How is Christianity different from other religions?
The difference between Christianity and other religions can be summarized like these:
Christianity: What God did to bring us salvation
All other religions: What man does to bring salvation upon himself
In other words, the religions of this world emphasize works, what man must do to be saved, while Christianity emphasizes what God did to save us.
What did God do?
1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” NIV
Jesus Christ the Son of God, died on our behalf, so that we could be saved!
What happened to Jesus after His crucifixion?
Matt 28:5-7 “The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” NIV
He was resurrected and is alive and well. This was confirmed by more than 500 people to whom Jesus appeared after His resurrection.
Acts 1:3 “After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” NIV
1 Cor 15:6 “After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.” NIV
During Jesus’ trial, all of His disciples were cowering and hiding for fear of losing their own lives. After Jesus’ resurrection, these same disciples became bold and preached the resurrected Messiah to all to hear, and backed up their testimony with their own blood: all of Jesus’ apostles died as martyrs, except for John. No one would die for a lie, even less, 11 people who used to worry about their own lives.
Can we save ourselves by trying to lead a good life?
No! Eph 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.” NIV
Is there any other way to be saved?
No! Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” NIV
What can we do to be saved?
John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” NIV
Acts 2:38-39 “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” NIV
Believe in Jesus as your Saviour and accept Him into your life. He paid the price of your salvation. Your works won’t save you. Your good looks won’t save you. Your dedication towards your church, mosque, or synagogue won’t save you. Only Jesus can save you if you accept His offer. Will you do this now by answering His call at http://www.answers2prayer.org/saviours_call.html and welcome His gift of the Holy Spirit?
What is the Christian’s central message?
Forgiveness.
Acts 26:17-18 “I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” NIV
To read a true story of what forgiveness does in people’s lives, read Jesus Freaks, vol II. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House Publishers, 2002, p. 295, 296. Www.persecution.com
I have met (via online) a husband and wife from British Columbia who were our subscribers. Two years ago they traveled all the way from BC to Ontario (Vineland to be precise) with one goal: to meet the man who killed the wife’s mother because of drunk driving. Why would anyone want to meet the one who killed a loved one? Is it for revenge? Is it to insult him? Is it to belittle him? No, none of the above. They came to meet him in order to forgive him for what he had done. Yes, he had hurt them deeply, but Jesus’ love reigns in their heart and they wanted to share this with him. This is what true Christianity does to people: they are able to forgive!
Have you troubles to forgive? Have you been eaten away by bad feelings and thoughts concerning certain people who have hurt you? Isn’t it time to let these rest and ask for Jesus’ help in forgiving these people. Be free and enjoy life! Accept Jesus’ in your life now and ask for His help in breaking you free from this unforgiveness by accepting His call.
Who backs the Christian’s message?
Jesus Himself through signs, wonders and miracles:
Acts 5:12 “The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people.” NIV
Heb 2:4 “God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” NIV
Personally, I have seen with my own eyes and have experienced in my own life these signs, wonders and miracles when Jesus’ true message of salvation is preached. I have seen hundreds of people being healed, confirmation to them that Jesus is alive and His message is true. I have seen the lame walk, the deaf hear and the blind see. I have seen demon possessed people being freed and become normal through the power of Jesus. Christianity is the only religion which is backed up by its founder: Jesus Christ. Why? Because He is alive!
Come and start experiencing Jesus in your life. Come and accept Him now. He is calling you. Will you accept Him? The choice is yours. A choice between slavery to sin or freedom in Christ.
In His Love,
Rob Chaffart
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I think the one thing that sets Christianity apart from other religions is salvation by grace. Most other religions teach that we are saved or reach our highest potential by doing something. Here are some examples:
Judaism teaches that a person is ultimely judged by how he/she keeps God’s commandments. The belief regarding non-Jews is that if they are righteous (i.e. do good deeds), they have a place in “the world to come”. Muslims, too, believe that a person obtains salvation by doing certain things.
While Buddhism and Hinduism don’t teach salvation, they believe that one is released from an endless cycle of reincarnation by reaching enlightenment. In their belief, your actions in one lifetime affect how much closer you get to enlightenment in your next life. Many followers of the New Age movement and pagans follow similar beliefs.
Salvation by grace is a wonderful thing. Isn’t it a blessing not to have to worrying about whether your good deeds will get you in heaven? Not to worry about reincarnation and the problems associated with that belief?
I encourage anyone who’s desiring to know the truth in Christ to pray and ask God into your life. If you would like prayer and guidance from our staff, please follow the Savior’s Call link found at the end of this newsletter. God Bless.
