03 If All Religions Lead to God, Why Did Jesus Have to Die?

Today's passage is one of the "See For Yourself" passages Chapter 3 of Start Strong: A New Believer’s Guide to Christianity.

If all religions lead to God, why did Jesus have to die? This episode walks through John 3:14–21 to show why the cross is not one option among many, but God’s gracious and necessary provision for a guilty world. Through Jesus’ nighttime conversation with Nicodemus and the Old Testament story of the bronze serpent, we see why believing in Jesus is the only way to escape condemnation and receive eternal life.

In this week’s episode, we explore:

• The tension many Christians feel between “all religions are valid” and “Jesus is the only way” and why both cannot be true
• How Jesus challenges Nicodemus’ assumptions about religion, knowledge, and spiritual rebirth
• The wilderness story of the bronze serpent in Numbers 21 and how it prepares us to understand the cross
• What it means for the Son of Man to be “lifted up,” and why simply looking to Christ in faith is God’s appointed way of rescue
• How John 3:16–17 reveals God’s heart: not to condemn the world, but to save it through His Son

After listening, you’ll come away with a clearer grasp of why the cross was necessary, why belief in Jesus matters so profoundly, and how your response to Him reveals the true condition of your heart.

Series: Start Strong: A New Believer’s Podcast

Start Strong: A New Believer’s Guide to Christianity is available now wherever books are sold.

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