John 14:1 English Standard Version

I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life

¹“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;^{[the Triune God]} believe also in me.

We know by faith what John 14:6 says. This is not about that exact truth. This is about dealing with the other religions that call Abraham the father of their faith.

We know what they are but we have placed our faith in Christ which has enough diversities of administrations to keep us busy for many years. Finding unity of faith with that many administrations is difficult enough, we do not have to go looking for trouble by speaking about any other religion besides Christianity.

Being called to speak the truth in love requires us to know Him who is Truth. Discovering who we are in Christ is a lifelong endeavor. We should not argue about other religions.

James 1:19-20 English Standard Version

¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Nothing produces anger faster in religion than accusing others that they have misplaced their faith. There is nothing to be gained in accusing others. It is hard enough for us to know truth and to live by it given there are so many opinions about how to live this life in Christ. Wars have been fought because of the accusations leveled against those other two religions. Their battles continue.

The production of the righteousness of God is the purview of God and God alone. We of the Christian faith believe that Jesus Christ is our righteousness and that we have none of our own. We should not engage in speculation of how God is at work in the hearts of others. We have enough to learn about our own hearts and what God is doing in us.

Genesis 12:1-4 English Standard Version

¹ Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” ⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

Three major religions call Abraham the father of their faith. It was Abram that first heard God, believed God and obeyed God. God changed his name to Abraham later. The basic issues of faith are here in these passages.

God initiates contact. Hearing God speak is the first essential in obedience of faith. Once again, what it the gospel? God speaks.

Secondly we must believe that it is God that we hear. In former times when mankind needed to receive messages from God, He would send angels as messengers. In this personal relationship, it is God speaking to us.

Thirdly we must believe what He has to say to us. Believing that we have heard Him is not sufficient, we must also believe what He said.

Four we must make a choice to obey His commands. Free will has not been removed. We still have the option to ignore His instruction. We are not puppets on a string.

God adds incentives in His call to Abram. He calls for a blessing but it doesn’t stop there. God will bless everyone that blesses Abram and curse those who curse him.

This extends down to every family on earth. This is why three religions call Abraham the father of their faiths.