In our modern world, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain our grip on the uniqueness of the Christian faith. We have the problem right here on the home front, where Bible reading and the Lord’s Prayer were decades ago banned from the public school system because of a Supreme Court ruling based upon a misunderstanding of the original intent of the U.S. Constitution.

The notion that one religion is true, and the others are false is hardly in keeping with modern views about tolerance and political correctness. According to tolerance and political correctness, all religions are to be granted legitimacy as an integral part of our culture, except for Christianity.

It is no longer considered in good taste to refer to certain cultures as “primitive” or certain religions as “pagan.” To do so is to forfeit your intellectual respectability in social circles by making value judgments. Modern man is thought to be too sophisticated to speak in such terms of other peoples and their cultures.

Even within Christendom (the realm of those who think of themselves as Christians culturally if not behaviorally), the ancient landmarks are rapidly disappearing. In morality, there is no longer such a thing as sin; in theology, there is no longer such a thing as heresy.

The only heresy is bigotry. Even the Supreme Court of the United States once declared it impossible to define such terms as pornography or obscenity, so Hollywood movies, the television industry, and Internet content are filled with both.

When we move into the supposedly non-Christian world, where the missionaries operate, we find that the exclusive claims of Christianity are vigorously challenged by the non-Christian religions, now undergoing an unprecedented resurgence. It is safe to say that the most offensive aspect of twenty-first-century Christianity is its claim of exclusiveness.

Such a claim does not make sense to the Hindu, Buddhist, or Animist. Most of the world’s well-known ethnic religions share certain doctrines.

Most of them believe in the existence of a supreme being.
They possess sacred scriptures.
They have a well-defined doctrine of salvation.
They believe in life after death.
They have a system of ethics.
They engage in religious rituals.
They have human founders for whom they make specific claims.
They have a priestly caste and religious orders.
But they are not, generally speaking, exclusive, except, of course, Islam.
Hinduism is reputed to be the most inclusive religion of them all.
Buddhism prides itself on being tolerant of other systems.
Only Christianity and Islam claim to be exclusive, the latter militantly so.

It is only fair to point out that while non-Christian religions are tolerant in theory, they are not tolerant in practice. Certain fundamental doctrines in Hinduism are not open to debate. One of them is the doctrine that all matter, including the individual soul, has no objective existence. Another is that ultimate reality is spiritual and found only in Brahman, the world soul.

Hinduism tolerates everything except conversion to the Christian faith, and its inconsistency lies herein. If all religions are equally valid, as the Hindus maintain, why should they object when a Hindu becomes a Christian? And tolerance in Islam? Ridiculous. Islam calls for death should anyone convert from Islam to any other religion.

I am not concerned about “proving” that Christianity is true (which it certainly is) or that non-Christian religions are false (which they certainly are). Nor am I saying that these other religions do not have some things in common with Christianity. I am simply trying to point out certain features of Christianity that, taken together, place it in a class by itself as a unique faith-based belief system unlike any other.

Harry Emerson Fosdick, former high priest of American liberal theology, erroneously said on one occasion that there is nothing in Christianity that cannot be found in the other religions of the world. So wrong on so many counts.

It is true that unusual births and strange claims of resurrections are found in non-Christian religions, but when one examines the details, one is struck not by the similarities of the two accounts but by the dissimilarities.

What person in his right mind would want to suggest that the Resurrection story in the Gospels is to be placed in the same category as the resurrections found in the mystery religions so common in the Roman world of the Lord Jesus Christ’s day? They have about as much in common as ancient witchcraft and modern medicine.

