WHAT MAKES CHRISTIANITY DIFFERENT?

 

 Someone once told me that all religions are basically the same. They only have different labels for their gods, but in the end, they are all referring to the same being. There may be many different beliefs, but the moral teachings are practically the same. Many people today still make the same claim: that all religions are essentially the same—only superficially different. They only look different, but they are the same.

Later on, I realized that such an idea comes from ignorance of what these religions actually teach. The truth is, religions are truly different from each other; they only appear to be the same. Yes, it is true that almost all religions (if not all) connect music with their worship, but that does not mean they worship the same god or gods. They all teach their followers to pray, but we cannot assume they are addressing the same being. Each religion has its own “sacred writings” as its rule of faith, but these writings do not all teach the same thing. At first glance, they may look similar, but when examined carefully, they are not.

But what is also interesting is this: when all religions are compared to biblical Christianity, then we can see that they are, in fact, the same. No matter how different they are in their practices, beliefs, and histories, all of them are about what humans can do to earn salvation (not to mention that each religion defines “salvation” differently).

• In Judaism, a person must follow the Law (Torah) to be righteous before God.

• In Buddhism, Nirvana (“heavenly state”) is attained by following the Eightfold Path.

• In Islam, one must live by the Five Pillars and strive to be good in order to reach Jannah (“paradise”).

• Even among sects, denominations, and cults that claim to be part of Christianity, many teach that salvation requires both faith and good works. (Some even insist that one must be part of their group to be saved!)

Now the question is: what makes Christianity different? The gospel.

While all other religions place the responsibility of salvation on you, the gospel reveals that salvation is purely by grace through faith (Rom. 3:28; Eph. 2:8; Titus 2:11; etc.). While all other religions emphasize what you must do to be saved, Christianity emphasizes what has already been done for you so that you may be saved. The rest of the world’s systems place salvation in your own hands for you to achieve it; Christianity places salvation in God’s hands, offered for anyone to receive by faith. To others, salvation is a reward to be earned. In Christianity, it is a gift to be received: “Not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph. 2:9).

Christianity is unique in many ways, but I believe the greatest factor that makes it stand out above all is this truth: while all religions are about human efforts to reach God, the gospel tells the story of God reaching down to us.

And even becoming one of us. Stay Curious.