What’s the Difference Between Christianity and Other Religions?  

Christian apologist John Lennox tells a story of a time he had completed speaking at a Christian conference in Hungary. As he left the train station, he was strongly led to sit next to two professional men. As the train passed a cemetery filled with crosses the one man asked, “Are there Christians in this country?” Lennox said, “Yes, there are many. I’ve been with them all week!”

Since they had a long train ride they asked him to tell them the difference between Christianity and their religion. John drew a wiggly line on the dusty train floor and attempted to sketch the general contours of religion. He said every religion has some of the same features. First, there is an initiation, a birth, or confession at the beginning. Then there is a time of learning from a spiritual leader and/or sacred books. After this there is effort and progress -- often mixed with failure -- in applying religious learning to life (the wiggly line). Finally, the end of religion involves some future judgement, a final exam, or scale of justice to see if you win acceptance and achieve your goal. As he explained these things he drew a door, scholarly hats, a scale, and a final door. The men agreed that their religion and all religions have these features in common. Lennox then said, “Well then, I am not religious.”  

The men protested, “But you said you were a Christian.” Lennox said, “The Christian message is very different. It does not consist in a merit-based acceptance by God at the final judgement. Christianity teaches something utterly radical at this point. It tells us that we can be accepted at the beginning of the path… a step of commitment to a person, Jesus Christ, that involves believing that he is God incarnate, who has come into the world to give his life as a ransom for our sins, which alienate us from God.” In other words, in Christianity, full acceptance is at the beginning because Jesus has finished the work of salvation on the cross.  

Lennox then drew a cross in the beginning doorway and explained, “Here is what Jesus said: ‘I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.’”  (John 5:24, NLT).

After further explanation there was silence in the carriage for a long time until the one man turned to John and said, “I guess it all depends on who Jesus Christ really is?”

He is right. It all comes down to who Jesus really is. Peope everywhere need to know the true Christ who truly saves. However, a 2020 survey shows that a growing number of Christians are confused in their Christology. 

Is Jesus just a good man who lived a good life? Is he a prophet? Is he one of many incarnations of God? Or, is Jesus Christ God in flesh – the unique Son of God who is fully God and fully man? If so, Jesus alone can fully save and secure full acceptance before a holy God. 

John 1:12-13 (NLT),  But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

This story is taken from, Can Science Explain Everything, by John Lennox.