Is Christianity Unique?
What makes Christians unique? Let us look at the definition of unique according to Webster’s New World Dictionary (1996). It is defined as, one and only; different from all others; having no like or equal. I can recall a statement from a friend in the past, “all religions are like comic books, they are all basically the same and are nothing more then a personal preference”. In my opinion, there was an underlying assumption within the body of his original question. That assumption was one that, Christianity itself lacked the evidence to be considered unique in relation to the other religions of the world. In this gentleman’s mind and heart he had yet to be exposed to a biblical worldview. Therefore, his secular worldview provided his assumption which led to his point of view. Within this paper, it is my desire to speak to the question of, “what makes Christians unique”. We will dig deep into four major areas that truly separate Christianity from all other religions, consequently providing adequate information pertaining to the uniqueness of Christians.
The first argument I would like to make, is the simple uniqueness of the Bible itself. I would challenge anyone to provide for me a book, which had been written over a 1500 year time frame, by more than 40 different authors, on three continents, and in three different languages, which in turn provides us with one unifying message (McDowell, 1993). That message is one of the creation, fall and redemption of man through Gods sacrifice for us on the cross. I would contend that if we just looked for five different authors, who wrote in one language, on one continent and just within a 20 year time frame, we would end up with a conglomeration of work without a unifying purpose or direction.
Continuing on when analyzing the uniqueness of the Bible itself, we must take a look at the historical accuracy of this book that Christians claim to follow. Once again, I am drawn to many conversations in the past, where well meaning individuals had not critically examined the facts and evidence pertaining to the historicity of the Bible. I have heard the comments; “the Bible is just a fairy tale, it has been changed over time, or we just cannot simply trust this book and its claims as true reliable history”. Let us first listen to the words of William F. Allbright, one of the world’s greatest archeologists. “There can be no doubt that archeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of Old Testament tradition” (McDowell, 1993, p.92). Allbright adds: “The excessive skepticism shown toward the Bible by important historical schools of the 18th and 19th Centuries, certain phases of which still appear periodically, has been progressively
discredited. Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has sought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history (p.92)”.
Of course we do not want to leave out the New Testament as well, when it comes to uniqueness through historical reliability. Once again the Bible passes the test again pertaining to our original definition of unique; having no like or equal. “For example, the time span from the original manuscript to the oldest existing manuscripts of Caesar, Aristotle, or Plato range from 1000 to 1400 years. The time span from the original writing of the New Testament to oldest existing partial manuscripts or fragments of the New Testament, though, is only about fifty years. Besides that, there are more manuscripts to back up the New Testament than any other work of antiquity (Howse, 2005, p.194)”. The New Testament is supported by over 24,000 historical manuscripts (Howse, 2005). The second most verified work of history, which is Homers Iliad, only produces over 600 manuscripts (p.194). The verdict is in, and the facts that determine this case point directly to the uniqueness of the Bible itself. Consequently, followers of a unique book could conceivably be called unique people.
If we can determine through careful evaluation that the Bible itself is unique, then let us reason socratically and go a little deeper within the actual claims of the Bible itself. In today’s day and age we hear many people acknowledge the fact that Jesus Christ was a good man with a good message. Although, that claim in and of itself may be true, it certainly would not fit into our definition of unique. The second powerful, life changing, and unique characteristic of the Bible which super cedes all other claims, is the fact that Jesus Christ was in fact, God in the flesh and without sin. If one is to examine other religions of the world, one very powerful unique factor of Christianity is the sinless life of Jesus Christ. Whether it is Mohammed, Buddha, Confucius, or a Hindu Swami, none have claimed or will ever claim to be without sin. Jesus himself stated, “Which of you truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me (John 8:46, New Living Translation)”? Peter stated, “For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone (1 Peter 2:21,22, New Living Translation)”. I am drawn to a vivid example of this unique powerful attribute of Christianity. If we all are ultimately drowning in a sea of sin, which Romans 3:10 tells us, then we are in need of a spiritual lifeguard to bring us out. John 14:6 tells us Jesus Christ is the only spiritual lifeguard capable to jump in and save us from the wages of sin which lead to death according to Romans 6:23. If we are to be saved from sin then we must have access to a God
without sin. Argument number two is once again convincing and sharper then any two edged sword, as the word of God rings true with supreme uniqueness.
