Blogging toward Sunday

By Craig Kocher
John 10:1-10
April 13, 2008

Who Then Can Be Saved?

Is Jesus the only way? Is Jesus the one gate of eternal life? Will all be saved? How are Christians to relate to people of other traditions?

As a college chaplain and director of religious life at a research university, I recognize these questions as the cerebral fiber of dorm-room conversations and as very real responses to the “I’ve-never-met-a-Muslim-before,” encounters of modern life. Many Christians ponder these questions as they live near or work with a person of a different faith. This Sunday’s Gospel lesson about Jesus being the shepherd of the sheep and the gate through which the sheep pass into eternal life is a perfect opportunity. Here are some suggestions about how one might handle these tricky questions:

Preach the church’s faith: While individual Christians have many theologies of salvation, and honest searching and questioning is a good thing, the faith of the church is to say that in Jesus Christ God has opened a way into the eternal heart of God and to everlasting life with others around the heavenly banquet. Beyond that, the waters get a bit choppy. Does this mean all people, of any creed or no creed, will be received into heaven through the saving work of Jesus? Or only those who have been baptized? Or only those who have asked Jesus into their hearts? Or only those who have lived a good life?

A sermon on this topic could acknowledge the church’s historic confession that Jesus is the way and then reflect on the different ways that statement has been interpreted. The preacher could then offer his or her take on what this means for the life of faith, while counseling the congregation to move into these mysteries with humility and gentleness, taking every theological stand carefully, always being open to the movement of grace and the honest searching and praying of others.

Preach respect and engagement with people of other traditions: Saying Jesus is the way inevitably begs the question, “What about people of other religious traditions?” The straightforward answer is, “Relate to them in Christ-like ways.” The arrogance of triumphalism in Christians’ relation to other traditions over the centuries is well documented. The so-called war on terror and the language of “Islamic-fascism” and “the Christian West” suggest that our geo-politics is riddled with religious tensions. Christians are called to love the friend, stranger and enemy regardless of religious affiliation. When Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman at the well, he did so with a gentle presence and with careful listening. Jesus seems more concerned with his own sheep than the sheep of others, and as his sheep we have a responsibility to know our shepherd’s voice and reflect his spirit when we mingle with other flocks. That is not to say we don’t talk about matters of truth and consequence with people who hear other voices, but we do so as those who are called to be peace-makers and to exhibit the fruits of patience, kindness, and self-control. We listen, we love, we look for glimmers of truth in other traditions, for the revelation of God in the stranger, and only then do we tell our story.

Preach grace and discipleship: The first priority of the Christian is his or her own discipleship. While it can be a good and loving thing to be concerned about the salvation of others, our biggest eschatological concern should be our own faith. Paul asked us to work out our salvation “in fear and trembling.” At times it is appropriate to ask people of other faiths to follow Jesus, but it is always appropriate to ask ourselves if we are indeed following in the way, the truth and the life. The more the church is fully the church, the more it faithfully embodies the grace of God in Christ and offers a community of love and forgiveness to the world, the sharper the contrasts with the world will become and the more sheep may join the fold.

Finally, we can remind the congregation during this Eastertide that there is deep grace and mystery in the questions of life, death and eternal life. In the end we may be surprised by some of those seated around the heavenly banquet, if indeed we have a seat there ourselves.

Craig Kocher is associate dean of the chapel and director of religious life at Duke University.

Comments

[Lori Anne Bowen]

Your blogs are thought-provoking. Thanks for sharing.

[Anne]

Craig Kosher's comments seem tentative and even timid for such an important topic. Even many thoughtful conservative Christians are coming down on the side of an ultimate universal salvation. I could cite the writings of the late Madeleine L'Engle, whose devout Anglican faith cannot be questioned. I also knew a very conservative Baptist preacher, but one known for his independent thinking, who wrestled with this question and concluded "universal salvation or annihilation." Annihilation, by a God who in Jesus has promised redeem all creation, who has promised "a new heaven and a new earth"? I don't think so. I have also read an interesting book entitled *God Does Not Foreclose*, the author of which I have unfortunately forgotten. This book does not suggest an immediate or easy out (as in "Okay, everybody, home free!") But the author does make a strong case, that in God's time, that is from an eternal viewpoint, all of creation will be redeemed. All God's creatures, and surely all humanity.

[Ed]

I believe I'll go with #2.
Sound bite from seminary, "I may believe there is a hell, but I don't have to believe anyone is there."
And if there are? Are we not also, to some degree, responsible? Could it be our unChrist-like behaviors and attitudes that turned someone away? Then who is "to blame?"

[Susan M]

A good perspective on a tough subject -- from reading The Faith Club (3 women of different faiths, Jewish, Muslim,and Christian)learning to understand their religions and respect all, and then reading Colossians for a Bible study, there's much to ruminate (and pray) about in today's diverse society. I especially liked your reminder to always be checking to be sure we are following the Way, the Truth and the Light, and when appropriate, lead others to God in Christ. This was very timely for my current readings and thoughts.

