How Can I Know Christianity Is the Right Religion? – Part 1

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On today's edition of Pathway to Victory. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. In our pluralistic society, people from all walks of life are invited to participate in a multitude of different religions.

And while we celebrate religious freedom and tolerance, not all beliefs are equally valid. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress addresses the common belief that there are multiple paths to God. Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.

Dr. Jeffress. Thanks, David. And welcome to this Friday edition of Pathway to Victory. For the last week, we've been addressing one of the most emotionally charged subjects facing Christians today.

My teaching series is called, How Can I Know? You see, as a pastor and Bible teacher, I spend a lot of time with people who confide in me about their private doubts. Once they drop their guard, they'll say things to me like, Pastor, I don't like to admit it, but I have a lot of questions and doubts about the Christian faith. And honestly, I'm afraid to address them. Well, God is not afraid of our questions.

In fact, He invites them. And in our current teaching series, I'm privileged to address seven common barriers to belief. Gratefully, God provides clear answers to the questions that cause us to doubt.

And the question we'll tackle today is this one. How can I know Christianity is the right religion? I've written a booklet on this topic and a full length book that addresses six more subjects as well. I hope you'll take advantage of these helpful resources from Pathway to Victory. Our teaching series is called How Can I Know?

So when I finish today's message, be sure to jot down our contact information so that I can send you my book and the booklet right away. Right now, it's time to answer another question in our series. This time, it's How Can I Know Christianity is the Right Religion? We're in a series entitled How Can I Know?

Answers to Life's Seven Most Important Questions. And last time, we begin by looking at the foundational question, how can I know there is a God? And we said you can't prove the existence of God.

The atheist can't prove the non-existence of God. But the real question is, where does the best evidence lead? And when we look at the evidence, we see God's fingerprints all over this universe.

The existence of matter, the design in the universe, the existence of man, and the experiential argument, if God doesn't exist, why do so many people find him anyway? But even if you can see there is a God somewhere who is responsible for everything we see, the question is, which God do we worship? There are thousands of different gods. Who is the right God? And if you settle on who the right God is, what is the right way to worship him? That's what religion is all about. It answers the question, how can I have a right relationship with God? There are a lot of different ideas. So out of thousands of gods and thousands of world religions, how can I know Christianity is the right religion?

That's what we're going to talk about today. Now, some people even bristle at the idea of a right religion. They say that leads to intolerance. They think religion is a matter of opinion, like the best temperature. If you ask people what is the right temperature, some will say 72, some will say 68, some will say 76. Everybody has a different idea. But there's a difference between asking what temperature do you like best to what is the temperature?

There's one answer to that. It's whatever the thermometer says. When it comes to religion, people want to say it's a matter of opinion. But no, it's more in the realm of mathematics. Two and two, two plus two isn't whatever you wish it were.

Water doesn't freeze at whatever temperature you say. There is a precise answer, and that is true in the world of spiritual things as well. What is the right way to worship God? It's not whatever you think is the right way.

There's an objective answer to that question. Some people say to preach exclusivity is, first of all, leading to intolerance. You know, that word tolerance is something that has changed its meaning over the years. It used to be tolerance referred to respect for other people to embrace whatever belief system they had. We respect their right to be wrong.

That's what real tolerance is, respecting somebody's right to be wrong. But that idea has morphed in recent years to be that all ideas are equally valid. Whatever you think to be true is true, and of course, that's a false idea. Other people say that exclusivity, saying there's one religion, is unnecessary because after all, they say, all the world religions teach basically the same thing. Anybody who says that has never studied the world religions because, in fact, they don't say the same thing. That's why there are thousands of different religions because of different beliefs, not because of unanimity of belief. And then thirdly, some people find the idea of Christianity being the right religion as troubling. They say, don't you realize, Pastor Jeffress, there are 8 billion people who live on planet Earth. Only 2.2 billion can even be categorized as Christian. That means there are 5.8 billion people who are wrong. How can so many people be wrong?

We'll talk about that in a moment. And yet, the Bible is clear. Christianity offers the one true way to God.

