DOOR, by Me if any man enter in he shall be saved.”  If there was “another way to heaven” Jesus would never have said these words. The Apostle Peter echoed this truth in Acts 4:11, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Sadly, many choose to reject “God’s way of salvation” (through His beloved Son) and seek to gain heaven by “their own way.” We have a prime example of this in the account of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4:1-5. Cain chose to come to God through “an offering of the fruit of the ground” (verse 3) and Abel came through “the firstborn of his flock (verse 4). We read in verses 4b-5 that God, “respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering.” Why did God accept Abel’s offering and not Cain’s? Ah, because Abel came BY FAITH with the sacrifice that God had ordained. Hebrews 11:4 testifies to this, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous.” Abel’s sacrificial lamb foreshadowed the coming of Jesus Christ, the “Lamb of God” (see John 1:29) who would “put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:25). Cain’s sacrifice represents man seeking to obtain forgiveness and salvation through his own good works, without faith and without the blood of Jesus Christ. They may sincerely believe they are pleasing God, but the fact is their attempt to earn their salvation leads to eternal death. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is A WAY that seems right to a man, but its end is THE WAY OF DEATH.” They are guilty of slapping God in the face by rejecting the salvation He is offering them through the death and blood-shedding of His only begotten Son. So, all who would imitate Cain by trying to come to God without faith in Jesus Christ should be warned that their futile attempt to acquire salvation through their own efforts is fatal and they will surely end up in hell for all eternity.

In closing, if you are a true believer in Jesus Christ I will be praying for you as you seek to win your friends and loved ones to Christ. If I were you, I would sit them down (if they are willing) over an open Bible and share scriptures with them (like the ones above) that show them their need of Jesus Christ, the work Christ has done to save them, and that through simple faith in Him they can have eternal life and be rescued from the wrath of God in hell. If you have not yet received Christ as your own Savior, I would plead with you to do so right now. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).  (355.5)  (DO)