Therefore, to clear the air and establish several important things during this missions emphasis time of year, I will outline for you the uniqueness of Christianity by considering three important fundamentals: the character of the Christian God, the person of the Christian’s Savior, and the nature of Christian salvation:

First, THE CHARACTER OF THE CHRISTIAN GOD

The God of the Christian revelation, Jehovah, claims to be the one true God and Creator of heaven and earth.[2] Though His revelation was given through Israel and He was known as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He is never depicted as a tribal god. He is the King of all the earth.[3] He is a great God and King above all gods, and all other gods are idols.[4] There is no other god like Him.[5] He deserves and demands the worship and service of every individual.[6] Some things about Him:

First, God is an eternal Being. He is self-existent and, therefore, eternal.[7] All else exists because He willed its existence.[8] He alone exists necessarily, from eternity to eternity.[9]

Next, God is a personal Being. He is eternally separate and distinct from all other beings and conscious of Himself.[10] He possesses the power of self-determination. He can love and be loved, and He is love.[11]

Third, God is an infinite Being. His attributes are infinite. He is all good, all-wise, and all-powerful.[12] He fills all heaven.[13] He fills all earth, as well.[14] He is not merely wiser, more just, and more good than any other being. He is infinitely wise, infinitely just, and infinitely good. He is both immanent and transcendent[15] at the same time. His only limitations are those that He has voluntarily imposed on Himself.

Fourth, He is a moral Being. The Greek, Norse, Roman, and Hindu gods were more immoral than their devotees. Not so, Jehovah. He loves righteousness and hates iniquity.[16] He is righteous in all His ways and holy in all His works.[17] He is both light and love.[18] His love is a holy love. His holiness glows with love and His love burns with holiness. He is a holy God and demands holiness of all His people.[19]

Fifth, He exists in three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are three Persons but only one God.[20] All three Persons are eternally coequal in wisdom, love, and power. Each has all the powers and prerogatives of the other Two. All three Persons have been and are engaged in the work of creation, redemption, and judgment. So, how can we be sure there are three Persons in the Triune Godhead? Each of the Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, possess the requirements of personhood: intellect, sensibility, and will.

Sixth, He has revealed Himself to humanity. He is not a god afar off who hides Himself. He rejoices in the inhabited world and delights in the sons of men.[21] He has revealed Himself through general revelation, which includes creation and conscience, and through special revelation, which consists of the written Word and the living Word.[22]

No other religion (let me broaden this to include any faith system) has a god with all these characteristics. The Christian God, therefore, is unique. There is none else like Him.

Next, THE PERSON OF THE CHRISTIAN’S SAVIOR

All the well-known religions (and what we would label as faith systems), except Hinduism and Shinto, have their founders. Some of them were good and great men compared to other men, but none of them belonged to the same category as the Lord Jesus Christ. He stands alone in solitary grandeur among those who walked the earth. By almost universal consent, He is the greatest individual ever. Even non-Christians gladly acknowledge the influence of His life and teaching. Jean Paul Richter expressed it well when he said,

“He, being the mightiest among the holy and the holiest among the mighty, lifted with His pierced hands the gates of empires off their hinges, turned the streams of centuries out of their channels, and today rules the world.”

No other religion, including Islam, is so completely identified with the life and teachings of its founder. Buddhism could have flourished if Gautama, the Buddha, had never lived. The same can be said of Communism and Karl Marx. Confucius is by no means essential to the system that bears his name. This is not true of Christianity. Christianity stands or falls with Jesus Christ. Without Him, there would be no salvation, Gospel, New Testament, or Christian Churches.

The uniqueness of Jesus Christ finds expression in six things:

First, His virgin birth. This is taught in two of the four Gospels. Miraculous births are indeed claimed for other religious leaders, but the details are so vulgar and grotesque as to make them suspect. In our Lord Jesus Christ’s case, the miraculous element was reduced to a minimum - His conception. After that, natural processes occurred, and the Lord Jesus was born nine months later as any other child is born. He was neither a physical giant nor made any effort to establish Himself as a mental prodigy. The record tells us that he “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”[23] If modern scholars have problems with the virgin birth, they can derive comfort from the fact that both Mary and Joseph did too, at first. We should also remember that the Gospel writer who gives us the most details concerning the birth of Christ (Luke) was a physician. Moreover, the virgin birth was not added to embellish the story. It was a necessary part of the miracle of the Incarnation. It was essential to the preservation of His holy nature.[24]

