In our society, it is politically incorrect to say no. Our churches go out of their way not to offend anyone of another religion.

I believe in being respectful of the beliefs of others, but I don’t believe in circumventing God’s truth to do so.

The Bible clearly establishes the guidelines for obtaining eternal life.

We must be born again. We must accept that Jesus, the sinless and blameless Son of God, died on the Cross for us. He took our sins, past, present, and future, upon himself because God required a pure and perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is Jesus.

Jesus did not stay dead. No, he rose from the dead on the third day. He then he ascended to Heaven. He today he is at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us.

Until we have accepted what Jesus did and confessed Jesus as Lord, we are not born again. We will not go to heaven when we die.

By going out of our way to accommodate other people’s faith, we are essentially saying that we’re okay with them going to hell. We are allowing them to take a wrong turn without even warning them of the danger ahead.

I’m not saying we should shove our faith down anyone’s throat, but I am suggesting that we make it clear what we believe and why we believe it.

Why do we believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven? Because the Bible says so.

Why do we believe in the Bible? Isn’t it just a book with words written on its pages like any other book? How many other books do we know that are inspired by God? Every word of them? The Bible is inspired by God (II Timothy 3:16). The men who wrote the books of the Bible were simply God’s secretaries, writing what they heard God say.

Now, if we accept what God said in His Word, then we have our basis for eternal life. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

We have to settle in our mind. We have to know this as the truth. So when we meet a person who says, “Don’t all roads lead to the same place? Can’t a person be a Buddhist or a Catholic and still end up in heaven?” we can answer them.

If we believe what the Bible says, which I do, then no. Jesus is the only Way to the Father, to eternal life, to Heaven. On Judgment Day, if we do not come to the Father through Jesus (John 6:44), we will be told that He never knew us. We will be absolutely expelled. Those who don’t believe that can wait until Judgment Day to find out for themselves.

Some others say, “Well, I’m a good person. I’ll get to heaven on my own.”

How many good deeds do we have to do to enter heaven? 500? 1000? 1,000,000? The truth is that we cannot be good enough to go to Heaven on our own. Our righteousness, our good deeds, are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). They are worth nothing. Only the shed blood of Jesus can make us righteous, put us in a right position before God.

However, others still believe that if they follow every rule and regulation of their religion, they will be saved. Unfortunately, they are spending a lot of energy with nothing guaranteed in return.

No, the only way to the Father is through Jesus. He is the only way, the only guarantee we have of going to Heaven when we finish here on Earth.

People will argue with us. It’s natural, but we can’t let their beliefs shake ours. We have to know what we believe and why we believe it before we start an argument with someone of another faith or belief. Otherwise, as James says, we will be tossed about by the wind because we are double-minded, unstable in all our ways (James 1:6).

What do we say to people who are convinced that the Bible is nonsense and not relevant to our modern times? Ask them if they have ever read it. Usually people who say the Bible is not relevant have not read it. They have not experienced the power that comes from reading the Bible in a translation they understand and applying it to their lives.

Challenge them to pick a topic in the news, then look up the central message of that topic together in a concordance, maybe even online.

For example: Paris Hilton went to jail. Why did he go to jail? She broke parole. Why was she on parole? For driving backwards. What does the Bible say about all this? Although it does not mention the name of Paris, it does tell us to obey the laws of the country, that is, of the state or country in which we live (Romans 13:1-7 NLT).

The Bible is as relevant today as it has ever been. And it will continue to be in the future. Challenge anyone who doesn’t believe this to read the Bible for themselves with an open mind.

We will always meet people of different religions. We will always meet those who claim not to believe in God, but our choices are to influence them or let them influence us.

We must let them know what we believe. If they try to argue, let them know what the Bible says. If they don’t accept it, we should go because we’re wasting our time. We cast our pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6). Eventually, if you haven’t hardened your hearts, God will open your hearts and minds to you.

We need to be respectful of the faith of others, but we must not let it shake our own. By respectful, I mean not saying anything bad about your faith. Don’t talk bad about it. Don’t criticize it. This will only make the person defensive.

We must be respectful, stand firm in our beliefs, and pray that God will help us minister to those of other faiths, so that they may know the truth as we do.