Wrestling With Doubt Finding Faith, Is Jesus The Only Way?

World Communion Sunday brings an uncomfortable question into the open: before asking whether Gandhi or other non-Christians get into heaven, Christians have to admit that they often question whether other Christians belong there either. The old joke about a group in heaven thinking they are the only ones there lands because Christian divisions can become very serious. Christian exclusivism, universalism, and inclusivism offer different ways of thinking about salvation, but those labels can also become ways to separate people.

Fences and wells give a clearer picture of the difference. Fences draw a hard line between in and out. Fences promise safety, but they can also let people assume they are safe simply because they are standing on the right side of the line. Fences invite people to test boundaries while avoiding the deeper responsibility of staying close to God.

Wells work differently. A well draws cattle because it gives life, yet cattle still have to know where the water is and how far they can wander before they cannot get back. Jesus looks much more like a well than a fence. Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at a well, even though religious and social rules said she was outside the fence. Jesus keeps drawing people to himself without forcing them into faith.

Paul’s life shows that change. Saul once enforced religious fences, even standing by as Stephen was killed. Christ opens Paul’s eyes, and Paul comes to see that God desires all people to be saved. Jonah also learns that Nineveh, the enemy city outside his fence, still belongs to God and still needs God’s word.

Judgment does not disappear in this picture. Obadiah warns that God sees human actions and holds people accountable. Jesus says that feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, and visiting the lonely are acts done to him. Faith in Christ brings salvation, but justice and mercy show what happens when grace has truly taken hold.

Isaiah 56 presses this point further by naming eunuchs, people treated as outside the social and religious fences of their day. God promises them an enduring name and a place in God’s house. Micah brings the whole matter down to earth: do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with God. Jesus remains the center, the well of grace, while judgment about who finally enters heaven belongs to God alone.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Fences can become spiritual shortcuts Fences make belonging feel simple because they sort people into categories. Fences can also hide pride, fear, and the desire to control who is acceptable. The call is not to erase truth, but to notice when certainty has become a way of judging people God still seeks. [06:12]
• 2. Jesus draws people like a well Jesus meets people at the places where exclusion has done its damage. Jesus does not deny sin or demand less of faith, but he refuses to let social boundaries have the final word. The well of grace remains open to those considered too different, too complicated, or too far outside. [09:03]
• 3. Grace calls forth justice and mercy Salvation cannot be earned through charitable actions, yet grace never leaves a life untouched. Jesus identifies himself with hungry, thirsty, lonely, and vulnerable people. Faith that receives Christ’s mercy begins to show that mercy in concrete acts of justice. [13:46]
• 4. God sees beyond human exclusion Isaiah’s promise to eunuchs reveals God’s concern for people denied status, family, and full belonging. Human communities often create fences around bodies, histories, identities, and social standing. God gives an enduring name where the world has tried to make a person invisible. [15:34]
• 5. Humility leaves judgment with God Heaven is not a prize for those most skilled at drawing the boundary lines. God alone knows the heart, judges rightly, and offers grace through Jesus Christ. Humility frees believers to invite others to the well rather than acting as gatekeepers at the fence.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:44] - Who Gets Into Heaven?
• [01:18] - Christian Division and Communion
• [03:09] - Three Views of Salvation
• [04:21] - Fences and Wells
• [06:36] - Jesus and Religious Fences
• [09:03] - Jesus Draws Outsiders In
• [10:16] - Paul’s Change from Fence to Well
• [11:22] - Jonah and the People of Nineveh
• [12:13] - Judgment and Accountability
• [13:46] - Faith That Responds in Mercy
• [15:09] - Isaiah’s Promise to the Excluded
• [17:02] - Inviting People to the Well
• [18:21] - Justice, Love, and Humility

1. In Matthew 25:35–36, what specific acts of care does Jesus connect with serving him? [13:46]
2. In Isaiah 56:4–5, what does God promise to people who had been treated as outside the community’s usual family and social structures? [15:34]
3. What contrast is made between a fence and a well, especially regarding belonging, responsibility, and access to life-giving water? [07:04]
4. According to Micah 6:8, what three practices does God require of God’s people? [18:30]

1. Jesus identifies himself with hungry, thirsty, and lonely people in Matthew 25. What does this suggest about how Christians should view people who are in need or easily overlooked? [13:46]
2. Isaiah’s promise gives an enduring name and place to people who were treated as outsiders. What does this reveal about God’s response to the labels and exclusions created by human communities? [16:38]
3. The fence image can make people feel secure simply because they believe they are “inside.” How can religious certainty become a way of avoiding a living, faithful relationship with God? [06:12]
4. Micah joins justice, faithful love, and humility together. Why is humility necessary when Christians are tempted to decide who belongs to God and who does not? [17:45]

1. Where is there a temptation to draw a fence around the people who seem acceptable, trustworthy, or “like us”? What fear, discomfort, or past experience may be behind that boundary? [08:37]
2. Think of someone who may feel unwelcome in church, in the community, or in a personal circle because of their history, identity, culture, or situation. What would it look like to offer that person a genuine invitation toward the well of Christ’s grace? [17:17]
3. Jesus calls his people to care for the hungry, thirsty, and lonely. What is one concrete need in the community that the group could notice more clearly and respond to with mercy this week? [14:51]
4. When have rules, traditions, or theological disagreements helped protect something important, and when have they become barriers that kept people at a distance? How can truth be held faithfully without using it to dismiss others? [06:42]
5. Is there a person or group that feels like “Nineveh”—difficult, undeserving, threatening, or too far outside the boundaries? What would it mean to pray for them and seek their good while leaving final judgment to God? [12:13]
6. Which part of Micah 6:8 is most needed right now: doing justice, embracing faithful love, or walking humbly with God? What is one small, practical step that could put that part into practice this week? [18:30]