03: The Uniqueness of Christianity

The Uniqueness of Christianity

Before a study of Christian evidences can be in any way beneficial, it must first be established that Biblical Christianity is indeed unique from all other philosophies or religions. For if it is not unique, there is no need to defend it. If it is not unique then it can not be the only way to God and it is, in fact, just another of man’s many religions. The purpose of this lesson, then, is to establish the fact that Christianity is unique from all other philosophies or religions. In future lessons we will seek to examine its unique claims in order to objectively verify its validity. Biblical Christianity is unique from all other religions in the following ways: Its Exclusive Claims The following claims rule out the possibility that Christianity is only one of many ways to God. For if the claims are true, then all other religions are false. If, however, the claims are false, then Christianity cannot possibly be considered a "good religion" that can lead to God, because it has deluded and deceived people for nearly 2000 years. A religion that makes a false claim to be the only way to God is simply a false religion. These unique claims of Christianity are in direct opposition to some eastern religions (especially Hinduism) which are eclectic and all-inclusive. They teach that all religions can lead to God. Such religions are tolerant of all beliefs except the belief that says there is only one way to God and all else are false (i.e., Biblical Christianity). Examples of the Bible’s exclusive claims are [1]:

1. The God of the Bible is claimed to be the only true and living God (See Jeremiah 10:10-12; Isaiah 43:10, Isaiah 44:6; John 17:3; etc.)

2. The Bible is claimed to be the only true, special revelation from God (See Isaiah 8:20; Jude 1:3; Revelation 22:18-19; etc.)

3. Jesus Christ is claimed to be the only way to God, salvation, and eternal life. (See John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Galatians 1:9; etc.) Its Objective Historical Basis

Unlike other religions, Christianity is not based on subjective experiences and feelings, but on objective, historical facts that are subject to examination and scrutiny. Other religions are based on the teachings of their founders. For instance, Islam is based on the teachings of Mohammed, and Buddhism on the teachings of the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama). In contrast, Christianity is based on who Jesus was and what He did, not on His teachings (even though He was a great teacher). The truth of Christianity stands or falls on the validity of the creation, the fall of man, Christ’s sacrificial death, and the resurrection. The records of these and other foundational events underlying Christianity are open for all to see in the pages of the Bible. They can be examined, investigated, and scrutinized on an objective basis. The same methods that could be used to determine the validity of any other historical person or event can be used to determine the validity of Biblical persons or events. Biblical Christianity, then, is not a "blind leap of faith" based only on subjective feelings, but is actually a leap into the light based on objective, historical facts that are accompanied by subjective confirmation to the individual believer by the witness of the Holy Spirit. Proof of the objectivity of Christianity is seen in: The eyewitness accounts of the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Unlike the mythological accounts of miraculous events found in many ancient cultures, the events in the life of Christ were attributed to an individual who the witnesses knew personally in a time-space dimension. The existence of Jesus Christ can be proven just like the existence of Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great. He was no mythological figure! The writers of the New Testament were referring to the historical Jesus of Nazareth, of whom their readers would be familiar. Examples of the eye-witness accounts include: For as much as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, (Luke 1:1-3). The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: (Acts 1:1-3). And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (John 20:30-31).

After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. (1 Corinthians 15:6-8). The fact that the apostles often appealed to the firsthand knowledge of their readers or listeners when presenting the gospel of Christ. If the claims of the apostles were not true, they could have, and would have, been easily refuted. For instance:

Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: (Acts 2:22). And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. (Acts 26:24-28)

Many of the remaining lessons in this study will be devoted to studying the "many infallible proofs" underlying the objective historical basis of Christianity.

