There Is A Difference

There is a growing tide of people who call themselves Christians and who are calling on their fellow Christians to stop trying to claim that Christianity is right while everyone else is wrong. Our world, of course, is already there, but if you spend any time at all in the news, in the blogosphere, or talking to a lot of Christians, you'll find that the so-called Church is not far behind.

It's not really hard to figure out why. First, since all religions are protected, it stands to reason that all religions must be valid. No, not really, but it is easy to make that leap. Second, it is considered arrogant to claim you are right when so many others are wrong. It is Christian virtue, on the other hand, to be humble, so it would be Christian to stop claiming to be right when so many others are wrong. And, finally, there is the slow decay of any sense when it comes to that which distinguishes Christianity from any other religion. If there is no distinction, why would we claim that we are right and they are wrong? So Christians ease into the world's perspective that there is no difference between religions.

The best place to start with this error, I suppose, is at the basis. Is there anything that distinguishes Christianity from everyone else? You see, if there is an actual, substantial difference, then not all religions are equal and humility is misplaced.

It has been said that religion boils down to two basic concepts: The universal brotherhood of Man and the universal fatherhood of God. If that was the case, then we'd need to shut up about being distinct. It is not the case. Religions generally teach morality, and much of it is held in common. That makes them all the same, right? Perhaps. So what distinguishes Christianity from all other religions?

I'll give you a hint. Christianity is named after its founder -- Christ. What was distinctive about Christ? Well, He lived a perfect life, died in our place for our sins, and rose again. No one ... no one else has that distinction. This leads to the other distinctive. Every single religion in the world teaches that the way you get to heaven is by being good. Never mind that "good" must be defined as something arbitrary for this to work. The biblical standard is "perfect." At this point we obviously have a problem. If the standard is perfection, a single pecadillo places each of us in the category of "in debt." We owe perfection and cannot provide it. We cannot achieve "good enough."

The primary distinctive in Christianity that is not found in any other religion is that salvation comes through Christ, not by works. The primary distinctive is that perfection is attributed, not merited. The primary distinctive is a judicial righteousness -- a declared righteousness -- not an owned righteousness. Here, let me put it simply. Christianity holds that you do not get to heaven by being good; you get to heaven purely as a gift.

Now, for some reason this has been largely forgotten. I understand that the world never got it. Of course they didn't. But it's being forgotten (or missed ... or rejected) by Christians. Those who preach a "social gospel" seem to have missed it. Those who argue that "Christian" is largely "moral" seem to have missed it. They have gotten the cart before the horse. They've mistaken effect for cause. And they have made Christianity indistinct. If you are among those who forgot or missed this, take another look. It's sprinkled clearly and loudly throughout the Bible. Salvation is a gift -- something given, not earned. It is not of works. And if I need to list references for it, you haven't read your Bible enough. That would likely be a good place to start.