Next, His sinless character. The matchless life of perfect love lived by Jesus Christ is a unique phenomenon in the history of the world. He was born without sin, and He lived without sin. On this point, we have the testimony of both friends and foes.[25] He was the only man who ever lived whose inner life was white as snow, pure as sunlight, and strong as steel. Never once did He depart from the path of rectitude. He never succumbed to the world, the flesh, or the devil. He was the only person who ever loved God with all His heart and could say, “I delight to do thy will, O my God.”[26]

Third, His atoning death. Without sinning Himself, He died for the sins of others. He died not as a prophet, reformer, or even a martyr. He died as a Savior, the only Savior of the world.[27] He gave His life and shed His blood for the remission of sins.[28] His death was far from an accident or incident in human history. It was part of God’s eternal plan and purpose and could be brought about only in God’s way, in God’s time, and with God’s consent.[29] In death as well as in life, He occupied a solitary throne.

Fourth, His victorious resurrection. Not only did He claim to be “the resurrection and the life,” but He rose from the dead on the third day as He had predicted.[30] The Resurrection accounts, as given by the four evangelists, bear all the earmarks of a true story. They are all the more remarkable because the disciples never expected to see their Lord Jesus alive again. When His resurrection was reported to them, they refused to believe it until they saw Him with their eyes. And when they finally preached “Jesus and the resurrection” in the city that crucified Him, some paid for it with their lives. To say that the disciples deliberately fabricated the story is sheer nonsense. Saying they believed something that didn’t happen is also nonsense. This historic event, one of the best-authenticated facts in history, is of the utmost significance to the Christian faith. It is the foundation stone. Remove this stone and the whole superstructure crumbles. Christianity stands or falls on the Resurrection. His virgin birth, His sinless character, His atoning death - all have no meaning apart from the Resurrection. Deny that, and you have denied everything else.

Fifth, His ascension into heaven. His entrance into the world was a miracle; His departure from the world was also a miracle. This is the way God intended it to be.[31] The Lord Jesus did not intend to remain on earth indefinitely. He came simply to “tabernacle” among us.[32] When His redemptive mission was accomplished, it was fitting that He return to heaven. The Pauline epistles treat the Resurrection and the Ascension as two phases of one climactic event by which God raised Him from the dead and exalted Him to His own right hand, far above all principality and power and might and dominion.[33] He is now the Prince of life, the Lord of glory, and the Head of the Church.[34] He now sits at the right hand of God, the place of power, where He is a living, reigning Lord and Savior, able to save all who come to God by Him.[35] All power in heaven and on earth has been given to Him.[36]

Sixth, His Second Coming to Earth. The Old Testament predicts, and the New Testament clearly teaches that Jesus Christ will return to the Earth to Rapture believers in Christ, to judge the world, and to establish His everlasting kingdom of justice and peace.[37] These six aspects of His life and person place the Lord Jesus Christ in a class by Himself. He is a unique figure in the annals of history. Not one of these things can truthfully be said of any of the so-called significant figures of history or any of the founders of the non-Christian religions. Jesus Christ would say of them what He said to His disciples:

“Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.”[38]

Finally, THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN SALVATION

All the well-known religions of the world have something like a doctrine of salvation. Indeed, salvation is the ultimate purpose of all religions and every faith system. They use various terms and advocate different ways, but they all purport to deliver our race from the human predicament we find ourselves in. The doctrine of salvation in Christianity differs fundamentally from the salvation offered by all other faith systems and religions:

First, Christian salvation is God’s gift, not man’s work. In every other religion, individuals or groups seek after God and try, in various ways and means, to placate His wrath and secure His favor and protection. In Christianity, God seeks after man. God accomplished redemption and offered us “without money and without price” Isaiah 55.1. Salvation is a free gift, Romans 6.23, bestowed by God on the principle of grace and received by individuals on the principle of faith, Ephesians 2.8.

Next, Christian salvation is rooted in morality. God is a holy God. He cannot forgive sin simply by fiat. He cannot dispense mercy at the expense of justice. He must remain just at the same time that He justifies the sinner.[39] He cannot save the sinner, however much He loves him, without first solving the moral problem of sin. The theology of redemption as taught in Scripture embraces several great laws or principles required by the holiness of God:

(1) “The soul that sins shall die,” Ezekiel 18.20.

