Why is Solus Christus So Important?

Yesterday I preached on "Solus Christus" (audio or text). In the evening portion of the message I addressed the challenge of religious mysticism. Under that general heading we could categorize the "spirituality" movement that is sweeping across America. This movement is sweeping such profoundly different religous as Roman Catholicism, Pentecostalism, and even the Emergent Conversation. Usually if someone is into "spirituality", they are into mysticism today in some form. Newsweek did a cover story on this whole movement back in August 2005 and it is worth the read for Christians who at least want to be aware of the religious landscape that we are dealing with it as we faithfully proclaim the gospel.

Another challenge I mentioned was religious pluralism which is the belief that when it comes to finding God all religious roads lead there. Greg Koukl calls this "religious stew" or "pious porridge" and does a great job dealing with the objections that religious pluralists (which describes one of your neighbors or co-workers more than likely) raise against our claim that Jesus is the only way to God (John 14:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; Acts 4:12). These objections include that Christianity is narrow, since there are so many different religions it is impossible to know which one is true, and if a person is sincere that is all that really matters. So if you want to know what choosing your ice cream vs. choosing your medication has to do with religious pluralists and Christianity read more of Greg's article. It will really equip you for some good discussions.

Finally, what difference does affirming the truth of Solus Christus really make? One crucial area it affects is missions. If a person compromises on the truth that Jesus is the only way, it removes a key biblical motivation to missions. So, Al Mohler argues that one of the reasons for the decline in missions emphasis and activity is that we have lost our theological nerve. His analysis is insightful and a wake-up call!