No Other Way

Was Jesus Christ truly the only way?  Wasn’t there some back-up plan in case it didn’t work out? I had never considered this question directly until I came across Brad Wilcox’s story. “Several years ago I discussed this topic with a group of [religion] teachers [at BYU], and I noted that they were strongly of the opinion that if Jesus had failed, there would have been another way to accomplish salvation.  They acknowledged that any other way probably would have been harder without Jesus, but, they said, man could have eventually saved himself without Jesus if Jesus had failed. Thus...these teachers were saying, in effect, that Jesus Christ was a convenience but not an ultimate necessity” (As quoted in The Continuous Atonement, 95).

He continues, “Brother Matthews said he protested their conclusions but could not think of an immediate scriptural rebuttal.  Later, he said he would have drawn the following to their attention: ‘We find that Moses 6:52 is the earliest known reference stating that there is no other name other than Jesus Christ by which salvation is obtained...The Lord tells Adam that he must ‘be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son,...which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men’ (italics added)...

“‘Then [we have] 2 Nephi 31:21: ‘there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God’ (italics added).

“‘But the very clearest expression of this concept is given by King Benjamin, quoting the words of an angel from heaven: ‘There shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ’ (Mosiah 3:17; italics added)...

“The value of these passages is that they were spoken before the Atonement had taken place.  This gives them an additional force and focus that they might not have if they had been spoken afterwards” ( As quoted in The Infinite Atonement, 330).

We must understand that truly there is no other way.  Christ IS the way back to the Father and the way to become like God. Heavenly Father didn’t set us up for failure by carefully creating the detailed circumstances of the Fall and then walking away.  His plan includes a way to accomplish His plan. Jesus Christ is the way.

Next Section HERE

Previous Section HERE