+Alleluia! Christ is Risen!+ In His love from your sister in Christ,
AJ Demers
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Ways Christianity is different:
1) The founder ressurected from the dead
2) The founder can still be conversed with today
3) Forgiveness- giving and receiving- happens
4) It offers assurance of a great eternal life
5) It is based on truth
6) It’s God actually exists
7) It becomes more effective thru selflessness
8) It has the most evidence for it
9) It makes complete sense of the world
10) It teaches you can’t earn righteousness
Todd Shilt
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Very simply stated! Christianity is NOT a religion. It is a way of life. It is living the word of the Lord. It is believing in Jesus Christ as our savior. It is believing that we will join our Father in heaven one day. The Christian belief is that there are three persons in one God; Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ is the only name by which we can be saved. Christians are Bible based and believe the word of the Bible is the law of the Lord! Many other religions think that they are just a nice bunch of stories. Some only believe parts of the Bible, and of course atheists believe nothing. MAY ALL BE BLESSED!
Love DeeDee
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Christianity is different from other religions for it is a personal relationship with a living God, Jesus Christ. Thus Christianity is not a religion.
Sharon Niese
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Answer to Bible question… “How is Christianity different from other religions?” Very simple… JESUS LIVES!
Lane Bridges
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Jesus Christ was raised from the dead and is alive forever more
Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Jesus Christ)
Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Jesus Christ)
God’s Word the Bible, giving the account of Jesus Christ the Son of God being raised from the dead
Luk 24:1-7 GW Very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb. They were carrying the spices that they had prepared. (2) They found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. (3) When they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. (4) While they were puzzled about this, two men in clothes that were as bright as lightning suddenly stood beside them. (5) The women were terrified and bowed to the ground. The men asked the women, “Why are you looking among the dead for the living one? (6) He’s not here. He has been brought back to life! Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee. (7) He said, ‘The Son of Man must be handed over to sinful people, be crucified, and come back to life on the third day.'”
Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life
Joh 11:23-27 GW Jesus told Martha, “Your brother will come back to life.” (24) Martha answered Jesus, “I know that he’ll come back to life on the last day, when everyone will come back to life.” (25) Jesus said to her, “I am the one who brings people back to life, and I am life itself. Those who believe in me will live even if they die. (26) Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe that?” (27) Martha said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who was expected to come into the world.”
Paulruth777@cs.com
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I would like to reply to this week’s bible question.
Being in an Asian country, where Buddhism is the main religion, I can say that the main distinction between Christianity and other religion is that other religions focus on what you can do for God…example food offerings, walking thru fire, body piercing and going to the temple during occasions to offer prayers and doing good. These are done so that prayers can be answered or so that they can work their way to heaven.
Whereas in Christianity its about what Christ has done for you, dieing on the cross for our sins and giving us grace, mercy and salvation, and much much more other blessings which we have all taken for granted. And because we know what an awesome God we have and how much he has done for us, we will want to do good to please Him naturally….This I believe is the difference between Christianity and other religion.
Glenda Tay Ei-Na
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Christianity is different from all other religions because we worship & serve a living God. Other religions worship people who lived & died but are still dead. Only Jesus Christ is alive & able to give us salvation. Jesus died on the cross to save us from sin, as a living sacrifice for us because He loves us. This is the only “religion” based on love & personal sacrifice. We are able to receive salvation & get into Heaven only because God came down as a baby, grew into manhood & gave Himself as a living sacrifice for our sins.
Bee
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Christianity is different from all the other religions because it is a GRACE religion. We have a God that pardons us, not based on our works and “righteous effort”, but based on His love for us. It is different because all other religions require the sinner to make some type of sacrifice or offering because of his/her sin, but we (Christians) have a God who made the sacrifice for us. Also, what other religion has a Savior who makes intercession for His children, or one that has promised to send His Spirit as a helper, a guide, a comforter, and a teacher. Thanks be to our Lord and Savior, the one who has saved us by grace alone.
Norman
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Christianity is different from other religions because it is the only religion whereby its founder and author offered Himself in death, so that His followers would have eternal life.
In His Service Alice
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Dear Bretheren,
I hereby send two answers to your questions; Christianity is different from other religions because of the following:
1. Its originator Jesus Christ is alive even today and for ever more. All other originators of the religions in the world are dead waiting for jesus to come the second time to resurrect them!!!!!
2. Christianity followers are sinners who need a saviour for they know they can’t make themselves right with God. Other religions teach striving by personal power to attain righteousness.
Ezra K. Mingaine PO BOX 3005 MERU – KENYA