[Steve]

It is really hard to read the gospels without sensing that Jesus mourned the rejection of others, but had not doubt about the dire consequences of such rejection. I must say that if rejection is a result of non-Christ-likeness than Jesus was not very Christ-like. He certainly faced rejection of a severe sort. We have to think more carefully than this. Much rejection may be our fault, but some may be rooted in the realities of Matthew 10.

[Carol J. Alexander]

I find Craig Kocher's comments refreshing. It is becoming more frequent--thankfully--to find folks whose understanding of God extends to all of humanity, not just Christians. His approach is gentle and respectful, which seems a right direction for this thorny issue.

[Pastor Barbara]

I'm preaching on this topic with reference to Progressive Christianity's belief that although as Christians we see Jesus as our gate to the realm of God, other people have different names for their way to God, just as creditable to them as Jesus is to us. Check out their website at tcpc.org.

[Tom]

Ears to Hear!
Eyes to see!
On earth as it is in heaven!
The preponderance of evidence leaves nothing to ponder. Granted, unlike we, who have no trouble accepting the humanity of Christ but hesitate to grasp His divinity, first century audiences, upon hearing of the Way, had no problems with His divinity but could not fathom why a divinity would want to be a man. However, the vestiges of doubt can not mask the truth of Christ's main premise for the need of a new covenant, a new understanding of God and our relationship to Him. Jesus hardly set out to ground-floor-cult-movie the new religion of Christianity, but to reform a badly flawed, practicing religious system suffering from syncretism and the tragedy of Josiah's Reform.
Christ's revelation was not just that God's true nature needed to be re-evaluated, but also that the true nature of God was not the sole possesion of the chosen people. To reach the mindset of those nearest, Christ used Himself as an example of the Way for all of mankind to arrive at this new kingdom. If Christ gave His life to show that all, not just the jews, and not just through Judaism, can get to the true God, and if Christ never instructed anybody ever to try to get to God exclusively through Christianity (because He was not founding Christianity, He was reforming Judaism), then certainly Christ became the sacrificial Lamb to make manifest the Door for all to access.
Christ died to tell the world that He was the way. The spirit of Christ in any man can find the way. Jesus probably never expected rules of exclusion from a religion He never promoted. He understood that when His example was presented to any man who had reached a spiritual plane of awareness approximating His that His impetus would be enough to send the man through the door.
Jesus was concerned with getting people to God. Yes. Christ is the Way, but it would seem so unChristlike for Him to restrict admission to the Kingdom to Christians. Jesus preached " not just the Chosen", and somewhere in there is the echo of "not just Christians".

[Seth (Philippines)]

Salvation is sufficient for all but effective only to some. The Bible is very clear with this. In his eschatological preaching, Jesus Christ, declares that there are two resurrections: one is resurrection unto life and the other unto damnation. Those who will perish in the end are people who reject Christ as the Son of the Living God, those who have utterly rejected the ONLY WAY. But those who have embraced The Way will have eternal life. The church, being the body of Christ, exists with only one purpose, to continue the ministry of reconcilliation. Therefore evangelism must be intensified so as to reach out the lost and persuade the skeptics about the gospel of salvation. Yes the church must have the mind and heart of Jesus Christ, who have the passion for the lost, who does not want anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

[Craig Kocher]

Thanks to everyone for their comments. They seem to fall into two categories: 1) Those who wish I would have clearly said Jesus will open the way for all people. 2) Those who wish I would have clearly said Jesus will open the way only for some people. These two categories of comments confirm the point of my blog. Salvation through Christ is theologically prickly; there is a tension in the scriptures and tradition that may not be resolved on this side of glory. Personally, the way I navigate this tension is to hope, pray, and long for the former, while recognizing the latter may finally be true - which is why I conclude my post by suggesting we ultimately leave these mysteries to God and do our prayerful best to follow in the Jesus way.

[Josh Hoover]

I lean heavily toward universal salvation, yet must question where our free will enters in. What is the point of free will if God will do whatever in the end no matter what? It seems to me that there might be further room for choice when we are confronted by God in the next life - do we choose life with God or permanent seperation? Of course that isn't preachable being my own meanderings alone. But my frustration with preaching this topic, which I have been strongly considering this week is boiling such a complex, multilayered and multi opinioned topic down into an interesting 10 minute sermon for those who have not been theologically trained and maybe haven't even been to college.

[Rev Wayne Nicholson]

Josh -- I certainly share your anxiety, but must keep in mind: It's all about God's complex and radical love for all humankind.

[Bo]

Jesus spoke of salvation but also of judgement and judgement is surely God's, not ours. If we tend to loving God and loving others as Jesus instructs us, then we will have little time to worry about the judgement of others. Love is a full time job, from which we are so easily distracted.

[Tom]

Yo, Bo! Were you lovingly telling us or just loving to tell us? Love is definitely not a full time job. You can not work hard at love for long hours and then go home from it. Love is a mindset, a lifestyle, an extension of being from which one can not be distracted. One can become distracted, however, if he is working at love. Salvation and judgment could be ominous terms for those who are just working at love.