By Michael L. Brown
Isn’t it the height of arrogance to claim that the only way
people can come into right relationship with God is through Jesus?
At first blush, the answer would seem to be yes. After all, there
are sincere, moral, deity-fearing people in every religion of the
world. Why must Christians think that their religion alone is right?
Why not follow the teaching of traditional Judaism that the righteous
of every nation — not just Israel — have a place in the
world to come?
Actually, it’s no more arrogant for Christians to say that
Jesus is the only way to God than it is for others to say that Jesus
is just one way among many — thereby declaring the belief of
more than one billion Christians to be wrong.
The real question is: On what basis can we claim that Christianity
alone brings people into right relationship with God? The answer
is simple: Only the gospel provides a true antidote to the problem
of sin.
Generally speaking, all religions recognize that human beings have
somehow fallen short and become alienated from the godhead (singular
or plural). The problem is how to receive forgiveness of sin and
become reconciled with an offended or distant godhead.
We must therefore ask on what basis the deity offers forgiveness.
Muslims and Jews do their best and hope for mercy. Hindus patiently
bear their lot, hoping for a better life next time around. Buddhists
seek for an ultimate nirvana. But none of these faiths provides
a definite and certain answer.
What separates Christianity from every other religion is not so
much the moral teaching of Jesus, or even the moral example of Jesus,
but rather the fact that Jesus, the divine Son, took our place.
He paid the penalty for our sins, thereby satisfying the justice
of God and securing eternal salvation for all who believe.
If there had been any other way for mankind to be forgiven, Jesus
would not have died. It is this fact alone — the necessary
sacrificial death of the Son of God on the cross — that separates
Christianity from all other religions. None of these religions have
at their foundation a divine act that is unique and comprehensive
for all people.
That’s why Jesus gave us the mandate to go into the whole
world and declare the good news of His death and resurrection. And
good news it is. No other religion in the world has its equal.
Michael L. Brown, Ph.D., is president of the
Brownsville Revival School of Ministry in Pensacola, Fla. He specializes
in answering Jewish objections to Jesus. His three-volume series
on Jewish apologetics is published by Baker Books.