(2) “Without shedding of blood is no remission [of sins],” Hebrews 9.22.

(3) “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul,” Leviticus 17.11.

(4) “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins,” Hebrews 10.4.

(5) “by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us,” Hebrews 9.12.

These five statements constitute the moral basis for the Christian doctrine of salvation. It is free but not cheap. It cost God the lifeblood of His only Son. Now, when God forgives sin, He is not only good and kind but also faithful and just.[40] No other religion offers a salvation rooted in morality and, therefore, consistent with God’s holiness.

Third, salvation is always deliverance from sin, both its penalty and its power. Other religions treat the symptoms, not the disease. Salvation for them is a release from suffering, as in Buddhism, or ignorance, as in Hinduism. In Christianity, salvation goes deeper and reaches the root cause of suffering, ignorance, and all the other ills that afflict mankind. The human predicament is the result of sin, and all man’s fears, doubts, and frustrations stem from that. To get rid of them, one must first get rid of it. The Lord Jesus Christ, by His atoning death and victorious resurrection, met all the demands of a holy God against the sinner. Jesus Christ, acting on our behalf, accepted the penalty, paid the price, and settled the account. The sinner who repents and believes is forever set free from the law of sin and death, Romans 8.2. Here and now, he enjoys “peace with God” Romans 5.1, and for him, there is “no condemnation” Romans 8.1. But that is not all. Salvation in Christianity includes deliverance from the power as well as the penalty of sin. This is made possible by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer. The Christian walks in the power of the Spirit, and he will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, according to Romans 8.1. The power of sin has been broken. Sin has no more dominion over him since he is not under law but under grace, Romans 6.14. He is given not just a new leaf to turn over but a new life to live. He is now “in Christ,” meaning he is a “new creation” Second Corinthians 5.17. Old things have passed away, and all things have become new.

Fourth, salvation includes the whole person - body, soul, and spirit. When humanity fell, chaos was introduced into all parts of our constitution - spirit, soul, body, mind, heart, and will. Theologians have called this “total depravity.” Salvation, if it is to be effective, must attack and conquer sin in every part of a person, not just his soul. This is precisely what Christian salvation does. It involves the whole person - spirit, soul, and body.[41] It also includes the mind, the heart, and the will.[42]

Fifth, salvation is a present possession as well as a future prospect. Christianity is the only religion or belief system that offers a here-and-now salvation. In all other religions, the devotee must wait until the future life to discover whether or not he is a candidate for salvation. Buddhism and Hinduism teach the doctrine of reincarnation. One can only hope that his lot in the next life will be an improvement on this one. But he is never sure. He may go up on the scale of life, or he may go down. Before he gets through, he may have to pass through eight million incarnations. And when Nirvana is finally reached what kind of salvation does he experience? The word Nirvana means to “blow out” like a candle. The ‘five states of being are dissolved,’ and the individual soul is lost in the universal soul. Like a drop of rain falling back into the ocean, it loses its separate identity. Not only is there no salvation for the body, but the personality itself is destroyed. On the contrary, the Christian does not have to wait for the next life. Here and now, we can enjoy the forgiveness of sins and know we have eternal life.[43] Moreover, for Christians, salvation is also a future prospect. What we have now is only a foretaste of what’s ahead. Our bodies, too, are to be redeemed.[44] In the resurrection, we will be given a new body, a “spiritual” body, a “glorious” body, free of sin and endowed with new powers and properties beyond anything we have known in this life. Indeed, salvation will extend to the “whole creation” and will involve a new heaven and a new earth from which all taint and trace of sin will have been removed.[45]

Sixth, salvation involves not only the individual but society as well. The Gospel has social implications:

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind ... Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,”

Matthew 22.37-39. The Gospel is first personal but also has a social effect. Both are important. Traditionally, liberals have preached a social Gospel and the conservatives a personal Gospel. However, when a personal Gospel is faithfully preached and truly embraced the impact on society is astounding.

The New Testament writers refused to settle for a dichotomy. In Paul’s letters, faith and love are frequently mentioned in the same verse.[46] John brought the two together, faith and love, in his first epistle.[47] James insisted that faith and works belong together and went so far as to say that without works faith is dead, James 2.14-26.

