Apologetic: No Other God (Part I)

Have you ever heard someone say that all religions are basically the same? When pressed on this point, most people will say something to the effect of, “Well, all religions teach that you have to be a good person to go to heaven.” Or, “All religions are just about following rules.” Whether these answers reflect your own thinking or that of someone you know, I invite you to consider the following points. It is my prayer you will see – even in this short writing – just how radically different the Christian faith is from all others. Most of all, I pray you will see the beauty and glory of our triune God.  

The Radical Difference of the Gospel. Outside of Christianity, all religions have one thing in common: they are works-based. Pick a religion, any religion, and you will find that attaining any form of after life, or reconciliation with God, is all dependent on you and your works. It’s about what you have to do to earn it. And let’s face it, this certainly appeals to our human flesh! We love to be told how worthy we are, and we love the feeling of working hard to accomplish our goals. So of course, the idea of earning something as glorious as heaven sounds great, especially to our pride. Until…

Until you start questioning, how good is good enough? How many good deeds does it actually take to get to Paradise? To Nirvana? To be reincarnated into something as majestic as a lion? What a world of anxiety this opens! This is why the gospel is so radically different! The gospel says we are fallen, sinful, and helpless, that there is nothing we can do to earn our way to heaven or into the arms of God. While other religions teach that man is basically good and capable of lifting himself up, the gospel says that we are sinful, depraved, and separated. And deep down, we all know it.  

So herein lies the radicalness of the gospel: It says that reconciliation with God is about Him. It’s about what He has done to save and redeem us. It’s about coming from spiritual death to spiritual life! Consider the following: 

“But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). 

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (Romans 3:23-25a). 

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).

God, in His love for us, sent His Son, Jesus, to take upon himself the punishment for our sin. As truly man and truly God, he died the death meant for us, so that we could be restored to a right relationship with the God who created us. But not only that! Three days after his death, he was raised by the power of the Holy Spirit! This demonstrated that his sacrifice on our behalf was acceptable to God. It also signifies that Christ is victorious over death – and that just as he was raised in power, so shall we be when he comes again. 

This is the most glorious truth ever! No other religion says this! At best, other religions offer fear and uncertainty. At worst, they offer an arrogant, false sense of security. The gospel, however, offers true certainty that we are reconciled to God and will dwell with Him forever, not because of our works, but because of the work of Christ. To be sure, the gospel flips all of our human inclinations upside down. It requires us to lay down our pride and receive by faith the free gift given to us in Christ. For truly, no person will stand before God boasting in himself. For those in Christ, our only boast, now and always, is him.