Maybe you’ve heard something similar from a friend or at school. If you haven’t, you will.

There are several issues to address here, so let’s take them one at a time. First, is Jesus really the only way? Let’s see what He had to say about it: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Note the key word: the. Not a. The way. The truth. The life. And no one can come to God except through Jesus. Sounds pretty definitive to me.

And if you believe something else, no matter how sincerely, you’re still believing the wrong thing. I can sincerely believe that I can fly, but if I jump off a tall building, guess what’s going to happen.

The Wrong Question
But what if a person lives his entire life and never hears of Jesus? Does he deserve to go to hell for something that’s not his fault?

That’s a tough question, but in a way it’s the wrong question.

No one goes to hell unfairly. We’ve all been given enough knowledge to understand that we’re answerable to Someone larger than ourselves (Romans 1). But if we’re really honest with ourselves, we know that we haven’t always done the right thing.

Romans 2:14-15 says that God has written His law on our hearts. Honestly examine your heart and see if this Scripture doesn’t describe you at least once in your life.

And to sin just once is enough to make you a sinner needing God’s forgiveness. “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

The Good News
As for good people like Gandhi, all I can say is, I don’t know. Jesus tells us not to attempt to judge others’ eternal destiny (Matthew 7:1-5). Sure, Gandhi did some good things, but our few good deeds, when compared to God’s holy righteousness, are compared to “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). And God knows Gandhi’s heart and secret thoughts and deeds. I don’t. We have the assurance, though, that God is absolutely fair and just (Deuteronomy 32:4 and Revelation 15:3). He always judges correctly.

And here’s more good news. You have heard about Jesus, and you can tell your friends about Him, too. And He offers the free gift of salvation to anyone who trusts His work on the Cross to pay for her sins.

So to answer the question, I’d say, “It’s not arrogant to say that I’m helpless to save myself. Quite the opposite. I need Someone Else to save me. And guess what: That same salvation is available to you. What do you think about that?”