CE 1 YEAR: 1 Christianity

Week 1

Christianity

The unique person of Jesus Christ

A follower of Jesus asked Him how he could go to the Eternal Paradise of Heaven to be with God. Jesus replied that He was the only way to Heaven, that His teaching was the only truth about Heaven, and that He was the only one who could give someone eternal life (John 14:1-6). Jesus was saying that only He can rescue you from God’s punishment for your sins because He is the only acceptable and qualified mediator between you and God (Acts 4:12; 1 Tim 2:5).

This is one of the most remarkable statements Jesus Christ ever made. No other leader of a major world religion has ever said anything like it. It is one of many things that are unique about Jesus Christ. You cannot put Him in the same class as other leaders of major religions.

For example, none of the leaders of major religions ever claimed to be God in the flesh. But Jesus said that anyone who saw or heard Him, had seen and heard God because God lived in Him (John 14:9-11).

Likewise, Buddha said, “I am only a teacher in search of the truth.” But over 100 times Jesus is recorded in the Bible beginning His statements with, “I tell you the truth.”

Confucius said, “I never claimed to be holy.” But Jesus challenged even His enemies to truthfully accuse Him of a real sin. And none of them could (Mark 14:55-59; John 8:46).

Mohammed knew he was a sinner and said, “Unless God throws his cloak of mercy over me, I have no hope.” But Jesus said He had the authority on Earth to forgive sins (Matt 9:6).

None of these religious leaders were known for miracle working. But Jesus did amazing miracles everywhere He went (Matt 8:1-17). Christians believe that the unique miracle-working abilities of Jesus Christ is evidence that He alone came from God and spoke for Him.

Of course the greatest and most unique miracle about Jesus was His resurrection. Every other religious leader in the world has died and is still dead. But Jesus promised that after He was dead for three days, He would come back to life. And He did! (Matt 16:21; 27:57-28:15).

Jesus told a group of religious leaders something He would say to all founders of the world’s religions. He said: He was from Heaven and they were merely from the Earth; that He belonged to Heaven, but they did not; that if they did not believe in who He claimed to be, their sins would never be forgiven. He said to them, “I tell you the truth,” if anyone obeys His teachings they will never die (John 8:23-24, 51). No mere human could ever truthfully say such things. Jesus did because He was God.

Statements like this led the Oxford Professor C. S. Lewis to remark about Jesus Christ:

Either this man is the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. Let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

Now it seems obvious to me that He was neither a lunatic nor a devil. Consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God.

Likewise, the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte wrote:

I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no comparison. Alexander the Great, Caesar Augustus, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires; but on what foundation did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded an empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.

Mahatma Gandhi described Jesus as, “A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.”

With such a unique and powerful founder, it is not surprising that Christianity is the largest religion in the world with over 2 billion claiming to be followers. K. S. Latourette, Professor of History at Yale University wrote: “As the centuries pass, the evidence is accumulating that, measured by His effect on history, Jesus is the most influential life ever lived on this planet.”

B) The unique beliefs & book of Christianity

Christianity’s teachings are unique from other world religions. The following are ten primary Christian beliefs:

1. The Christian Scriptures are the only sure source of God’s word to humans (2 Tim 3:16).
2. God is three perfectly united Persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (John 1:1-3, 18; 2 Cor 3:17-18; Matt 28:19).
3. God the Son, Jesus Christ, came to Earth by being born as a man through a virgin woman by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matt 1:20-23).
4. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life, sacrificed His life to pay for the sins of others, and rose from the dead to prove it (John 8:46; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 Cor 15:3-8).
5. People cannot pay the penalty of their sins by doing good deeds (Rom 3:20; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8-9).
6. Trusting in Christ’s death to pay for your sins is the only way to be forgiven by God (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim 2:5).
7. Christians are given eternal forgiveness and life that can never be taken from them, and they can be absolutely certain they possess these things and will go to eternal Paradise (John 6:37-40; 1 John 5:13).
8. Followers of Christ are permanently indwelled with the Holy Spirit, recreating them spiritually, resulting in a new desire and supernatural ability to obey God and love people (John 3:5-6; Eph 1:13-14; 2 Cor 5:17; Eph 4:22-24; Gal 5:22-23).
9. There is an evil being called the Devil who, with his demons, invisibly deceives and rules the anti-Christian people of the world (John 8:43-45; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 6:12; 1 John 3:8-10; 5:19).
10. Jesus Christ will come again, defeat all His enemies, and establish His righteous reign in a perfect Paradise on a New Earth forever (Matt 24:29-31; 2 Thess 1:6-10; 1 Cor 15:20-28; Rev 21:1-5).

