apologia


	Aren't all religions ultimately the same? Why is Christianity any different? What sets Christianity apart from any other spiritual belief is that it is more than a religion about a God. At the heart of our faith is a relationship with Jesus, who God sent to this earth to save humanity. So a Christian – a follower of Christ – is someone who believes and accepts three main claims of Jesus: 1) Jesus claimed to be God in human form. He did not say he was like a God, he said that he was God (John 10:30). His enemies tried to kill him for this claim, and Jesus’ followers were willing to die for it. Colossians 2:9 (The Message) says: "Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don't need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realise the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him." The concept of Jesus being God is the very foundation of Christianity. 2) Jesus claimed to rise from the dead and claims to be alive today. Anybody can claim to be God and some religions even suggest that we can all become God. Jesus’ claim to be God would have been meaningless unless he could prove it to the world. This is exactly what he did, performing miracles, forgiving sins (which only God can do) and receiving verbal confirmation from God that Jesus was his son (Matthew 3: 16-17). All of this would still have meant nothing if Jesus had not risen from the dead. Without his resurrection, Jesus’ death would have been pointless and so would our faith: "And if Christ wasn't raised, then all you're doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever.... If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we're a pretty sorry lot." 1 Corinthians 15: 17 & 19 (The Message). Of all the great spiritual leaders and teachers that ever lived, not one ever rose from the dead and not one claimed he would come back from the dead. Only Jesus made this claim and then made it happen. 3) Jesus invites his followers to enjoy a daily relationship with him on earth. No other religion proposes such an amazing familiarity with its founder. Everyone who accepts God's offer of salvation through Jesus can be in intimate contact with God. How? Jesus said that when he left the Earth, he would ask God to send the Holy Spirit "who leads into all truth" (John 14:17). It is the Holy Spirit that allows us to have this personal, ongoing and above all unique relationship with God. Now that is good news!
	Adapted from Bruce & Stan’s Guide to Cults, Religions and Spiritual Beliefs.