The Greek word apologia means "to give a reasoned defense for what you believe to be true." It is used 19 times in the new Testament. 1 Peter 3:15 (Amplified) is one such instance.

"But in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense (apologia) to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully"

We, as followers of Christ, are mandated to defend our faith in every area. This section is dedicated to answering the questions of many as to the authenticity of our faith as Christians. Though it will not give detailed answers, it will attempt to convey some core truths about Christianity.

Do all roads lead to Heaven, Do all religions lead to the same God.

How many times have we heard this phase in one form or another as we conform to society’s mandate of “religious freedom and tolerance” amongst our friends and co-workers, our nation, and throughout the world – all roads lead to Heaven; all religions lead to the same God. We can all take different routes and we will end up in the same place if we sincerely believe in “God” (or not) however we have defined him, try live a “good” life, and try not to hurt anyone.

For us to believe and declare such a thing, it must mean we have studied the belief systems of all religions and found that it is indeed so. But if we were to truly study even a few of the major world religions, we would find out that they are each very different fundamentally, one from another. Let’s take a look at the 4 major religions of the world; Hinduism; Islam, Buddhism, and Christianity, and try to summarize what they believe on a few major points.

A personal God: Classical Buddhism is considered atheistic in that they do not express a belief in any ultimate being at all. However there are other streams of Buddhism. Hinduism has many schools of beliefs with the major one being a polytheistic belief in many Gods, recognizing as many as 330 million lesser gods with an absolute goal of blending into what is termed “Brahman”. Brahman is not a being but is the nature of truth, knowledge, and infinity. It is formless, unknowable and abstract. In direct contrast, the Bible teaches that God is a personal deity, who created us in His own image and likeness, loves us, and wants to have a personal relationship with each and every one of us.

Salvation: Buddhists do not believe in salvation as such as they believe in a pure state of being called “Nirvana” which comes by self-effort alone. They do not believe in personal sin so there is no need for a Savior or salvation. Hindus believe you achieve salvation by devotion, works and self-control and it can take millions of lifetimes (rebirths) to achieve this. Islam teaches that paradise is gained through good works and obedience to the Qur'an. In stark contrast, the Bible teaches that it is appointed once for man to die and then the judgment; that all men have sinned in the eyes of a pure and holy God; and that man’s sin has eternal and infinite consequences. Man cannot atone for his sins through good works so great are they. It is only through the love and mercy of God, by faith in Jesus Christ who died paying the price for our sins, can we gain salvation.

Jesus Christ: Buddhists believe Jesus was a good teacher, but less important than Buddha. Hindus believe Jesus was just one of many incarnations, or sons of God. Some Hindus believe he is the 10th incarnation of Vishnu. They consider him to be just one of the many Gods of Hinduism and they do not believe he died for man's sins. Muslims will tell you that Jesus Christ was only a man, a prophet equal to Adam, Noah or Abraham, all of whom are below Muhammad in importance.

As you can see, all religions do not believe the same truths (even in the very few under discussion) and they do not point to the same God. All roads do not lead to Heaven. Every religion is exclusive in the God they have defined and what they believe to be truth. Truth by definition however is absolute. It is not relative. According to the law of non-contradiction, there cannot be two truths about the same person or matter, at the same time and in the same sense. For example Christ cannot be both God as Christianity believes and not God as Judaism and Islam believe, at the same time and in the same respect. It is impossible for both ideas to be correct. One of these ideas must be the truth or neither, but both cannot be true.

Since every religion believes in a different truth and all cannot be right according to the law of non-contradiction, we have an obligation to seek the truth. Truth is not a matter of opinion or choice. It is absolute and it is a matter of life and death for each one of us. We cannot afford to go on believing what we believe as a matter of pure pride, to maintain the traditions of men, or to safeguard the emotions of loved ones and maintain cultural boundaries. Believing something is true does not make it true. It will not change the end result of your life. The Bible says. ”It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). The fact is we are sinners in need of forgiveness, restoration, and eternal life in Heaven. Taking any road, hoping it will bring you to this place is a terrible gamble. Do you want to leave this up to chance?