What is the evidence for that? Today, I'd like you to consider four pieces of evidence that lead to the conclusion Christianity is the right religion. First of all, the uniqueness of Jesus Christ.

The uniqueness of Jesus Christ. It's interesting, few historians doubt that Jesus existed. Even Thomas Paine, a well-known deist, believed that even though the Bible was filled with errors, Paine believed that Jesus was a historical figure.

The problem is, Thomas Paine believed what most people believe today. They believed he was a good moral teacher, he was a religious person, he was a great example, but he wasn't much more than that. And yet, Jesus claimed a lot more for himself than being a good moral teacher.

In fact, Jesus made four specific claims during his 33 years here on earth. He, first of all, Jesus claimed to be God. Jesus claimed to be God. No religious leader, no founder of a religion ever claimed to be God himself. They simply claimed to point people to whatever God they believed was the real God. For example, Mohammed, the founder of Islam, said, surely I am no more than a human apostle.

And what was true of Mohammed was true of Moses and Confucius and Buddha. They didn't claim to be God, they claimed to point people to God. However, Jesus said in John 10 30, I and the Father are one. He claimed to be the same as God. Do you remember in John 14 when Philip begged Jesus to show him God? Jesus responded by saying in John 14 nine, have I been so long with you and yet you've not come to know me? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How then can you say show us the Father? You remember that after Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, he went through six trials in a short period of time before he was executed on Friday.

The first trial was before the high priest Caiaphas. In Mark 14, it was in the middle of the night, Caiaphas was tired. He said, Jesus, let's just cut to the chase. Are you the son of the living God or what? And what did Jesus say? In Mark 14 62, he answered very clearly, I am. Are you the son of God? I am, Jesus said. That dispels the common idea that's popularized in many TV shows or books that Jesus never claimed to be God.

Have you heard that before? That's just something his followers made up about him after he died to make a good story even better. No, Jesus said, I am God.

Caiaphas understood that one. Jesus said, I am the high priest Caiaphas tore his clothes, Mark 14 said. And he said, what further need have we of witnesses? You have heard this blasphemy?

How does it seem to you? And everyone there condemned Jesus to be deserving of death. He didn't go to the cross. He wasn't crucified for saying turn the other cheek.

Nobody was offended by that. He was crucified for claiming to be God. Secondly, Jesus claimed to forgive sins. No other religious leader ever claimed the ability to forgive a person of their sins.

For example, Buddha said, in reality there are no living beings to whom the Lord Buddha can bring salvation. But Jesus claimed he had that authority. He claimed the ability to forgive sins. Remember when the disciples brought the paralytic man to Jesus to be healed? Mark 2 5 says, and Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, son, your sins are forgiven. That incensed the religious leaders and they asked, why does this man speak in this way?

He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God? Jesus consistently taught that his primary purpose in leaving heaven and coming to the world was to provide a way of the forgiveness of sins.

In Luke 19 10 he said, for the son of man has come to seek and to save those who are lost. Jesus claimed to be God. He claimed to forgive sins. Thirdly, he claimed to conquer death. No other religious leader claimed the power to conquer death. But Jesus did.

In fact, it was central to his teaching. In Matthew 16 verse 21, Matthew writes, from that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and raised up on the third day. In fact, Jesus taught that the signal proof that he was who he said he was would be his resurrection from the dead. Remember Matthew 12 verses 38 to 40, some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, teacher, we want a sign from you.

You talk about this Messiah stuff. We want a sign that you are really the son of God. Jesus answered and said to them, it's an evil and adulterous generation that craves for a sign and yet no sign shall be given to you but the sign of Jonah the prophet. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

In other words, here's the sign you're looking for. Jonah was in the belly of that great fish for three nights. I'm going to be in the grave for three days and three nights before I arise from the dead. Now some of you may say, well preacher, that certainly is reading a lot into what Jesus was saying.

