2. Why the God of the Christians?

So there is a Mind behind this universe. Traditions and religions around the world bear out the idea that men inherently know that this is true. But who is right? Which religion, which god, is the true one?

The first viewpoint to examine is the one that believes every religion valid. We have to realize, right off the bat, that this is an inherently contradictory belief. It sounds good at first, but with just a little digging we find that a big problem lie beneath the surface. 

If all faiths are true, then Judaism and Christianity are both equally true. But Jews say that Jesus was not the Christ, and Christians say that he was. How can these two opposite beliefs both be correct? How can Hinduism, which has 330,000 "personal gods", be compatible with Islam, which has one God, Allah, and absolutely none other? Look at it logically, it's simply not possible.

All religions cannot be true. There is only one absolute truth.   

So, what is this truth?

From a summary of Ravi Zacharias' book Jesus Among Other Gods, "Our greatest hunger...is for a consummate relationship that combines the physical and the spiritual, that engenders both awe and love, and that is expressed in celebration and commitment." We all feel a longing for God, but at the same time an utter unworthiness. We are separated, alienated, from the God of the universe. We may deny it, but there is a vacuum in our souls and a search for the divine in all of us. However it is a search; we are not born into friendship with God, we are all looking for the way to Him. 


Let's look at what the God of the Christian religion says about this.


Jesus addresses the problem of separation head-on, saying that all have fallen short of God's perfect holiness. No one can live up to their own standard of morality, much less the standard of an all-righteous God! We are not worthy to be His slaves, much less his friends. Our sin is the thing that stands like a vast canyon between us and God's righteousness. 

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins...."

But the Christian God didn't just give us more rules to try to make our sinful lives run smoother, instead He did something amazing and completely out of the box - He sent a mediator - absolutely perfect and innocent God, at the same time mortal Man - who could take the penalty for sin upon Himself and thereby give humans a free pardon. He didn't try to make fallen men better, He extended grace.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions...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." 

A mediator was the only one who could properly do the job of reconciliation. There is only one great religious leader who claimed to be the exclusive direct way to God. Christianity is completely based upon this person: Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ.

So here is the next question: was Jesus the real, true God-Man? Come back for the next post-

The Messiah Jesus: Fact or Fiction?

P.S. I got a lot of information from the documentary 

The Case For Faith, so thanks to Lee Strobel!

Burnside Church, Wairarapa, New Zealand, 10 December 2005

Originally uploaded by PhillipC