John 14:6-7 NIV:
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
Many Christians filled with the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control - find themselves wishing a thousand times over that Jesus had not said "No one comes to the father except through me." They sheepishly and secretly conjure up a thug telling a coerced shopkeeper "no one does business on this block except I agree." The statement of Jesus sounds like an all too human power play. All we have to remember is that Jesus died on the cross rather than amass a militia to enforce his view. His Kingdom is of the willing heart and requires repentance and voluntary assent. Jesus' power is redemptive, not coercive. This understanding is requisite for the articulation of Divine exclusivity with felicitous tonal concordance.
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