No, even his enemies understood that he claimed to have the ability to conquer death. That was going to be the proof of whether he was the son of God or not and that explains why on the Saturday after he was crucified on Friday, when his body was placed in the tomb, the religious leaders went to Pontius Pilate with a request to keep the grave secure. Keep Jesus in that tomb, whatever the cost.

Matthew said it this way in Matthew 27, beginning with verse 62. Now on the next day, that is the day after the preparation, that Saturday after the crucifixion on Friday, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, the Roman procurator, and they said, sir, we remember that when Jesus was still alive, that deceiver said, after three days, I'm going to rise again. Therefore, Pilate, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and claim that he has risen from the dead and the last deception will be worse than the first.

Pilate acquiesced. He realized what a tremendous blunder it would be if he allowed that body to be stolen and then his disciples were to go around claiming, see, he did what he said he would do. So Pilate gave the religious leaders a Roman guard unit of 16 men to keep that grave secure. Now, whether you believe Jesus really rose from the dead or not is a matter for another sermon. There is ample evidence, lots of evidence, that Jesus did rise from the dead on the third day.

You know what the greatest piece of evidence is? Nobody's found the body of Jesus yet in 2,000 years. I mean, he didn't die secretly. He died publicly. He wasn't buried in an undisclosed location.

Everybody knew where he was. And yet, Jesus rose from the dead. That tomb was empty on Easter Sunday morning. The fact is, if the Romans had known where that body was, if the Jewish leaders had known where it was, they would have gone to get it as soon as they could. They would have rolled it through the streets of Jerusalem, and Christianity would be dead at its outset. But you know why they haven't found the body?

It's not there. He has risen from the dead just as he promised he would. But even if you don't believe that, the point is, Jesus is still the only leader, the only founder of a religion who claimed the ability to conquer death.

That's what makes Christianity unique. And fourthly, Jesus claimed that he would return to judge the world. No other religious leader made that grandiose claim that he would come after death back to the earth to judge the world. But that's what Jesus taught in Matthew 25, beginning with verse 31. When the Son of Man comes in glory and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.

All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one for another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Now, some religious leaders teach that their exception or rejection by God is dependent upon their rejection or acceptance by whatever God they believe in. But Jesus is the only founder of a religion who said a person's eternal destiny depended on what people do about him. Jesus said whether you go to heaven or hell is going to be judged by what you do with me.

Do you accept my claims or not? In John 3, verses 17 and 18, Jesus said, for God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. That verse confuses people. Oh, Jesus doesn't judge. No, Jesus does judge.

But he doesn't judge us when we're dead, after we're dead, to say, oh, was he a good person or a bad person? We've all been judged already. We've all been judged as guilty before God, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

That judgment has already been made. The reason Jesus came to earth the first time was to offer salvation from that judgment, to offer the salvation, the forgiveness of sins. Verse 18 says, he who believes in Jesus is not judged, but he who does not believe has been judged already, for he does not believe in the name of the holy begotten Son of God.

In John 8, 24, Jesus said, therefore I say to you that you will die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he, the Messiah, you will die in your sins. In his book, The World's Living Religions, Robert Hume notes that the nine founders of nine of the most popular non-Christian religions, every one of those founders went through a period of doubt in his life about who he was. He went through a time of seeking the light, the truth, but not Jesus. From the time he was 12 years old, he understood and vocalized exactly who he was. He didn't search for the light, he said, I am the light. I am the light of the world.

He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. This is what makes Jesus unique, his unique claims. You can't say he was just a good man because he claimed a lot more than that, a whole lot more. And that leads to what is known as C.S. Lewis's famous trilemma.

C.S. Lewis rightly pointed out that being a good moral teacher is not an option because Jesus claimed to be God, to forgive sins, to conquer death and to come back and judge the world. So given what Jesus claimed, you can only come to one of three conclusions. One conclusion you can make about Jesus is that he is a liar.

That is, he made all of these claims, but he knew they were false. So Jesus is a liar. How many of you today would be willing to stand up and say Jesus Christ is a liar? How many of you are certain enough about heaven and your eternal destiny that you'd be willing to stand up and call him a liar? Do you think Jesus is a liar? Well, if he's not a liar, then Lewis said another alternative is he's a lunatic.

