There is no other way to God but through Jesus Christ.
Jesus knew Himself to be God and the only way to God
Jesus again declared Himself to be God when He said “I am the gate.” He chose His words carefully. He used the same unique name, “I AM“, that God used to identify Himself to Moses (Exodus 3:14). This was no accident. Jesus identified Himself this way in each of His famous “I AM” statements contained in the book of John.
The Miracle
It’s important to know the setting in which Jesus described Himself to be the “gate” for the sheep. Jesus had just performed a miracle, the likes of which nobody had ever heard of before. He opened the eyes of a man who was born blind.
This should have been an occasion for great rejoicing for everyone around him, including the religious leaders who had authority over him. But, some Pharisees were upset because the healing took place on a Sabbath day. They said that Jesus had to be a sinner because He didn’t keep the rule of not working on the Sabbath. (They considered this healing to be a work.)
But there was a division among them. The others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” And the man who was healed told those who were questioning him, “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
The controversy
Jesus found the healed man afterwards and revealed Himself to be the Son of Man, a title used by the prophet Daniel to refer to Christ (Daniel 7:13). Jesus said that He came into the world for judgment, so that those who were blind to the truth would see it and those who claim to see it would become blind to it (John 9:39).
The Pharisees who were with the healed man were insulted by this statement of Jesus. They asked Him, “What? Are we blind too?” “Jesus said, ‘If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim to see, your guilt remains’ ” (John 9:40-41).
So, this dialogue led Jesus to contrast Himself with the rest of the religious leaders who were leading their flock down the wrong direction that only leads to destruction.
Jesus says He is the one gate you must enter to be saved
The earthly illustration
Jesus used an analogy that His hearers could readily grasp. Shepherding sheep was very common in the near east. Sheep will tend to stray off from the flock when left to their own instincts. This leaves them vulnerable to thieves and wild animals. Therefore, it was customary to have a shepherd in charge of a flock of sheep.
During the day, the shepherd would lead his flock to graze in good pastures and to drink their fill of water. He would also defend the sheep from bear or lion attacks and from thieves and robbers. The sheep would grow attached to their shepherd; they trusted and relied upon him; they knew his voice, and he often called them individually by name.
At the end of the day, the shepherd would lead his flock through a gate into a well-protected sheepfold. The sheepfold had a gatekeeper, who would only open the single gate for the shepherd and his sheep. The sheepfold was usually made of stones with briars attached to the top to discourage wild animals and thieves from sneaking in to do harm. It was a safe place for the sheep to spend the night, usually with other flocks too.
The next morning, the shepherd would enter the gate to the sheepfold and call his sheep out. Then they would only follow their own shepherd because they only recognized his voice when he called.
The spiritual significance
Jesus drew a comparison between Himself and the gate to the sheepfold. The sheepfold represents heaven. It’s a place of sanctuary, a place of safety and everlasting peace and protection. This place has a single point of entry, just as the sheepfold has a single gate. Jesus said, “I AM the gate”.
There are others who try to enter in by some other way, but Jesus called them a thief who comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Jesus was referring here to the Pharisees and religious leaders who were leading others in Israel to follow a religious system of works-righteousness, just as they were doing.
How the truth about Jesus is offensive to unbelievers
There may be no teaching of Jesus that is more intolerable to the unbelieving, pluralistic world than Jesus’ claims of being the only way to God. The world considers difference in religious beliefs to be unnecessarily divisive. It has sought to find and merge the religious principles that are common to all religions in hopes of unifying mankind.
They say, the problem with Christianity is its claim to exclusivity. But should we dismiss our religious differences for the goal of being inclusive? Christ calls Christians to follow Him by being separated from the world’s ways and encouraging others to do the same.
In a pluralistic country like ours, we need to make a distinction between being tolerant of other religious beliefs and believing each religion is equally valid. The Bible makes it clear. God saves us by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Our salvation is not based on our own merit, works, or inherent goodness.
This focus on undeserving grace goes against all of our pride. Men want some control and some credit for what happens to them. But God insists He will not give man any reason to boast in anything other than the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). We are acceptable to God by His merit, His works, and His righteousness. Nothing else will do!
Will you come into the sheepfold of God?
Some people may ask, “How can you believe in a God that only offers one way to Him?”. The answer should be, “I can’t believe He offers even one way!” But just think about it. We have committed cosmic treason to the creator and ruler of our soul when we disobey Him even once. He regards us as His enemies before we come to know and love Him from our heart. Why do we think we deserve anything other than eternal separation and punishment from Him?
Think about the extent to which God has gone to give us, his enemies, a way of escaping His wrath. If God sends His only Son into the world to bear every one of your sins and to kill Him in your place, will you charge Him with not being merciful enough? And if He says that if you put your faith in Him, He’s going to forgive every one of your sins and give you everlasting life, will you object to His grace?
We can be so arrogant that we think God should give us multiple ways to enter into His sheepfold. Then we reject Jesus’ own teaching that there’s a broad road that leads to destruction and many enter through it, but there’s a narrow way that leads to eternal life, and few enter into it (Matthew 7:13-14).
If you want to go into God’s sheepfold, you must come in through Jesus, who is the door to life itself, a life which is abundant. If you want to go in through some other way, you will miss that life. Follow Jesus, who says, “I am that door. Come through Me and that life will be yours.”
Come to the wellspring of life
Ask yourself two very important questions. First, are you sure that you’ll go to heaven when you die? Secondly, are you certain why God should let you into heaven? If you don’t know for sure, you can settle that matter today. Visit my post, How to Begin Your Life Over Again and you’ll know where and how you’ll spend eternity.
And for crystal clear YouTube presentations of the gospel message from several trusted sources, click here.