One person stated it this way and I will paraphrase a bit… What if you had a deadly disease and 300 doctors were each telling you he had a different cure? Then you found out that all these doctors contradicted each other. I doubt you’d say, “They probably all lead to the same cure” and randomly choose one; hoping things will all work out. Instead, you’d most likely interview each doctor, spend hours online and get as much information as possible, and speak with others who have been cured by that doctor of the same disease you have, before you made a decision. Your life would depend on it. Guess what. Your life does depend on it—your eternal life, that is. You do have a deadly disease called sin, and one day you are going to die. You have many contradictory options available to trust for eternal life.

Who are you going to trust knowing your eternal destiny depends on it? Would you not rather seek after truth for yourself and ensure you have truth before settling into a belief system, inherited or otherwise? Or will you continue to gamble with your eternal life? All roads do not lead to Heaven. All but one, however, do lead to Hell. Jesus Christ said "Broad is the way that leadeth to destruction ... narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:13,14). Only one road leads to Heaven. Jesus Christ said "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me" (John 14:6).

Many times I have witnessed to loved ones about the “only Way” and the response was "Are you saying if I don’t believe in Jesus Christ I am actually going to go to hell?” I could feel the animosity and resentment. I could almost hear the words “Do you think you know better than anyone else? Who are you to tell me my way is wrong? Who are you to claim that only Christianity has the truth?” “How dare you?” But I do dare. Having found the absolute truth, I simply cannot stay silent and watch those I love continue on the wrong road. Not even respect, tolerance, estrangement, the treat of anger, rebuke, persecution, or even death could keep me silent. This has nothing at all to do with arrogance and pride but rides high above these evil emotions; It has everything to do with love, truth, and desperation. I do not and cannot in any way think I am better than someone else or know more. The opposite has never been clearer to me now that I know truth. For I now know the full extent of my filthiness and ignorance, and everyone else’s in the light of God’s truth, and how much in need of God’s forgiveness and gift of Salvation we all are.

Yes I dare…..because I love everyone too much. I dare because I am desperate to see my family, my friends, and every last person on earth saved from the burning fires of hell. I am as much a sinner as everyone else, but I have found the cure for sin and death through the mercy of God My Savior. His name is Jesus Christ. "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12) Should I not share Him with others who have the same disease and are destined to die and spend eternity in hell without Him. If you knew the cure for cancer and you knew someone with cancer, would you not share it?...and how much more crucial is eternal life….

One who has truly found truth cannot stand idly by and watch the majority of the human race believing a lie, knowing they would end up in hell. Where does tolerance stand in this? Where does respecting someone else’s belief end and loving them begin? Some say to me, “Can you really know for sure”. My answer is yes you can for there is only One who holds all truth and when He reveals this to you should you ask, you will know as well.

Can you accept the fact that you are a sinner and that you cannot choose your own way believing it leads you to Heaven? The Bible says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6). Can you relinquish all pride in your own desires, wisdom, knowledge, and understanding and put your whole trust in someone else’s hands as your only hope of salvation. He said, "He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24).

Many belief systems and religions do not lead to Heaven and the one true God, but they were birthed out of the pride and rebellion of man who exchanged God’s truth for a lie.“Although they (our forefathers) knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator.” (Romans 1:21-25). If we sincerely seek the Lord, asking Him to show us truth, He will. Christianity is not a religion, or a blind belief, but a personal relationship with a living, loving God. It is not a gamble, but a revealed truth you will experience as you surrender your life to Jesus Christ and He comes to live in you.

Do you want to gamble your eternal soul on the road you have chosen or will you seek the truth? Jesus Christ said, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”(Jeremiah 29:13). The faith of your eternal soul depends on it.