Is Jesus the Only Way to Salvation? A Biblical Answer from Gethsemane

Could There Be Another Way to Salvation? What Gethsemane Reveals

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12 NIV

It can seem so elitist of Christians to claim that Jesus is the only way to salvation. Is it not arrogant for one religious group to claim that they are the only ones who have it right? Why would anyone even make that claim? What basis do Christians have to make such a bold claim?

I have faced this question more than once and have given it quite a bit of thought. The answer can be quite long depending on the approach. In this post, I will explore Matthew 26:32-46 and what it reveals about God’s plan of salvation.

The Plan of Salvation - oversimplified overview.

Genesis 1-2 - Creation of a perfect world. There is no death. (see my post, In the Beginning)

Genesis 3 - The Fall - Disobedience to God introduces fear, shame, suffering, pain, and death. (see my post Paradise Lost)

Genesis 3:15 - promise that the Seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent, but the serpent would crush the heel of the Seed of the woman. (see my post SomeOne is coming)

Genesis 3:21 - God made tunics of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. This verse indicates that the first sacrifice was made by God in order to cover the nakedness (shame) of Adam and Eve. God did not abandon them, but provided for them through a sacrifice that He made. The first death to ever take place on the earth is implied in this verse as taking place at the hands of God to cover Adam and Eve’s shame.

Genesis 4 - Cain brings an offering of the fruit of the ground to God, and Abel, his brother, brings God an offering of the firstborn of his flock. God accepted Abel’s offer but rejected Cain’s. The text in Genesis 4 is not clear why, but Hebrews 9:22 states that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. So this could be the reason for God’s rejection of Cain’s offering. In other words, the fruit of our labor is not enough for the forgiveness of our sins. A parallel could be drawn to how the fig leaves that Adam and Eve sewed together to make coverings for themselves were also insufficient to cover their nakedness. (see my post The Heart of the Worshiper)

Genesis 8:20 - Noah builds an altar to the LORD. This is the first explicit mention of an altar, though Genesis 3:21 and 4:3-5 imply its existence. It is also worth noting the mention of clean and unclean animals before Abraham, Moses, the Tabernacle, or the Levitical priests. Only clean animals were offered as sacrifices, and Lev. 11 and Deut. 14 also mention clean animals with regard to diet.

Genesis 12:1-3 - the call of Abraham and the promise that in him all the families of the earth would be blessed. (see my post Called by God)

Genesis 22 - Abraham tells his son, Isaac, that God would provide Himself the Lamb for the burnt offering. (See my post Akedah)

John 1:29 - John the Baptist proclaimed that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Revelation 23:8 - Mentions the Lamb’s book of life and refers to the Lamb as being slain from the creation of the world, indicating that the plan of salvation was not an afterthought.

Matthew 27:50-51 - When Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. This event signified that the old order of ceremonies and sacrifices in the sanctuary was over. Jesus sacrifice on the cross fulfilled the need for animal sacrifices.

Hebrews 4:14-16 - Jesus is our high priest, and we no longer need earthly priests to intercede for us. This supports the interpretation of the ripping of the veil in the temple as the end of the need for animal sacrifices and human priests. (see also 1 Timothy 2:5-6)

Hebrews 10:4 Paul clarifies that it was impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Based on this verse (with support from the entire book of Hebrews), I would argue that the sacrificial system and the sanctuary in the Old Testament worked only because they pointed to Jesus; they taught us about Jesus’ mission. If Jesus had not come and died for us, the sanctuary service and the sacrificial system, and all the laws, rituals, and guidelines of the Old Testament would not have saved anyone. In other words, everyone who is and ever will be saved will only be saved because of Jesus’ death on the cross, His resurrection, and His intercessory work as our High Priest.

Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (NIV)

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. '“No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (NKJV)

Salvation in Jesus alone is not a new and revolutionary teaching. There has never been, and there never will be, any other way for salvation. Salvation is found in Christ alone (no other name, no other religion, no other gods), by grace alone (not by works or obedience or religiosity), through faith alone (not by our efforts and actions). (Romans 6:23; John 3:16-18; Ephesians 2:8-9)

With these verses in mind, let us now consider the moments in Jesus’ life, just before He was taken to be crucified.

To the point of death

36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”
Matthew 26:36-38 NKJV

Jesus knew what was about to happen.

From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
—Matthew 16:21 NKJV

Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful.
—Matthew 17:22-23 NKJV

Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, 18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, 19 and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.”
—Matthew 20:17-19 NKJV

Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, 2 “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”
—Matthew 26:1-2 NKJV

For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
—Matthew 26:28 NKJV

Knowing what would happen did not make it easier to experience it. It seems to me that at this point, Jesus began to bear the weight of all the world’s sins upon Him.

who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
—1 Peter 2:24 NKJV

Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
—Isaiah 53:4-5 NKJV

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
—2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV

The Bible does not describe in detail how or when exactly Jesus bore our sins. We do not know if it was gradual or all at once, if it began now or only once He was hanging on the cross. So I want to be clear here that this next description is what I imagine it to be.

I imagine Jesus, for the first time ever, beginning to feel the weight of sin, to experience the fear, shame, and separation it brings. The worst sin you ever committed, the one you regret the most, is the one you wish you could go back and undo. The worst thing you ever did in your life, Jesus carried that guilt, that shame, that fear, that sense of separation. Maybe starting now, maybe as He was being nailed to the cross, maybe as He hung on the cross and felt forsaken by God (Matthew 27:46), Jesus bore your sin on the cross. Your sins were crushing Him and making Him feel like He was going to die. Your favorite sins, the ones that you don’t tell anyone about but you secretly enjoy. The sin you make excuses for, so you don’t have to repent and give it to God. Jesus died on the cross to set you free from it. Jesus died so that you might live. He felt the guilt of your sin, and out of love for you, He bore on the cross.

