Religions are NOT all the same

I was reading in Acts 3 and 4 this morning and, following our celebration of Christ's resurrection yesterday, the passage spoke to my heart. Without going into specific detail about every religion man has ever pursued, I will simply say, all religions are NOT the same.

What do I mean by "religion"? The Oxford dictionary gives as a definition: "The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. ... A particular system of faith and worship."

Many today try to teach the concept that all religions are the same. They claim there are many ways to God (if he truly exists). No one religion is better than any other religion. We must treat all religions the same. But I do not believe that for a second nor does the Bible teach such nonsense.

Jesus has died on the cross, arose from the dead, appeared to over 500 people, and ascended into heaven. Then, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended and the apostles became dynamic witnesses for Jesus. In Acts 3, Peter and John heal a lame man and call upon the unbelievers to repent. The Apostles are seized by the priests and Sadducees at the beginning of chapter 4. What disturbed these religious zealots is noted in verse 2.

"Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead."

The message of the resurrection offended them and they wanted that message stopped. These two apostles appeared before the high priest and were asked by what power they healed the lame man. Peter gives the answer very clearly beginning in verse 10.

"Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

There it is. Christianity stands unique from other religions because it has a unique Savior. There is one and only one name by which men may be saved and that name is Jesus Christ. The proof that this is the case is the FACT that Jesus has been raised from the dead by God. He is a unique Savior. He is the only Savior of men given by God.

I may be viewed as simplistic, but if God has provided only one means of salvation, then true faith and worship must include this means of salvation. In other words, the only true religion is the faith and worship which teaches Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation.

True religion must be centered on Jesus Christ. Therefore, Christianity must be the only, true religion.

And the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead proves it.

Knowing Others in Heaven: Answering a Question from a Younger Brother

To Nolan, my younger brother in Christ:

On Sunday evening your mother asked me a question which she said you wanted to ask me.  I’m very grateful you have questions.  That’s a good indication that God’s Spirit is at work within you as you grow each day to be more like your Savior. 

I tried to answer the question which led to related questions and, afterward, decided I would write this post to put my answers in writing.  So here are my thoughts on what we will look like when we are resurrected and whether we will know one another.

God created us as beings having both a physical (our body) and a spiritual (our soul or spirit) component (Genesis 2:7).  He intends for us to live eternally in that form.  At death our soul goes to be with Christ while our body goes to the grave.  But there will be a future resurrection in which Christ will raise (and change) our physical body and reunite it with our soul and that will be our resurrected body (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).  Such a resurrection is found in both the Old and New Testaments in numerous passages.  Probably the best single passage to review concerning the resurrection body is 1 Corinthians chapter 15.

Scripture indicates we will be given a resurrected body which is like Christ’s resurrected body.  Based on the Bible’s description of Jesus’ resurrected body as well as other passages in the New Testament which describes this future body, we may say that:

1.  Our resurrection body will have flesh.

2.  Our resurrection body will be able to eat food.

3.  Our resurrection body has speech capability.

4.  Our resurrection body is capable of normal, human activities.

5.  Our resurrection body may appear and disappear.

6.  Our resurrection body has a recognizable appearance.

7.  Our resurrection body will not actually be fully new.

8.  Our resurrection body will be incorruptible (no decay, no sickness, no death).

9.  Our resurrection body will be glorious.

10.  Our resurrection body will be powerful.

11. Our resurrection body will be a spiritual body (controlled totally by the spirit).

12.  Our resurrected body will be a heavenly body, one designed for its eternal environment.  In other words, we will be “right at home” in it.

The truth of our future resurrection often leads to the question:  “Will we recognize others in heaven?”  Scripture does not directly answer this question but I believe there is enough evidence to conclude that the correct answer is “Yes”.  Here is some of that evidence.

1.  At the mount of transfiguration (Matthew 17), Jesus is transformed before the eyes of Peter, James, and John.  Suddenly Moses and Elijah appear on the mountain with him.  There is no indication in Scripture that anyone introduced Peter to these two men yet he recognized them.  There were no photographs or videos or trading cards containing Moses’ and Elijah’s image so someone must have told Peter who they were.  The Bible does not say how he knew who they were but, based on Peter’s confession in Matthew 16, I believe the Father revealed their identities to him.

If God the Father can suddenly reveal to Peter the identities of two men he has never met, could He not do the same for us in heaven?

2.  In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16), the rich man in Hades recognizes both Lazarus and Abraham.  While he may have known Lazarus in life, he had never met Abraham.  Again, someone must have revealed Abraham’s identity to him.

3.  When Jesus was raised from the dead and given a resurrection body (remember, our resurrection body will be like His), Jesus recognized others.  Of course, Jesus was God in the flesh so He possessed omniscience and knew all things.  Nevertheless, I think the fact He did recognize others after His death and resurrection, is evidence that we will too.

4.  In the institution of the Lord’s Supper Jesus said “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:29).  Jesus indicates there will be a day in glory when He sits down with His followers and they drink together (which also indicates our resurrection body will be able to drink!).  Drinking together is a form of fellowship and to fellowship with one another you need some knowledge of who they are.

Again, the Bible is very silent on this subject.  A related matter on which Scripture says little is the topic concerning what will we look like in heaven?  In other words, will my resurrected body be my body at age 2 or age 10 or age 30 or age 65?  Will those who know me see me at an age in which they remembered me?  In other words will my parents see me as a young boy while me church friends see me as an adult? 

I can’t find much in the Scripture on this specific matter.  But I have drawn some conclusions which I want to share with you.  I challenge you to do your own study of God’s Word and see what you think.