Genuine faith in Christ always leads to love for the brethren, and love does not stop with the brethren; it goes on to embrace the world in all its varied needs - physical, mental, material, and social, as well as spiritual.

When asked, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” the Christian’s answer is a resounding “Yes.” Like the priest and Levite, he cannot pass by on the other side, as in the parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10.31-32. The love of Christ will compel him to share his resources, however meager, with the world around him.

His Master “went about doing good,” Acts 10.38, and he can do no less, Galatians 6.10. He has no illusions that by his own efforts he can bring in the kingdom, but as the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world,” he will do his best to permeate society with the principles of the Gospel, including brotherly love, and peace with men. “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men,” Romans 12.18.

Wherever missionaries have gone, they have built Churches, opened hospitals, founded orphanages, operated schools, and in a hundred and one other ways, tried to follow in the steps of the Master, who had compassion on the multitudes, helped the helpless, fed the hungry, healed the sick, cleansed the leper, and raised the dead.

The non-Christian religions are now engaging in the various kinds of social service and medical and educational work Christians embarked on many centuries ago, but the impulse did not come from their religious beliefs. They have been forced into them by the competition afforded by Christian missionaries. Each non-Christian religion has its own doctrine of salvation, but none can compare with the glorious salvation found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

This, my friends, is why we engage in missions. We cannot do otherwise and obey the Great Commission. We cannot do otherwise and reach our own children, friends, and loved ones here at home. We cannot do otherwise.

__________

[1] Adapted from J. Herbert Kane, Understanding Christian Missions, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1974), pages 105-113.

[2] John 17.3; Isaiah 40.28

[3] Exodus 3.6; Psalm 47.2

[4] Psalm 95.3; 96.5

[5] Psalm 89.6

[6] Deuteronomy 6.13-15

[7] Exodus 3.14; Deuteronomy 32.40

[8] Colossians 1.16-17

[9] John 1.1

[10] Proverbs 8.22-23

[11] John 3.16; Matthew 22.37; 1 John 4.8

[12] Exodus 34.6; Romans 11.33; Isaiah 40.18-26

[13] Isaiah 66.1

[14] Psalm 139.7-10

[15] Acts 17.27-28; Isaiah 55.8-9

[16] Hebrews 1.9

[17] Psalm 145.17

[18] 1 John 1.5; 4.8

[19] Exodus 15.11; Isaiah 6.3; Leviticus 19.2; Hebrews 12.14

[20] Matthew 28.19

[21] Proverbs 8.31

[22] Romans 1.19-20; 2.14-15; Hebrews 1.1; John 1.14, 18

[23] Luke 2.52

[24] Luke 1.35

[25] 2 Corinthians 5.21; 1 Peter 2.22; 1 John 3.5; Luke 23.41; John 19.4, 6

[26] Psalm 40.8

[27] 1 Peter 3.18

[28] Matthew 26.28

[29] Acts 4.27-28; John 19.11

[30] John 11.25

[31] John 16.28

[32] John 1.4

[33] Ephesians 1.20-21; Philippians 2.9-10

[34] Acts 3.15; 1 Corinthians 2.8; Colossians 1.18

[35] Hebrews 7.25

[36] Matthew 28.18

[37] 1 Thessalonians 4.16-17; Matthew 25.31-46; Revelation 19.11-20.4

[38] John 8.23

[39] Romans 3.26

[40] Titus 3.4; 1 John 1.9

[41] 1 Thessalonians 5.23

[42] Romans 12.2; Philippians 2.5; 2 Corinthians 10.5; Romans 5.5; Colossians 3.15; Hebrews 10.22; Romans 7.9-25

[43] 1 John 2.12; 5.13

[44] Romans 8.23

[45] 1 Corinthians 15.44; Philippians 3.21; 1 Corinthians 15.42-44; Romans 8.22-25; Revelation 21

[46] Colossians 1.4; 1 Thessalonians 1.3

[47] 1 John 3.23

The Uniqueness Of The Christian Faith