But Jesus was not being crucified yet. The soldiers had not arrived. So what did Jesus do? Knowing He was going to suffer and die, what did Jesus choose to do?

Jesus’ prayer

He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
—Matthew 26:39 NKJV

Knowing things were about to get tougher, much tougher, more difficult than any human could ever imagine, Jesus decides to pray. Jesus is honest and vulnerable in His prayer. Jesus knew the plan of salvation. He knew He had to die to save humanity, in order to save you and me. Yet, at this moment, He wondered if there could be a way that did not involve Him dying for our sins.

Maybe He could be just a moral teacher, a wise rabi, a great sage who imparted wisdom to humanity and told us how to live our lives. Maybe Jesus would do more good if he spent the next 50 years traveling the world and teaching everyone how to live good lives, to be kind and loving.

Maybe Jesus could begin a revolution, overthrow the Romans, and establish a Christian nation with laws requiring people to worship Him. He could slowly declare war on other countries, promoting freedom and Christian values, and, with a powerful enough army, establish a world government based on Christian values.

Maybe He had already done enough. He could go back to heaven now and leave humans to continue to find salvation through obedience to the law in sacrifices. After all, how did all the people who died before Jesus came gain salvation? If all the Old Testament saints were up in heaven having a great time in Abraham’s bosom, couldn’t they just keep doing that?

What I hope to make clear here is that if there were any way of salvation apart from Jesus dying for our sins, this would be a great time for God to make that known. If there were another world religion that offered a viable path to eternal salvation, now would be a good time to mention it.

Jesus clearly did not want to die. If it were possible, Jesus would rather not have to go through with this plan. Yet Jesus does not give up. Jesus does not abandon us to suffer and die for our sins. Jesus asks if there is any other possible way, but He submits to the will of the Father. Jesus recognizes that in His weakness, in His humanity, He might not always want what is best, so He submits His will to the Father.

Personally, I believe that if Jesus had decided to give up, take up His divinity, and walk away from the whole thing, no one would have stopped Him. For the plan to work, He needed to humble Himself and be obedient to the plan of salvation to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:8) Jesus did not want to die, but was willing if it was the Father’s will, trusting that the Father’s plan was the best possible plan.

It is easy to focus on Jesus’ suffering while disregarding the Father’s suffering. Have you ever had to watch someone you love suffer? Have you ever wished you could end their suffering, or suffer in their place to spare them the agony they’re experiencing? Imagine the Father, watching Jesus suffer, knowing it will only get worse, having the power to end it all, but knowing that if He delivers Jesus now, we would be lost forever. Imagine the suffering the Father experienced hearing Jesus’ prayer, knowing Jesus was being overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, and knowing that Jesus would regret not doing this if He were allowed to back out now.

Not even one hour?

Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?
—Matthew 26:40 NKJV

Jesus spent an hour in prayer and felt alone. His closest disciples and friends could hang for an hour. Imagine Jesus, the Father, is not showing signs of changing the plan; there seems to be no plan “B.” But if the plan is not going to change, why spend an hour in prayer? Will more prayers or longer prayers convince the Father to change the plan of salvation? Is the goal of the prayer to move the arm of Omnipotence against His will?

Watch and Pray

“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
—Matthew 26:41 NKJV

Jesus’ motivation for watching and praying, rather than resting and sleeping, is to avoid falling into temptation. The goal was not to get God to do what Jesus was asking, but to have God’s will done on earth. You might be willing to pray for one hour to get what you want, but are you willing to pray for God’s will to be done in your life?
How much time do you dedicate to prayer in order not to fall into temptation?
How much effort do we dedicate to prayer because the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak?

You would think Jesus is done praying after spending an hour in prayer, but Jesus is not yet done.

42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.

44 So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
—Matthew 26:42-44 NKJV

Jesus prayed three times, asking if it was possible for Him not to have to die on the cross for our sins, and each time He submitted to the will of the Father. Jesus never demanded that His own will be done. Jesus is our perfect example, and if Jesus was willing to submit to the will of the Father when He was facing incredible suffering and certain death, what is our excuse for shying away from God’s will for our lives? Jesus honestly wanted not to die unless it was absolutely necessary. If there were any other way to save humanity, Jesus would not have died on that cross. But because there was no other way, Jesus suffered and died for our sins.

Today, we understand that it was for the best. We celebrate Jesus’ death on the cross because to us it is life.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
—1 Peter 2:24 ESV

But at that time, Jesus did not feel like dying. He would not have spent hours praying three times, repeating similar words.

The answer to Jesus’ prayer was not that He would not have to die, but that God would provide Him with the strength not to fall into temptation. The answer to Jesus’ prayer was not that the cup passed from Him without Him drinking it, but that He was able to drink it. We have the assurance of salvation in Jesus today because He was willing to submit to the Father’s will when He did not want to. We have salvation today because Jesus was willing to receive a “no” to a desperate prayer and not to walk away from God’s plan.

Practical Application

Today, salvation can be yours in Jesus Christ. (Galatians 2:16; Romans 3:28; 5:1; Philippians 3:9; Ephesians 2:8-9) You just have to believe in Jesus, that He is God, that He loves you, that He died for you and rose again on the third day, and that one day He will come again! (Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4,20-22; John 14:1-6)

Today is a great opportunity for you to give your heart to Jesus. Invite Him in, and He will save you, forgive your sins, and transform your life.

For those reading this who have already given your lives to Jesus, I challenge you to follow Jesus’ example of dedicating time to prayer. Not only because we want and need things from God, but also because we want His will done in our lives, and we need His power to do that. As Jesus said, we must recognize that the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Imagine the blessing we can be in the lives of those around us as we surrender more fully to God’s will for our lives.