There exists no document from the ancient world witnessed by so excellent a set of textual and historical testimonies, and offering so superb an array of historical data on which the intelligent decision may be made. An honest (person) cannot dismiss a source of this kind. Skepticism regarding the historical credentials of Christianity is based upon an irrational basis.[2] The Person of Christ The person of Jesus Christ is unique in all of history. No other prophet, teacher, philosopher or founder of any religion can in any way compare to the portrait painted of Jesus Christ in the pages of the Bible. For instance, consider the following facts about Jesus Christ as outlined in the pages of the Bible: The Messianic prophesies anticipating His coming. Beginning with the first Messianic prophecy in Genesis 3:15, the Old Testament is filled with prophesies predicting Christ’s lineage, birthplace, time of His coming, purpose of His coming, nature of His death, etc. hundreds of years before His appearance (For instance, see Genesis ; Genesis 35:10-12; Genesis 49:10; 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 53:1-12; Micah 5:2; etc.). The same can not be stated for any other man in the history of the world. His virgin birth. The virgin birth of Christ was unique to all other births in fact and fiction. That God, Himself, could take up residence in a woman’s womb, become a man, and be born of a virgin with no genetic connections to a human father is a thought unique to Christianity. His deity. On several occasions in the Bible Jesus Christ is claimed to be God incarnate (note Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6 [Immanuel="God with us"]; John 1:1, John 1:18; John 20:28; Acts 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:16; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 5:20; etc.). On other occasions, He claims deity for Himself (note Mark 2:5-11; Mark 14:61-64; John 8:58; John 10:30; etc.). Although others in the past have also made claims of deity, Jesus Christ claimed to be the all-powerful, creator God of the Old Testament. The Jews of His day recognized this claim because they crucified Him for "blasphemy" (John 19:7) and on at least two earlier occasions tried to stone Him for His claims of deity (John 8:58-59; John 10:30-33). In other words, in claiming His deity and Messiahship in the Jewish monotheistic context, He was claiming to have created the entire universe and to be the only true and living God. His sinless life. The Bible claims that Jesus Christ lived a perfect and sinless life (see Hebrews 4:15). Of who else in all of history can such a claim be made? His Resurrection. Although the evidences of Christ’s resurrection will be discussed later in our study, it is significant to note now that the resurrection is the most unique feature of His life. The founders of all other religions are dead and buried. For instance Mohammed died in 632 A.D., Confucius in 479 B.C., and the Buddha 480 B.C. Not one of these men was ever resurrected or seen again by his followers. In many cases, the tombs of religious leaders such as these, or artifacts from their physical bodies are still worshipped or revered today. In Christ’s case, His tomb is empty for all to see.

Salvation by Grace

Biblical Christianity is unique among all other religions in that it teaches that salvation is only by God’s grace (unmerited favor) through faith apart from any merit of man (See Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; etc.). In other words, there is no way that man can merit, earn or work his way into heaven or into favor with God. All other religions, including cults with "Christian" names and apostate "Christendom" teach that salvation is either through works or through a combination of faith and works. Although the works required vary greatly from religion to religion, and although the ultimate destination (i.e., heaven, nirvana, etc.) likewise varies greatly, each religion is, in essence, seeking to merit favor with God or with gods. In each of these religions mankind is capable, through diligent effort, to meet a certain standard of righteousness and thus merit God’s favor. In Christianity, however, God’s standard of righteousness is perfect righteousness and holiness, and can therefore be met only by God Himself. Thus the necessity of God’s direct intervention for mankind. This intervention takes the form of the sacrificial, substitutionary death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Examples of "salvation by works" include:

Islam. The Muslim who hopes to escape Allah’s judgment must fulfill the Five Pillars of the Faith which are:[3] 1. Recitation of the creed ("There is no god but Allah and Mohammed is the prophet of Allah") 2. Prayer offered five times daily towards the holy city of Mecca.

3. Almsgiving (Each Muslim is required to give 1/40 of his income as charitable contributions.) 4. Fasting from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan.

5. A pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime. In addition to these five pillars, there is a sixth religious duty required of Muslims when the situation demands it. This duty is known as Jihad or "holy war". Muslim men are required to go to war in order to spread or defend Islam when necessary. Anyone dying in a Jihad is guaranteed eternal life.

Hinduism. In Hinduism, "salvation" (from the endless cycles of birth, death, and rebirth) can be attained one of three ways. They are:[4]

1. The way of knowledge or mystical insight - knowing that one is a part of the ultimate deity and not a separate entity. This, of course, is remarkably similar to the teaching of the New Age Movement.

