The reason I believe this statement is because of my understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done for us.

1) Who is Jesus? As we read the four biographies of Jesus in the New Testament (the Gospels) we see a clear portrayal of who his followers thought he was, and especially his claims for himself. He identifies himself as the unique Son of God. C.S. Lewis, reflecting on these claims comes to the conclusions that one can take three positions with regard to them:

- That he was a lunatic (crazy). All kinds of mentally deficient people make outlandish claims for themselves.

- That he was a liar. He was impressed with his own importance, and assumed titles and descriptions that he knew were not true to convince others to worship and follow him.

- That he is Lord. In other words, that he was/is who he claims to be.

(I am aware that Professor Richard Dawkins of Oxford University feels there is a 4th option. That Jesus was mistaken. He really thought he was the Son of God, but just got confused.)

Jesus is a unique and universally appreciated figure, for his wise teaching and his beautiful life. Few would say he was crazy, a liar, or just mistaken. However, when we analyze his message and especially his claims for who he thought himself to be, we see that he was deadly serious as to his identity. The religious leaders of his day recognized his claims, condemned him as a dangerous heretic, and killed him. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one can come to the Father [God] except by me” (John 14:6).

No other religion has a figure like him, though some, like Hinduism, would like to embrace him as one of their own. He is absolutely unique in being Divine.

2) What did he do for us? The other aspect that makes Jesus unique is showing us what God is like and dying for our sins. The Old Testament gives us ample appreciation for the holiness of God and his hatred for sin. We learn what constitutes sin, as we read of the revelation of God’s law and his character, and we read of the consequences. Isaiah thunders (59:2) “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Paul reminds us, “The wages of sin is death.” The only remedy is sacrifice. John the Baptist introduces Jesus as “the lamb of God what takes away the sin of the world.” Other religions speak of sin but have no Savior, hoping that if there is a God who judges all men and women that their good deeds will outweigh their faults.

As we study other religions, we discover they have many teachings and convictions that are helpful and good. However, in my own study, I have come to the conclusion that:

- There is nothing I have found in other religions that are positive that we don’t have in Christ.

- There are key elements in Christianity, such as what I have noted above, that no other religions have.

- One cannot come to Jesus by way of another religion. He invites us to come to him directly.

I trust that these thoughts will be helpful to you.