Have you noticed that other religious worldviews try to incorporate Jesus into their teachings / doctrines? Isn’t it curious that even religions that pre-date Christianity have adopted Jesus into their beliefs? In his latest book Person of Interest, J Warner Wallace looks at this very topic in the book’s final chapter. Jim writes, “Would it surprise you to discover that the religions that came after Jesus’s appearance modified themselves in response to Jesus, mentioned his life and ministry, or merged him into their worldview?… Would you be surprised to discover that these ancient religions also modified, mentioned, or merged Jesus into their worldviews? As it turns out, they did.[1]” While it can be easily understood that the newer religions (ones that came about after Christianity) brought Jesus into their belief structure in attempt to legitimize their claims, it’s amazing to see that earlier religions revised their belief structure to incorporate Jesus.
Despite this reality, however, Jesus never gave the same treatment regarding other religions. Jesus never spoke of Hinduism or Buddhism, though both claim partial ownership to Jesus and make claims some of His teachings are rooted in their systems. Jim states, “In the years since Christianity was established, many other world religions emerged. While these worldviews all acknowledged Jesus in some way, Christianity didn’t modify its claims to embrace their prophets, “manifestations,” or deities. The religions of the world made room for Jesus, but Jesus never budged.[2]” Simply put, every religion wants a piece of Jesus, but Jesus never takes a piece of any of them. Instead, Jesus drew a very distinct line in the sand, one that set Him (and Christianity) apart from all other religions.
The Gospel of John records a several chapters long teaching Jesus gave after the Passover and Holy Communion, as He and his Apostles (minus Judas who was away selling Him out). Responding to a question from Thomas, Jesus makes the following claim, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.[3]” Understanding the nature of truth, its exclusivity, and applying the law of non-contradiction from logic, Jesus is stating “it’s Me OR nothing.” If you want to get to God, Jesus is the only way. Other religions, while there may be some similar teachings to those found in Christianity, each give a different path to God, and some don’t affirm God (such as Buddhism). However, the nature of truth is that if something is true, anything contrary to that truth is false (law of non-contradiction). When Jesus said He is the only way to God, He excluded every other religious teaching that claims something else.
The world is filled with many hard truths. There are things we know to be true but they seem harsh, we don’t agree with them, and we don’t like the fact or the implications. However, truths are true regardless how we feel about them. Being upset or offended does not take away from the validity or factualness of truths. If you’re like me, it is unsettling to think there are people you know and love who face an eternity of pain, torment, and suffering, who will not experience peace, love, and joy. These thoughts can be disturbing and saddening, and they should motivate Christians to be more intentional in sharing their faith.
Jesus came to bring hope to the world. He explains our sinful condition, how we are separated from God, and that He is the fulfillment of God’s plan to restore us to Him. Some religious systems deny the idea of sin and man’s separation from God. An examination of other systems show they employ a works-based (what I can do to obtain heaven / paradise). It’s all about your good deeds outweighing your bad deeds. The issue is we cannot possibly do enough good to cover the bad; that is what Christianity teaches. Just one act of sin, which offends an eternal God, is punishable by eternal separation from God. It took an act of God, Himself, to make things right. The only thing we do is respond to His invitation: we accept the gift of eternal life Jesus secured OR we turn our back and try it our own way. Option #2 will not succeed. If it did, Jesus didn’t need to come here and be crucified. If we could make things right on our own, God would let us and accept it. BUT that is not what the Bible teaches.
If you take the time to look at other religions and their teachings, I recommend reading Andy Wrasman’s Contradict: They Can’t All Be True. Andy does an amazing job summarizing the main tenants of the major worldviews and doing a compare / contrast against each of them and Christianity. It all boils down to this: truth. Which worldview claims absolute truth? Each worldview makes claims, but where one differs from another there are two possibilities. Both could be wrong in their opposing claims, but both cannot be right. If one is proven true, any other teaching contrary to that truth is false. So, if Jesus spoke truth as recorded in John 14:6, all other religions are false. It’s Jesus OR nothing.
~In Christ!
[1] J. Warner Wallace, Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World That Rejects the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2021).
[2] J. Warner Wallace, Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World That Rejects the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2021).
[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Jn 14:6.
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