'There are many ways to God/Heaven.'

The opinion expressed in the title of this post is often found alongside the statement examined in my last post. Again, there can be many good Christian responses to this opinion; and again, I would urge readers to consider how the idea of 'many paths to God' relates to the person and work of Christ. For the New Testament Scriptures declare that God Himself ordained the death of Jesus (Acts 4:27-28). The Lord Jesus-- true God and true Man-- was tortured to death according to the divine will (Luke 22:42). God the Father allowed His Son to suffer and die. And for what? If there are many ways to God-- if there are several alternative paths to Heaven-- then the Cross is the ultimate example of sadomasochistic cruelty; why would God allow/ordain Jesus to die if people can get to God without that death taking place? On the other hand, if God's righteous judgment against sin requires the penalty of death for any violation of His holy law, then the Cross is seen as the unique and necessary way for God to be known as both the just judge and the merciful justifier of sinners (Rom 3:26).