All  Paths  Save  One

All Paths Save One (400 pp) is both didactic and historical in its approach to presenting biblical truths with cultural explanations interwoven where helpful.  Many topics are addressed onion-peel style, introduction in one chapter and increased depth in following chapters.  The Introduction briefly presents the author’s testimony and addresses inspired writing, prophecy, and the biblical meaning of church (ekklesia and autos).  Chapter One addresses how, by whom, and over what period the books of the bible were written.  It reveals why God called men to write His Word:  “and it shall be in the latter days for a testimony for ever.”  It proves from the Douay-Challoner text that individual writings were well circulated among early churches and that the ecclesiastical canon was established by 266 A.D., prior to assembly of the New Testament (circa 397).  Old Testament apocrypha are discussed, along with the production, distribution, recall, correction, and redistribution of the errant Sixtus V Vulgate by Pope Gregory XIV.  A brief history of the Authorized King James Version is presented.  Chapter One concludes by noting that the gospel message is the same in the Catholic, King James, New King James, and Orthodox Bible.  Chapter Two presents reasons to read and know the Scriptures.  It begins with Jesus’ responses to Satan’s three temptations: “It is written,” and asks rhetorically how we can think less of the importance of knowing Scripture.  It points out that God’s Word reveals secrets of the universe for man’s benefit and protects us from wolves in sheep’s clothing.  It introduces the concept of false christs, e.g., the christ of the Latter-Day Saints and Christian Scientists.  This sets the stage for understanding in later chapters that many Churches strip the Jesus of the New Testament of His authority to grant eternal life and preserve the believer and substitute a sacramental salvation system in His place.  Thus, the Jesus they preach is no less false than the Jesus of the Latter-Day Saints!  The chapter concludes by recommending that we be like the Boreans in studying God’s Word.  Chapter Three discusses the five things one must believe and one thing one must do to be saved and emphasizes that the Catholic, King James, New King James, and Orthodox bibles accurately present the same soterilogical message.  Chapter Four begins with the bad news that man is a sinner, the wages of sin death, and that this death is eternal separation from God in a place prepared for the devil and his angels.  Then the good news of the Jesus of the New Testament is presented - God’s free gift of salvation for those who accept it.  It discusses the purpose of the law and notes its impotence to save, including baptism.  Rebirth of the dead spirit is explained, along with the necessity of same to enter into the kingdom.  Biblical citations are used to show that the good works the believer is to walk in were prepared beforehand by God and are the result of salvation, not its cause.  Inability of works to save is stressed.  It makes clear that believers are to know they are saved and cannot lose their salvation.  St. Paul’s, St. Peter’s, and St. Jude’s testimonies on same are presented.  The idea of a non-biblical Jesus (the Son but stripped of His authority to grant eternal life and preserve the believer) taught by some Churches is further developed and the chapter concludes by asking, “Which Jesus will you believe in?”  Chapter Five discusses how Church (Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopal, etc.) traditions have supplanted God’s Word.  Jesus and St. Paul’s words are used to point out that the traditions of men, which these Churches have substituted for the true gospel, render God’s Word void while all true apostolic traditions taught by Jesus and His apostles are endorsed in the books of the New Testament.  The role of Constantine in creating the first universal but false Church which persecuted independent New Testament churches is explained.  The evolution of Constantine’s universal Church into the Roman Church with its pagan ceremonies and rituals and that into the Roman Catholic Church is described.  The notion of post-Scriptural revelations through Church councils and popes is shown to be contrary to Scripture, along with the mistaken notion that the “keys” give The Church the authority to change God’s Law.  The false doctrines of papal succession, prayers for the dead, and purgatory are addressed.  The chapter ends by noting Pope John Paul II’s March 2000 apology to the Jews for past sins of the Catholic Church and startling revelation that belief in Jesus is not necessary for salvation.  Chapter Six returns to the Jesus of the New Testament and salvation as a gift.  The significance of the wedding garment is explained, along with the physical and spiritual aspects of the crucifixion and the tearing of the veil in the Holy of Holies.  The chapter ends by asking, “Whose garment will you be wearing on Judgment Day?”  The chapter titled Conclusion explains the meanings of “eat my flesh” and drink my blood” within the Passover ceremony and marriage customs, respectively.  The Rapture and Tribulation are explained.  End-time prophecy is discussed, along with The Churches' inability to interpret end-times prophecy due to their false teaching of “replacement theology.”  The chapter ends by asking, “Which Jesus will you follow?” The final chapter, Appendix A, describes the bad fruits of false Christianity and then discusses the eleven attributes of a New Testament church.  Appendix A ends by inviting readers to follow the Good Shepherd and say the sinner’s prayer.  The last word tells how to locate a New Testament church.