2. The way of devotion- love and obedience to a particular deity.

3. The way of works which involves ceremonial ritual.

Catholicism. The Roman Catholic church teaches a sacramental system of salvation. It teaches that man must keep the seven sacraments [5] in order to receive "grace". The Catholic, however, defines "grace" as a measured commodity that can be gained by sacraments or lost by mortal sins. In other words, the sacramental system of salvation is very similar to a merit/demerit system. Furthermore, Catholicism teaches that most Catholics will spend time in Purgatory in order to "pay off" their sin penalty and merit God’s favor. In other words, to the devout Catholic, Christ’s atonement was not enough. Jesus only paid one half, and we must pay the rest! Catholicism is certainly not the only "Christian" group, however, that teaches a works salvation. Any church or "Christian" group that teaches "baptismal regeneration" or any type of "salvation by works" is not in agreement with the Biblical definition of salvation. Its Unique Book The Bible, which is the source of all true Christian beliefs and practices, is unique among all books, ancient or modern. The whole structure of Christianity rises and falls on the validity of the Bible as the Word of God. If the Bible can be shown to be a book of merely human origin or if it can be proven to contain errors, then Christianity is no better than any other religion. Because of the importance of this topic we will devote the entirety of chapter 3 to the study of the uniqueness of the Bible. Its Unique View of God

Theistic. Christianity, along with Judaism and Islam are the only major theistic religions in the world today. Theism can be defined as "the belief that there is a God both beyond and within the world, a Creator, and Sustainer who sovereignly controls the world and supernaturally intervenes in it." [6] Other views of God include:

* Deism-the belief that God created the world, but that He no longer intervenes in it (He is beyond but not within). The Deist believes that every thing operates on the basis of natural laws, and that miracles are impossible. However, to postulate a miracle of creation and then deny any possibility of further intervention by a God concerned enough to create in the first place, is inconsistent and illogical. Unitarians are a good example of modern deists.

* Polytheism-the belief in many gods. This position is illogical based on the law of cause and effect studied in the previous lesson. If there is more than one God, then none of the "gods" can be omnipotent, omnipresent, etc., and none of them can qualify to be the great "First Cause". The unity of the universe also argues against polytheism.

* Pantheism-equates God with the universe (He is within but not beyond). In other words, God is all and all is God. Pantheism is illogical first of all because there would be no one existing apart from the ultimate deity who could affirm that all were a part of God! In other words, how do they know they’re a part of God? Who told them? In essence a pantheist is no different from an atheist, except for the fact that he arbitrarily attributes deity to the "all" of the universe. [7] Furthermore, pantheism makes God dependent upon the creation (the manifestation of Him or emanations flowing from Him) in order to reach His full, infinite potential. In other words the pantheistic god is an impersonal god driven by necessity rather than a personal God driven by love and volition. Finally, the pantheist must come to the absurd conclusion that opposites such as good and evil, being and non-being, etc. are all a necessary part of God. [8] Variations of pantheism include panentheism (the belief that God is in the world as a mind is in the body) and animism (the belief that physical objects possess a life or spirit of their own). Examples of pantheistic religions today include Hinduism, Buddhism, and the New Age Movement.

Trinitarian. Christianity is the only world religion with a theistic, trinitarian view of God. In other words God has only one nature, but He is expressed in the three persons of the trinity. As the Father He is the source of all being, as the Son He reveals Himself to mankind (He is the manifestation of the Father), as the Holy Spirit He indwells and empowers His creation so that we may "experience" God. Nature itself gives testimony to the triune nature of God. For instance, the universe is basically a tri-universe of space, matter/energy and time. [9] The universe is not made up of three different entities but each entity is itself the whole of the universe. In addition space, itself reminds us of the trinity. It is comprised of three dimensions. [10] The first dimension is the basic dimension by which space is identified. However, it can only be "seen" in two dimensions and "experienced" in three dimensions.

Good (See Genesis 1:31; Psalms 34:8-10) The Bible is the only source that satisfactorily explains the origin of evil. Genesis 3 makes it very clear that man, himself, is to blame for the problem of evil. Other religions must either postulate that evil came from God or is naturally a part of God.

Conclusion

Although we must admit that there are some similarities between certain aspects of Christianity and certain aspects of other religions, a close examination will reveal that Christianity is indeed unique and that any similarities with other religions are only superficial. Logically, if all men once knew about the true God as the Bible claims, we would expect to see elements of truth existing alongside of error in the world’s man-made religions. Biblical Christianity, however, claims to be a relationship with the living God, not a man-made religion!