ianwhammond:

The belief that Christ is the only way to heaven is the most divisive and despised doctrine in all of Christianity.  For unbelievers it is arrogance, it is bigotry, it is hate— a doctrine that will not be accepted.  Yet for Christians, it is a crucial and cherished doctrine— one that will not be surrendered.

            So why do Christians cling to this doctrine so strongly?  One obvious answer is that Christians recognize that the Bible clearly teaches this truth.  For example, in more than one Gospel-account Christ is recorded making claims such as, “ … no one comes to the Father except through me” or “ … unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins,” or “ … he who does not believe has been judged already.”  The statements abound.

            But instead of merely pointing you to a verse— and thus succinctly, though sufficiently, answering your question— what I want to do is take you a step further and answer the question beyond the question.  Not merely why do Christians believe that salvation is in Christ alone, but rather why does the Bible teach it to be so.

            So, since Christians believe that the Scriptures are the inspired word of God and, therefore, the perfect guide for spiritual truth, they also believe the doctrines within the Scriptures are likewise perfect.  

            In what ways are these doctrines perfect? Well, one way that they are perfect is in unity— meaning they do not contradict one another.  Every doctrine in the Scripture fits together and flows harmoniously all throughout.  If they were to contradict, then they would not be perfect— for if two doctrines had conflicting points then one would necessarily be untrue.

            For example, if I make the statement, “The single best show on television was, is, and always will be The Colbert Report,” and at another time I make the statement, “The Daily Show is the best show on Comedy Central,” I would have to be wrong at one point.  Those claims cannot both be true for they contradict each other.  If The Colbert Report is the best show on television and it comes on Comedy Central, it would, therefore, have to be the best show on Comedy Central.  The Colbert Report cannot be the best show on all of television and simultaneously be not the best show on its own station.

            So, the doctrines of the Bible are perfect in that they fit together perfectly.  They are like a puzzle.  They fit together in a particular way to form a picture and the picture they form is God’s plan of redemption— the one in which Christ is exclusively the corner piece.

            So why is Christ alone the corner piece? The other pieces demand it.  Imagine you have a puzzle that is completely finished with the exception one piece.  You could try to fit other shaped pieces in there but they will not fit; you could try constructing your own piece and thus distort the picture, but ultimately you have to have the exact piece to fit perfectly and finish the picture perfectly.  That is how Christianity is with Christ.  He is the only one that can meet the demands of the other pieces of this divine puzzle.

Read More

(Source: brain-food, via tiedyeskin)

iusedtocallmecobbs:

is that all my 1990s Civilization/Roller Coaster Tycoon/Age of Empires PC discs are obsolete. how many passionate evenings of my youth were spent as a virtual diplomat or an umbrella salesman or a campaign advisor? there must be a way to remedy this. there must.

(Source: staypozitive)

veggielezzyfemmie:

Stephen Colbert in tights, preforming ballet.

You are welcome, Internet.

(Source: weheartit.com, via createyourfantasy)

awonderlandwar:

untitled by Sofía Retta on Flickr.

(Source: trackisalifestyle)

(Source: j4ckii3)