Some of these beliefs reveal another uniqueness of Christianity. It is a loving relationship with God based on grace and acceptance, not a harsh religion based on fear and performance. Your forgiveness and acceptance from God are based on that relationship, not on following rules.

What are the beliefs of Christians based on? The Christian Bible which is inspired by God (2 Tim 3:16). The Bible is by far the most printed book in the world with 3 billion copies. It is also by far the most translated book, being read in over 2000 languages. This is because the Bible has transformed more lives than any other book on Earth.

Why should you believe the Christian Bible contains words from God? First, the history of the events recorded in it have been confirmed by historians and archeologists. The people described in the Bible were real people, including Jesus Christ. Albert Einstein said, “No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.”

Secondly, nothing in science has disproved the Bible. In fact, the more you discover about Creation’s intricate design, the more evidence you have that God created the world just like the Bible teaches.

Thirdly, scholars have concluded that there are 737 predicted events in Scripture. Scholars have also demonstrated that over 600 of the Bible’s predictions have already come true exactly when and how they were supposed to. No other book or writings in the world contain fulfilled prophecies like the Christian Scriptures. This is because only the Bible was inspired by God who alone can predict the future.

Over 100 of the fulfilled predictions in the Bible were perfectly fulfilled by Jesus Christ. For example, around 700 B.C. the Prophet Isaiah predicted that Jesus would be born of a virgin (Isa 7:14). About 700 years later Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, claiming and uniquely proving He was God in a human body.

All of this is proof that the remaining 130 some prophecies in the Bible will also come true. These primarily refer to the Second Coming of Christ to gather and bless His followers and judge the rest of the world.

C) The unique love of Christianity

The religion that has the most love is the most likely to be from the real God. Christians have proven to be among the most loving people in the world. They have started, served, and funded more hospitals, schools, orphanages, and relief agencies for children, women’s rights, slavery, poverty, natural disasters, and famine, than all other religions combined.

In his book, What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?, Dr. D. James Kennedy repeatedly documents his claim: “Despite its humble origins, Christianity has made more changes on earth for the good than any other movement or force in history.” Real Christians love people like no one else in the world. And they prove to the world that they are true followers of Jesus because of how much Christians love one another (John 13:34-35).

Of course, there are too many people who claim to be Christians but do not act like it (Matt 7:21-23). As we will see later in this study, God forbids anyone to claim they are a Christian if they do not supernaturally love people. Real Christians are the most patient, kind, hard-working, honest, and loving people you will know. And our unique love gives Christians a reason to claim they know the only way to God and Heaven.

Why do Christians have a unique power to unconditionally love people? Because God lives in them through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (John 14:17; Eph 1:13). This is surely another very unique thing about Christians. God has recreated them into a different species of human being that is spiritually alive instead of dead (John 3:3-8; 2 Cor 5:17; Eph 2:1, 5).

Practical Application: Did the love of a Christian attract you to Christianity? What did they do to make you think there was something different about them? This week plan how you will demonstrate unconditional love to a non-Christian. And then do it!

In your small group meeting this week, share praises and prayer requests and then discuss these questions:

1. What is unique about Jesus Christ? What does this mean about the value of other religions?
2. This chapter lists at least 10 unique beliefs of Christianity. Which ones do you especially value? Are there any you struggle to understand or believe?
3. What is unique about the Bible?
4. What is unique about Christians?
5. What are some of your favorite things about Christianity?
6. How has Jesus Christ changed your life?
7. How could you demonstrate supernatural love to a non-Christian this week?
8. What was especially meaningful to you in this chapter? Why?