Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved"
(Acts 4:12 NIV)
INTRODUCTION
We often get the impression that Christianity is dying out in Australia. It’s commonly thought that in our multicultural society, other religions are taking over. Statistics from the 2001 census give us an interesting picture.
• 67% Christian
• 1.9% Buddhists
• 0.5% Hindu
• 1.5% Muslim
• 0.4% Jewish
• 15.5% No religion
Also, worldwide Christianity is by far the largest “religion” with 1, 700 million adherents (or 32% of the pop). There are 880 million Muslims, 663 million Hindus, and 311 million Buddhists. Atheists (no God), amount to only 4.5% of the world population.
But even if Christianity is the predominant religion in the world today, we still have to face the question of what Christianity has to say about other religions. We live in a media saturated world that has made us aware of other faiths.
Today I want to clear up some common misconceptions about religion in Australia. And the first myth that people often believe is that all religions are basically the same.
1. The first myth about religion is that all religions are basically the same.
All religions are not basically the same and they do not worship the same god under different names. Buddhists for example, don’t even have a god in their belief system. And among all the world religions, Jesus Christ is unique. Buddhists, Muslims and Mormons may accept Christ as a prophet – but they do not accept him as the one and only Son of God as Christians do.
Jesus said,
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”
(John 14:6 NIV)
Once, God used the apostles Peter and John to heal a crippled man. They were arrested for it and put on trial. When they were asked by what power they were able to heal this man, Peter said that it was ….
“by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” and that “salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)
Peter is saying plainly that Jesus is the only one who can save. And his answer is consistent with the rest of the Bible.
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 1:5 NIV)
No other world religion claims to have a Savior. But we’ve seen that the Bible says,
… salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)
We all need a Saviour because we have all sinned. Yet only Christianity offers a Saviour – and that is Jesus Christ. So it doesn’t take too much homework to discover that all religions are not the same.
2. All other religions are completely false.
The second myth about religion is commonly held by Christians and that is that all other religions are completely false.
Jesus said, “I am the Truth” – so Christians will hold Jesus up as the standard by which other truth claims should be measured. But that doesn’t mean we won’t find elements of the truth in other religions. In fact we should expect to find some truth in all religions.
a. Creation
The reason for this is that God has revealed himself in his creation.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of his hands (Psalm 19:1 NIV).
All religions operate within God’s creation – therefore all religions have available to them certain truths about God – that are revealed to all people regardless of the faith, through creation.
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Romans 1:20 NIV).
b. Conscience
Secondly, you and I are made in the image of God. God made you to be like him – and God gave you a conscience so you can determine right from wrong. And most people know right from wrong instinctively – this is because they are like God.
When outsiders who have never heard of God’s law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience. They show that God’s law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God’s yes and no, right and wrong
(Romans 2:14-15 MSG)
So we shouldn’t be surprised when we discover things like “the golden rule” of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” – contained in almost every world religion. It’s because God created us all with a conscience.
3. Christians are narrow-minded to think Jesus is the only way to heaven.
The third myth about religion is that Christians are narrow-minded to think Jesus is the only way to heaven. But this is not narrow minded – it’s rational.
For example, if your baby was jaundiced, and a doctor told you that exposure to a special light would cure your baby – you would do it. Is that narrow minded? Is it narrow minded to listen to the advice of a doctor who has the credentials to back him up? No, it’s rational.
Likewise, when Jesus says your sin has made you sick and if you don’t deal with it, it will kill you – it’s not narrow minded to listen to his advice. It’s rational, because Jesus has the credentials to back him up.
CONCLUSION
There are a number of myths that people hold about religion in Australia – but what should we do about it?
First and foremost –you cannot face God and say, “I never heard of you.” There is no escape. The Bible says …
… how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? (Hebrews 2:3 NIV)
God will ultimately hold each one of us accountable for our response to him. Our response to him in this life will be his response to us in the next. Welcome him now and he will welcome you then. Reject him now and he will reject you then.
Second we don’t need to attack other religions – we simply need to show that Christ is the better way - - - and be gracious about knowing that he’s the only way.
Third, we must respect people of other faiths. All people were made in the image and likeness of God regardless of their faith. Jesus died for all people.
And finally we need to be courageous. People need Jesus – and speaking about him can make you unpopular. But in today’s world where it seems we live in a spiritual free-for-all, we have great opportunities for sharing our faith – and your story is as legitimate as anyone else’s.
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