The foundation and groundwork has been set, but now it is time for the cherry on top. The apostle Paul stated, “And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless (1 Cor. 15:14, New Living Translation)”. As Christians we are unique from all others due to the fact that we serve a sinless risen savior. Jesus Christ conquered death by rising from the grave in order to give us victory over sin and death. All who preceded him and all who have followed him claiming to be truth are rotting away in graves, while Jesus Christ was resurrected and is alive. Pastor Frank Harber states, “Many people have died for a cause they believed was true even though it was false; however, no one ever eagerly dies for a cause knowing it to be false. Christianity could have never endured had these first Christians not believed in the resurrection. The tenacity of these early eyewitnesses in the face of death testifies to the truth that the resurrection must have occurred (Howse, 2006, p.105)”. We have already established the historical accuracy of the Bible; therefore let us examine the text of 1 Cor. 15. Within that text the apostle Paul informs us that the resurrected Christ had appeared to over 500 people at one time. He also continues on to let us know that when the text was written the majority of these people were still alive and could be questioned. To paraphrase from Josh McDowell’s book, A Ready Defense (1993), if each of these 500 eyewitnesses were to testify in a court of law for only six minutes each, you would have a mind boggling 50 hours of eyewitness testimony. Let us also examine the apostle Paul and James the brother of Jesus prior to the resurrection. The apostle Paul, who was called Saul of Tarsus, was feared by the Christian Church as he strived to stamp out these unique followers of Christ. It was not until Saul who later became Paul had an encounter with the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus, that his life was turned completely upside down. Although James was very close to Jesus himself, he was of the same mind set of the Pharisees, as he did not follow Jesus and even could be found
mocking him. Both of these men had been radically transformed after encounters with the risen Lord. Once persecutors they became leaders within the early church and martyred for their devotion. Once again let us hearken back to Pastor Harbers word that, “no one ever eagerly dies for a cause knowing it to be false (p.194)”. Finally we can look right to the men who walked side by side with Jesus Christ, the disciples. When Jesus was captured all the disciples fled. During the trial of Christ, Peter was busy denying him three times. After his crucifixion, the
disciples hid behind locked doors in fear of repercussions. Within days this group of fearful followers became emboldened to face martyrdom as they spoke for truth. What happened? They knew they were signing their testimony in blood, but they were willing to do so because they had seen the resurrected Jesus and were no longer afraid. This fact of a living resurrected God is truly a one of a kind unique distinction between Christianity and all the other pretenders.
We have touched on the fact that the Bible itself is undeniably the unique word of God. We have examined the fact of the sinless life that Jesus Christ lived in order to be our spiritual lifeguard. We have also determined the uniqueness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In our closing argument, I would like to look at the difference between two words, religion and relationship. Christianity in its purest sense is not about a religion but a personal relationship with God himself Jesus Christ. This understanding of the ability to commune with God personally through Jesus Christ death on the cross is truly unique in relation to other worldviews. Eph. 1:5,6 states, “we are adopted as Gods children”. Eph. 3:12 states, “we can come boldly and confidently into Gods presence”, and Col. 2:10 informs us, “We are complete in Christ”. It is a wonderful, encouraging, uplifting and truly unique privilege to have direct access to the creator of the universe.
The Bible states, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9, King James Version)”. Followers of Christ as the scripture delineates are truly a unique and chosen people. It has been and will continue to be my sincere prayer, that we embrace our unique relationship with Jesus Christ and carry his marvelous light into a world of darkness, in great need of what we have to offer.
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