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Every religion has its own uniqueness. However, most of the religions have some common grounds to relate to other religions.
Many Christians believe that the Christian faith is not only unique as a religious system but also has some uniqueness in what it offers in terms of faith, experience, and hope, which other religions do not or cannot offer.
My question is to Evangelical Christians. If the above assumption is true what is the evidence?
C.S. Lewis answered this question:
During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began eliminating possibilities. Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of gods' appearing in human form. Resurrection? Again, other religions had accounts of return from death. The debate went on for some time until C. S. Lewis wandered into the room. "What's the rumpus about?" he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity's unique contribution among world religions. Lewis responded, "Oh, that's easy. It's grace."1
I agree - if I had to summarise it in one word, it would be "Grace". Most other religions require people to try really, really hard to be worthy enough. Only in Christianity does God himself come to us to make us worthy, not as a reward for our hard work but as a free gift of grace.
I think that is the fundamental thing which distinguishes Christianity from other religions.
It is impossible to speak for every other religion without knowing what every other religion teaches. However, I can give a brief summary of what I believe is unique about Christianity.
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23 NKJV
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 NKJV
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 NKJV
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 NKJV
“not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,” Titus 3:5 NKJV
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:4-9 NKJV
Christianity teaches that all of us have sinned and are deservedly condemned to death. But in spite of our unworthiness, God loves us and sent Jesus Christ to save us. Christ died for us while we were still sinners, while undeserving of His mercy. The salvation He offers is based on His goodness and faithfulness, not by any righteousness or good works on our part. It is a gift we receive, not a reward that we earn.
In short, Christianity is a religion that is based on God who sacrifices Himself for our salvation, rather than us sacrificing ourselves to convince Him to save us. That may be unique to Christianity.
However, there is a sense in which we sacrifice ourselves.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1 NKJV
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 NKJV
But our sacrifice and our good works are not for the purpose of earning salvation; they are our response to God’s free gift of grace.
Christianity is the only religion, that I know of, that gives a reasonable explanation and a further revelation of the history of the Jewish people.
The recorded history of the Jews in the Old Testament scriptures is the most comprehensive documentation on earth covering a period of four thousand years, written and preserved meticulously by an entire nation, generation by generation.
Many issues were left unresolved by that documentation : the succession of kings, the promise of a Messiah, the resolution of sins, the fact of mankind's sinfulness, the fulfillment of what was set forth in rituals and artifacts and the question of who, exactly, the God of Israel was and how he could be known, personally.
All of this is fully revealed and realised in the coming of Jesus Christ and in the gospel which, in a range of doctrine, explains all that ever came before in Israel.
What is revealed is that the God of Adam, of Abel, of Enoch, of Noah, of Elihu, of Job, of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob and of Joseph . . .
. . . of Moses, of Joshua, of Phinehas, of Caleb . . .
. . . of Gideon and Deborah and Barak and Jephthah and Samson . . .
. . . of Samuel and all the prophets, of David the king and Hezekiah and Josiah . . .
. . . is the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This astounding revelation is not seen, anywhere on earth, in any comparable form, in any structured and coherent doctrinal explanation, other than in Christianity.
Not only so, but this religion conveys a unique revelation : that of the Church, the Body of Christ (who is the Head of a new humanity).
And more than that, it reveals the end of the world, the judgment of all mankind and the creation of new heavens and a new earth.
All matters from the beginning of time are fully resolved in the coming, the sufferings, the death, the resurrection, the ascension, the current reign and the future return of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, born of the virgin Mary, declared to be the only begotten Son of God and Head over all things to the Church, His body and bride.
