The One Way of Salvation

April 22, 2018 –– 4th Sunday of Easter

Acts 4:8–12 / from Psalm 118 / 1 John 3:1–2 / John 10:11–18

The One Way of Salvation

Peter was bold, even confrontational, in his proclamation that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. That message has often brought a negative reaction. The Early Church Fathers understood this, and even added to it when they wrote: No one can call God “Father” apart from having the Church as “Mother.”

There are two fundamental questions: 1) Is Jesus the only Savior? and, 2) Is conscious knowledge of Christ necessary for salvation?

Universalism (or pluralism) wants to say that there are many paths to God, and Jesus is only one of them. If there are many paths to God, it follows that people do not have to believe in Christ to be saved. This is the popular opinion that gets big press in contemporary expression. This opinion is also at odds with Christian Faith and what the Church believes and teaches.

At the other end of the spectrum from universalism is exclusivism. It answers both questions with a ‘Yes.' The exclusivist believes that Jesus alone has done what is necessary to save sinners, and second, that explicit knowledge of and faith in Christ is necessary for anyone to be saved. Some extreme Protestants push this narrow application.

In the middle––and reflecting the teaching of the Church––is what might be called inclusivism. This answers the first question, ‘Yes,' and the second question, ‘No.' Only Jesus Christ has accomplished what is necessary to make salvation possible, but it is “possible” for people to be saved by responding whole-heartedly to God's revelation in creation and perhaps through the partial truths that exist in other religions. So, even though Christ is the only Savior, it is “possible” (but not simple) for people to be saved apart from explicit knowledge of and faith in Jesus.

The first part of this truth is not negotiable for true Christian Faith. This is what Peter proclaimed in his sermon: There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved. This is in continuity with Jesus saying, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:9). In modern ears this sounds bigoted and hateful. Some will not accept that Jesus said such a thing, but the only Jesus we have is the Jesus that comes to us through the witness of Scripture. The witness of Scripture does not allow us to pick and choose according to what suits our individual taste and comfort, and Jesus did say some hard and exclusive things.

This is why faithful Christian witness is so crucial. People need to know who Jesus is and what God has done in the death and resurrection of his Son. The Church needs faithful preachers. Parishes need faithful teachers. But beyond the roles that are rooted so visibly in the Church, every person who owns the name of Christ needs to be showing (and when possible, telling) the wonder of belonging to God through Jesus Christ. At the core of who we are is the thrust of evangelization: God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life (John 3:16).

The objecting question always comes: What about all the people who have never heard of Jesus?  In our shrinking world we are quite aware of millions who have not heard the name of Jesus. What about people whose understanding of Jesus is totally skewed because of distorted teachings and horrible examples?

This does not change what God has done and what he offers and intends. John followed the famous “3:16” verse saying, For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Today’s Gospel extends this when Jesus says he is the (not “a”) Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. God is love.

God has made salvation possible in one way––through Jesus Christ. Peter said it so plainly: There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved. So, how can anyone be saved by Jesus without an explicit encounter with Jesus?

This is one subject where the reflection and insight and authority of the Church is so helpful. Study what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says in #841. Read the Second Vatican document Lumen Gentium (#14). But to give some idea here of what the Church has said, Pope Pius XII projected that people outside the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church can be “related to the Mystical Body of the Redeemer by a certain unconscious yearning and desire.” It is “possible” to find the grace of God outside a conscious encounter with Christ and his Church. In the case of one who is ignorant of the truth of Catholic Faith, “through no fault of [his] own,” he can be saved, if he is truly “invincibly ignorant, [is] given the supernatural virtue of faith and [has] perfect charity in [his heart]” (cf. Instruction of Holy Office of Dec. 20, 1949). Yet this is no reason for presumption.

We must remember that we are not the judges of salvation. We do not know who is truly “invincibly ignorant” and who is not. Only God can know if a person has “perfect charity of heart.” God is the sole and final––and merciful––judge. But for any measure of assurance, we need to embrace the graces that come through Jesus and his Church. This means evangelization is crucially important. Each of us needs to embrace and proclaim the message of the Church––the message that Peter proclaimed at the very beginning: There is no salvation through anyone else…. no other name by which we are to be saved.

We leave the judging to God; we need to be clear about that. At the same time, we also hold onto the truth that salvation is only in Jesus Christ. There are two huge things at stake here: 1) Each one of us must embrace Jesus and all that means; this is our own salvation. 2) Each of us should consider what it means to be a faithful witness; another person’s salvation may depend on it.

Knowing Jesus as the only way is our hope. Showing Jesus as the only way is our message.