Christianity is Exclusively Different

So what sets Christianity apart in this battle of worldviews? There are many doctrines that make Christianity distinct from all other religions. But I am thinking of the one that makes our claim to exclusivity different from all others.

True Christianity has a profound effect upon its people. Listen to these words of Jesus:

Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

And then the words of Peter:

1 Peter 2:12
having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Jesus and Peter can say what they say about nonbelievers recognizing good behavior because they understand that the concept of goodness is embedded in all men as created in the image of God. All men have a sense of rightness and wrongness. All men are capable of doing outwardly "good" things (None of these good things are perfectly good, which is another topic). Jesus and Peter knew that nonbelievers will often be better than their mistaken beliefs could make them. For example, those who believe in evolution, if they take their arguments to their logical conclusions, they would realize there really is no moral standard outside of ourselves and survival of the fittest would kick in and we would all be dying. But there is still that something in even their hearts that keeps them from acting completely on their worldview.

On the other hand Christians also understand the universal sinfulness of mankind, including ourselves. This makes true Christians to understand that we will actually be worse than our beliefs should make us. In other words, we understand we will never be as good as we should be. You see, we are saved by grace, not by because we are good.

Jesus is the only man who ever lived who kept the law of God perfectly. He lived a perfectly sinless life. He then chose to lay down His life on behalf of those who would believe in Him (that is, put their trust and faith in His work). This is how it works: God the Father treated God the Son AS IF He had committed every sin of every person who would ever believe. The sins of those people were punished, Christ was punished for them. Jesus never became a sinner, but was treated as if He had been. The believers' sins and punishment were transferred to Him. But that is only half the transaction.

God, takes the perfect life of Jesus Christ and credits it to the account of the believer. God treats the believer AS IF he/she had never sinned and AS IF he/she had lived the life Christ lived. Christ's life is actually credited, imputed, transferred to the account of those who believe and God declares them Not Guilty. Just as Christ really did not sin but was treated as if He had, taking the punishment of our sins upon Himself...We are not really righteous in ourselves but treated as if we were, taking the life of Chirst and His reward upon ourselves.

Romans 4:17
(as it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations") in the presence of Him whom he believed--God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.

He calls us righteous who are not righteous in and of ourselves. We are righteous only in the sense that the righteousness of Christ has been credited to our account. When God sees us, He now sees us clothed and that clothing is the righteousness of Christ that covers our sins. Now, then, this sets Christianity apart in several ways.

But lets look at one here. One result of this truth is that there will actually be nonbelievers who are living morally superior lives than a Christian! But those morally superior lives are not enought to save them from the morally perfect demands of God's holiness. So believers cannot boast of moral superiority. On the contrary, we of all people should understand we have no merit in ourselves at all.

Jesus did not come to tell us how to live so we can merit salvation. He came to save us from our inability to do so. God saves those who recognize this need and the need for Jesus as their Substitute and Savior.

So what does all this mean in the discussion of Religious dialogue? Most religions, most worldviews, assume that one's spiritual condition depends on what you attain, what you do, what you work for, what you merit, what you achieve. This inevitably leads to a religion's followers to have a sense of moral superiority to those who don't believe as they do. The true Christian should not feel this at all.

That is what makes a Christian's experience different and should cause us to be humble in our approach to others. Now, if someone calls themselves Christian, but they add works to the gospel, then they will certaily fall into the category of those who will feel this moral superiority. That is not the true gospel. Salvation is by Grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone. And God initiates and finishes it in His own...He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. I have nothing on anyone in and of myself. But I am forgiven by the One who does.