Nowadays, there is a trend out there that teaches "all paths lead to God". Basically, it means that regardless of what religious system (Buddhism, Christianity, Muslim, New Age, etc) one adopts or even those who are against religions (atheists) will end up being with God ultimately. There are also others who believe in the false teaching of "All is God" thus all paths lead to God.

First, let's look at if such a belief makes sense. If an investment agent shows you all the investment plans and their return rates and told you that if you buy the retirement plan from him, he will allow you to invest your money any way you like (even if you choose not to invest and burry your money in the backyard), he will guarantee you the best return rate. Would you trust this investment agent? I guess not. It just sounds too good to be true. So why would anyone believe that all paths lead to God? When it involves your life-long saving, one is less likely to take the risk. However, if it is a belief then it's different. After all a belief is a hope. If it does not cost one anything, so why not give it a try?

Secondly, let's look at why we need a path to reach God. Obviously, men are separated from God so that we need a path to reach Him. The Bible told us when Adam and Eve were created,they were with God. Because Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruits, they hid themselves from the presence of God (Genesis 3:8) and were eventually expelled from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24). Ever since men sinned, God has been showing us the path that we can return to Him (or the path that leads to Him).

• Right after Adam and Eve sinned, God killed an animal and covered their body with its skin (Genesis 3:21). If we note that Adam and Eve already sewed fig leaves to cover themselves (Genesis 3:7), so why was the killing of the animal necessary? It was needed because the Bible teaches there is no remission of sin without shedding of blood (Hebrew 9:22). The animal died in place of Adam and Eve.

• This was once again reflected in the story of Cain and Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep and Cain was a tiller of the ground (Genesis 4:3). Abel offered firstborn of his flock as sacrifice and Cain offered fruit of the ground to the Lord. The Bible says that God respected Abel's offering but not Cain's offering (Genesis 4:4-5). Why? Because Abel offered blood sacrifice and Cain did not.

• Another illustration was the sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham (Genesis 22:1-9). God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his only son Isaac. However, this is also a foreshadow of God sacrificing His only Son, Jesus Christ, for our sin (John 3:16).

• Yet another example is Passover, the tenth plaque which led the Pharaoh to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt. The Israelites were to kill a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, and put the blood on the doorposts and the lintel of the house (Exodus 12:5-7). God then executed judgment on the land of Egypt by striking down all the firstborns (Exodus 12:12). The blood was a sign of salvation and the Israelites were spared (Exodus 12:13). Salvation through the blood of Lamb is also a foreshadow of Christ's cr

• Eventually, the Sacrificial Laws would be recorded by Moses in the Book of Leviticus for the remission of sin.

• All the above pointed to what Christ would become our lamb or sacrificed and died on the cross for yours and my sin (Matthew 27:27-56, Mark 15:16-41, Luke 23:26-49, and John 19:17-30).

Some people may be turned off by this and wonder why God is so 'blood thirsty'. God is not 'blood thirsty', but instead, He is the infinitely pure and holy God who does not have anything to do with sin. Thus in order for us to have a relationship with Him or have a path that leads to Him, we must have remission of sin through blood sacrifices. Before we say that God is mean and wanted blood for remission of sin, we have to know that Sacrificial Laws are only a shadow of Christ (Galatians 3:22-26), and only the sacrifice of God's only begotten Son is acceptable to Him. Hebrews 10:8-10 tell us, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the law), then He (Jesus) said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first (animal sacrifice) that He may establish the second (sacrifice of Himself). By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Some people may not like this, and ask, "if I am good enough then Christ did not have to die for me. Thus I don't need Christ's salvation". The question with this thinking is that we have to know this is a path that leads us to God, and not a path that leads God to us. The person who decides what is acceptable is God, and not us. (Some may think that they have "internal knowing" or "self-knowledge" from God so that they know what God wants, but we'll address this issue separately).

• God says in Isaiah 64:6, that our most righteous act is like a filthy rag to Him. Therefore, we can never be good enough for Him apart from Christ's salvation.

• Besides, if we break one of His laws, we have broken all of His laws (James 2:10), and no one can keep all His laws.

Thus, there is only one path that leads to God and that's through the blood of Christ, Jesus.

• Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me".

• The Holy Spirit also spoke through Luke in Acts 4:10-12, "let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Some may still not like the idea there is only one path. They may say, "If God is loving, why did He only devise one path to salvation? If He is truly loving, He should devise only one path to Hell, and all the rest of the paths to salvation!"

May I suggest that God did have all paths leading to Him except one. Back in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve could eat off ALL trees (all paths led to God) except one (one that did not lead to Him), the Tree of Knowledge (Genesis 2:16, 17). What did Adam and Eve do? They picked the only path that did not lead to God. The bottom line is, it does not matter how many paths leading to God, apart from the grace of God, man will always pick the forbidden path. From this, one can see that there are only two paths or two religious systems, one that is relied on ourselves of being good enough (despite the fact that God says it's not good enough for Him), and the other one, which is accepting what Christ had done for us on the cross.

The Teaching of All Paths Lead to God is definitely that of Satan. Satan does not want anyone to have a relationship with (or a path to) God. However, he knows that if he teaches there is no path to God, people will not believe. If Satan teaches All Paths Lead to God, then he can mislead majority of the people into thinking that they can reach God by doing whatever they like. This is the most deceptive teaching, contrary to what Jesus taught. Jesus said in Matthew 7:13 and 14, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."