One thought his best efforts would be enough to gain acceptance, while the other brought a blood sacrifice, thereby acknowledging that sin, which excluded him from God’s presence, had to be paid for (Genesis 4:3-5). It was the latter approach that was acceptable to God.
The good news of the gospel still centres on our need of forgiveness, acceptance and a restored relationship with God. As will be shown below, the Bible teaches that the way to such blessing is not through religion, however sincere, or good works, however abundant. Instead, a relationship with God comes only through the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He said:
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6)
This article attempts to explain why Christians believe Jesus Christ is the only way men and women can have a living relationship with God.
What is the destination?
The first point to note is that the question is not about an earthly goal. Rather, it is about the way into an eternal relationship with God. Unlike the human race, God is eternal and righteous. The Triune God is the all-knowing, all-powerful Creator of all things, and His desire is to save men and women (1 Timothy 2:4). Salvation is necessary because everyone is a sinner: we all possess an inherited sin nature, and we all commit acts of sin. As a result, we are spiritually separated from the holy, righteous God of heaven. In other words, sin has created a distance between men and God. That is why the journey is necessary. God has not wandered away from us; rather, we have gone away from Him:
All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way. (Isaiah 53:6)
To be saved, to enter into a personal relationship with God, we must come to Him.
Why make the journey?
The Bible teaches that in life every person is on one of two spiritual roads (Matthew 7:13-14). We are either on a “broad way” leading to everlasting punishment, or on a “narrow way” leading to the enjoyment of eternal life in heaven. We are born on the former. We can only get on to the narrow way by trusting in Christ. The description of the “broad way” makes clear that the road away from God is far more popular with the masses than the road leading to Him. People do not wish to view their sins as God does, and abandon them. Nevertheless, this is something which is required if a person is genuinely going to come to God; the Bible calls it repentance.
At a very simple level, then, people require to make the journey to God, so that their sins are dealt with and they avoid the punishment that God’s righteousness demands.
