An honest question
What about other religions? Is Jesus the only way?
Key points
- Short answer: Christians believe Jesus is the way to God. He said so himself: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
- What Jesus did: Jesus said “I am the way” at a dinner table, the night before he died, to friends who were frightened.
- The Lutheran view: Lutherans point to where God has promised to be found, in Jesus, and are cautious about saying more than God has said.
The short answer
Christians believe Jesus is the way to God. He said so himself: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
Lutherans also say that deciding who is finally saved is God’s work, not ours, and that God’s mercy is wider than our judgments.
What Jesus said and did
Jesus said “I am the way” at a dinner table, the night before he died, to friends who were frightened. He had just told them, “Don’t let your heart be troubled.” It was a promise to hold on to: you won’t get lost, because I am the way. It was not said as a weapon against anyone.
Jesus kept noticing faith in outsiders, and saying so out loud. He praised the faith of a Roman officer above anyone’s in Israel. Of ten men he healed, the only one who came back to thank him was a Samaritan, a foreigner. When he wanted to show what loving your neighbour looks like, the hero of his story was a Samaritan too. He also said he had “other sheep, which are not of this fold.”
A little longer
So Christians hold two things together. They believe Jesus is God’s one great rescue, for everyone. And they are told to treat people of other faiths as neighbors. Love them, learn from them and work alongside them. Speak about Jesus “with humility,” when asked.
If you grew up in another religion, or none, you don’t have to decide anything about it to read the Gospels. You can simply meet Jesus there and see what you make of him.
- The ELCA’s Declaration of Inter-Religious Commitment The church’s own words, on elca.org.
Where Christians disagree
Christians disagree about people who never truly heard about Jesus. Some believe only those who consciously trust Jesus in this life are saved. Many believe Christ can save people who never knew his name. A few hope that in the end God will save everyone. All agree that whoever is saved is saved by Christ, and that judging is God’s work.
How Lutherans see it
Lutherans point to where God has promised to be found, in Jesus, and are cautious about saying more than God has said. In 2019 the ELCA adopted A Declaration of Inter-Religious Commitment. It promises friendship, honest conversation and shared work with people of other religions, while still telling people about Christ. In 1994 the ELCA formally rejected Luther’s writings against Jewish people and committed itself to friendship with the Jewish community.
Where it is in the Bible
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John 14:1–6 Said to frightened friends: do not be troubled, I am the way.
Read John 14:1–6
1 “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also. 4 You know where I go, and you know the way.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
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Matthew 8:5–13 Jesus praises the faith of a Roman officer.
Read Matthew 8:5–13
5 When he came into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking him, 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant lies in the house paralyzed, grievously tormented.” 7 Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 The centurion answered, “Lord, I’m not worthy for you to come under my roof. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I am also a man under authority, having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and tell another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and tell my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to those who followed, “Most certainly I tell you, I haven’t found so great a faith, not even in Israel. 11 I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven, 12 but the children of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way. Let it be done for you as you have believed.” His servant was healed in that hour.
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
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Luke 17:11–19 Only the foreigner comes back to give thanks.
Read Luke 17:11–19
11 As he was on his way to Jerusalem, he was passing along the borders of Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered into a certain village, ten men who were lepers met him, who stood at a distance. 13 They lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” As they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. 16 He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus answered, “Weren’t the ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there none found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Get up, and go your way. Your faith has healed you.”
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
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John 10:14–16 “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold.”
Read John 10:14–16
14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own; 15 even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd.
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
What do these words mean?
| The word | It means |
|---|---|
| Faith | Trust in God. Lutherans say it is a gift God gives, not something you work up. |
| Samaritan | Someone from Samaria, a region many Jews of Jesus’ time looked down on. |
| Gospel | One of the four books about Jesus’ life: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It also means “good news.” |
Tap a word for more. All 228 church words: the glossary, A to Z
Where to go next
Other questions people ask
Written by Digital Lutheran Church, a small, free website from the nonprofit Hope for Americans, in the tradition of the ELCA. Bible passages are from the World English Bible.