Lausanne World Pulse – Themed Articles – What Makes Christianity Fundamentally Different from Other Great World Religions?

By Jerry Root

3. The Exclusive Claims of Christ
Some may suggest that there are many ways to God; however, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, made exclusive claims to be the only way to God. This exclusivity is offensive to some because of its narrowness. At this point it is necessary to be reminded that all truth claims are narrow and limited by the reality they seek to describe. Truth is always narrow. To jump off the Empire State Building (New York City, USA) will result in grave consequences; being open about this does not make the consequences less severe. Neglecting a fire alarm in a burning building is not to be justified because the alarm signals a very intolerant warning. Heeding the warning, although it is narrow, is the better part of wisdom. Jesus’ claim to be the only way to God may or may not be true, but it is not false because it is narrow. Further investigation will reveal the merit behind the claim. Those who dismiss Jesus’ claim by virtue of the narrowness of them may need to remind themselves of the very nature of truth. Why should some disregard the claims of Christ because others who cannot discern the very nature of truth want us to believe Jesus is wrong because he is narrow?

Some may suggest that there are many ways to God; however, Jesus Christ made exclusive claims to be the only way to God. This exclusivity is offensive to some because of its narrowness.

4. The Uniqueness of the Love of God
Christians assert that God loves those he has created and those to whom he has given life in this world. The great world religions developing systems of works and efforts to merit favor from God vector away from anything resembling the love of God as it is presented in the Bible. God’s love, as proclaimed by Christians, is a love which is without condition. The scriptures say, “Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). A corollary of this might be that imperfect love breeds anxiety, fear and insecurity. We have all received the liabilities of imperfect love—and we have produced anxiety in the lives of the very people we say we love, for none of us loves perfectly. Pride, especially religious pride—and the kind of religious “group think” which comes from it—is predicated on fear.

Christians believe that the only antidote is the love of God who knows us completely, and because of the death and resurrection of Christ, has the power to forgive us thoroughly. We are likely to struggle with besetting sins all of our lives; the gospel allows us to look honestly at these things and find victory. It is good news. Furthermore, a person on the mend in Jesus will become more empathetic of others and able to see others at their point of deepest need and tell them about Jesus. The claims of Christ and the benefits of the gospel are exclusive and narrow because only Christ can love us perfectly and save us from our sins.

Endnotes

(1) Lewis, C. S. 1948. The Case for Christianity. New York: Macmillan. 31.

(2) Lewis, C. S. 1977. The Problem of Pain. London: Fount. 14-20.

Dr. Jerry Root is associate director of the Institute for Strategic Evangelism at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, USA. He has taught in the evangelism masters program for the past eleven years. Root has invested nineteen years in student ministry, evangelism, and discipleship.

Comments on this article

At a recent seminar, a Muslim trainee teacher suddenly posed questions to me in the middle of a session about “use of questions, and starters in teaching Religious Studies.” She wanted to understand the uniqueness of Chrisianity, how it was different from Judaism or Islam. I thought for a moment, distracted from the flow of the seminar. Of course there are the reliious phenomena: feats and festivals; rituals; beliefs systems and so on…but how to get to the heart of the issue…..? I tried to explain the “sin” question, and how God had taken the initiative through the Incarnation and the Atonement. I was amazed that the trainee listened to my inadequate explanation. Advent blessings!

brian :: 16 Dec 2006