1.  Jesus, whose resurrection body is our model, was seen as an adult of the same age He had at his death.  Everyone who saw the resurrected Lord saw Him as an adult.  Remember, His resurrection body even contained the marks of His crucifixion.

2.  Moses and Elijah at the Mount of Transfiguration also appeared as adults.

3.  I cannot recall any Scripture which describes resurrected saints as looking like children.

4.  Nothing in Scripture leads me to believe that our appearance, in terms of age, varies between individuals.  Our resurrection body is a physical body, not a body which morphs.

So I believe we will appear as adults to everyone.  But I can also tell you that our resurrected body will NOT age.  We will NOT grow older in appearance.  Such aging is a mark of sin.  Our present body breaks down over time.  Our resurrected bodies, however, will have no sin and, therefore, will not age in appearance.  It will never get sick and it will never die.

After I explain to folks why I believe we will appear as adults in our resurrected bodies, usually the next question asked is “How old of an adult?  20, 30, 40, 50?”  Well, once again, Scripture does not reveal this to us.

But I do have a sense of what we might find when we finally receive our resurrection bodies.  When God created this universe and made man in His image, He created man as an adult in the Garden of Eden.  Furthermore, Adam was created without sin or a sin nature.  His body, therefore, would not age in terms of appearance.  The aging process began when he sinned and his physical body began to die.  I think our resurrected bodies will be like that of Adam at creation.  No more sin, no more aging, no more death.  We will appear to one another as adults “in the prime of life”.  And we will know one another.   

I hope this helps you better understand the Scripture, Nolan.  I suspect it will raise even more questions for you.  Don’t be afraid to ask other Christians (for example, your parents or me) for answers.  Asking questions is a great way to grow in Jesus.

Pastor Bruce

Why Christianity?

I have been asked several times over the years why I believe the teachings of Christianity but reject the beliefs of the other religions of the world.  In our politically correct society we are constantly told that each religion is valid, each will get its followers to God (or whatever they call God), and no one can judge another's religion.  Well, I completely disagree.  They can't all be right.  In fact, they are NOT all correct.  Christianity is the only true religion and the only way to God.

So why do I believe this?  There are many reasons but I will only list a few in no particular order.

1.  The resurrection of its founder and leader.

Jesus Christ is the only founder and leader of a great world religion who is no longer in the tomb!  God has raised Him from the dead following His crucifixion partly to attest to God's acceptance of Christ's work on the cross.  When the founder and leader of a religion has come back to life then its time to sit up and take notice!  Not all religions ARE the same after all!

I realize there are many who would interject their denial of the resurrection at this point of the argument.  To counter such a denail would take more time and print than I wish to give on the subject at the moment.  However, here are some thoughts why I believe any denial of the resurrection to be foolish.

(1)  The history recorded by contemporaries of the 1st century apostles confirm the existence of a great prophet/teacher named Jesus of Nazareth.  Furtermore, they confirm he was executed by the Romans.  To deny the historical existence of Jesus is foolish in the light of the evidence.

(2)  If the teachings and historical events of Jesus (such as the resurrection) were untrue, it is highly unlikely that most of the closest followers of Jesus in the 1st century would give their lives for such falsehoods.

(3)  If you view Jesus as a great teacher or moral leader then you must answer the question:  What do I do with Jesus' own claims?  He claimed He would die for sin.  He claimed He would rise from the dead.  He even claimed, "No man can come to the Father but through Me."  The famous argument used by many concludes Jesus must either be a Legend (not possible given the historical evidence), Liar (some moral leader!), a Lunatic (some great teacher!), or exactly who He claimed to be:  LORD.

(4)  His resurrection attests to the truth that Jesus is Lord.

2.  I also believe Christianity to be the only true religion because of the profound impact on the entire world for good it has had when truly practiced as Christ taught.

Yes, Christians still commit evil, sinful acts on occasion.  However, no religion has had such a positive impact on the world as Christianity.  Seriously, does Islam impact the world for good (treatment of women, killing non-Muslims, etc.)?

3.  I have seen the lives of many individuals who have been changed by Christ.

The influence of Jesus and His teachings on the lives of many people have resulted in completely changed lives.  Individuals have been converted from a life of wickedness to a life of good.  Personally, I have witnessed such changes in others over my lifetime.  Furthermore, the changes which do occur in these individuals align with the very teachings of Jesus from the Scriptures.

4.  I know how Jesus changed my own life.

I believe in Jesus because of the Word of God.  Scripture gives me an objective basis for my faith.  The word tells me if I confess with my mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead, I will be saved.  I believed it and still do.

But I also believe in Jesus because of the subjective changes I have experienced in my own life as a result of repenting of my sin and trusting Christ.  I obeyed objectively the written Word of God and was subjectively changed by the Living Word of God, Jesus!  My nature, character, and life changed just before my 23rd birthday.  Things I never cared about (e.g., prayer, reading the Bible, going to church) became central to my life almost immediately.  Sinful acts I once engaged in at least weekly (some daily) I no longer practiced.  This wasn't my will power, no way!  Jesus Christ transformed me and is still transforming me today.

So those are some of the reasons I am a believer in Jesus.  Jesus claims to be the only way for a man to get right with God.  He was raised from the dead.  Others have been radically transformed by believing in Him.  I, too, have personally experienced this transformation.

Praise God!

If you have not you may.  The Word of God calls on us to repent (turn from) our sin.  And, as we turn from our sin, the Bible calls on us to trust (turn to) Christ.  Put your faith in Him.  Trust Him with the keeping of your soul and its ultimate delivery to God.