There are many religions in the world and even some religions that are growing faster than Christianity in some parts of the world. Islam seems that it is growing faster than any religion at this moment and many statistics will even show that it is the world's fastest growing religion. Numbers however mean nothing when it comes to the Truth of the Gospel. "Though they join hand in hand, the wicked will not go unpunished" (Proverbs 11:21). Truth is truth no matter how many believe in it or choose not to.
I can sum up the whole message of all of the other world religions into one basic statement: You are good or can become good and thereby can earn a reward from a higher power (i.e. Heaven, becoming a god, becoming like god, coming back in a higher form through reincarnation, etc.). Christianity, on the other hand, says something completely different. The Bible tells us that there is none good but God, that we are wicked to our core, and there is no way that we can do anything to please God. It also tells us that we deserve spending an eternity in Hell under the wrath of God for our transgressions and can do nothing to free ourselves, but because God loves us, He has done something wonderful for us to go free.
There is no possible way that anyone can say that Christianity is like any other religion and that we all worship the same God. So the overriding difference seems to be 1) the nature of man and 2) the nature of God. The Bible says that there is none good but God and that all humans are evil. Either the Bible is right or we are right (or we are both wrong), but both cannot be true. So let's examine the evidence.
How many lies have you told? Too many to count?
Have you ever stolen anything, no matter of the cost? (downloaded illegal music?)
Have you ever used the Lord's name in vein? Using His name to express anything but His goodness is considered blasphemy.
Jesus said that if you so much as look at someone else with lust (sexual desire) you've committed adultery with them already in your heart (Matt. 6:28). Can anyone say that they have never had sexual thoughts about someone?
Have you hated someone or lashed out in your anger either physically or verbally? Have you ever just wished for harm to come upon someone else? The Bible tells us that we are murders at heart (Matt. 5:22; 1 John 3:15).
I just went through five of the Ten Commandments. It doesn't even matter that they are written in the Bible because we have them written on our consciences. We know when we do wrong because our conscience tells us so. Do you still think that man is good?
I will attempt to illustrate the nature of God in part two of this post. Stay tuned.
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