He would have the mental ability of a poached egg, Lewis said. He made all these claims because he really thought they were true. He was deluded. He thought he was the son of God.

He thought he would conquer death. Now again, from what you know about Jesus, do you believe Jesus was a madman, a lunatic? Well, if he's not a liar, he's not a lunatic. Everybody knows he lived and made these claims. The only other alternative is he is who he said he was. He is the Lord.

He said these things because they're true. That's what makes Christianity unique. Now, that leads to the second distinguishing thing about Christianity, the teaching of Jesus.

Now, if Jesus, will you follow me on this? If Jesus is right about who he is, then it means we better pay attention to what he says about everything because if he's telling the truth about his own identity, everything else he speaks about is true as well. So what did Jesus have to say about this idea of exclusivity? Did Jesus believe that there are many ways to heaven? Did Jesus believe all different world religions are kind of like different pathways up the same mountain that lead to the same truth?

Or like others say, different religions are like different tributaries that flow into the same river and lead to truth? What did Jesus say about exclusivity, there being one way to heaven? Well, first of all, Jesus taught there are two possible eternal destinations for people.

There are two possible destinations, not one. Everybody's not going to the same place when they die. Everybody's not going to heaven. Jesus said in Matthew 25, 46, the unrighteous will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Jesus taught there is both a heaven and a hell. If you get mad about hearing from me about hell, don't direct your anger toward me.

Send a letter to Jesus about it. He's the one who talked about hell. In fact, Jesus had more to say about hell when he was on earth than he did about heaven. Jesus taught there are two possible destinations, not one. Secondly, Jesus said, this'll blow your mind, the majority of mankind will spend eternity in hell. Jesus said there are only two roads.

One leads to heaven, one leads to hell, and more people are on the road to hell than are on the road to heaven. The claims of Jesus are bold, audacious, and clear. He declared to be the Son of God.

And as C.S. Lewis puts it, his claim forces us to draw one of three conclusions. Either Jesus was a liar, a lunatic, or the best option, He is Lord. Well, there's so much more to unveil in this important study together. We're answering the common question, how can I know Christianity is the right religion? It's just one of seven chapters in my book that originated from this teaching series. And today, when you give a generous gift to Pathway to Victory, I'd like to send you a copy of the book.

It's called How Can I Know? Answers to Life's Seven Most Important Questions. When you respond, I'll also include an insightful booklet that captures the essence of what I talked about today. This is an exclusive resource that you can get only through Pathway to Victory. This booklet is called Is Christianity the Only Right Religion? So when you give a much needed gift to Pathway to Victory, I'll say thank you by providing both my book, How Can I Know?, and the booklet, Is Christianity the Only Right Religion? As we close today's program, let me reinforce that your generous gifts are truly making a difference. Pathway to Victory has expanded into new cities all across the world through television, radio, podcasting, and the internet, addressing doubts, clearing confusion, and transforming lives through the bold biblical teaching of God's Word. And we've been able to do so because of our faithful Pathway partners and because of the generous gifts from friends like you. God is using your gifts to pierce the darkness with the light of His Word.

David? Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. You're invited to request your copy of the bestselling book by Dr. Jeffress, How Can I Know?, when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, or when you give your first gift as a Pathway partner. Just call 866-999-2965, or visit online at ptv.org. And when your investment is $75 or more, we'll also send you the complete, unabridged collection of audio and video discs for How Can I Know?, the teaching series.

Now, these newly updated sermons would make the perfect subject for your small group Bible study or a Sunday school class. Here's the phone number to call, 866-999-2965. Again, that's 866-999-2965, or go to ptv.org.

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Again, that's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins, wishing you a great weekend. Then join us next time when Dr. Jeffress continues to answer the question, How Can I Know? Christianity is the Right Religion, right here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. Picture yourself relaxing aboard a luxury cruise ship as you sail the Mediterranean Sea on the Pathway to Victory Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise. This 11-day journey will take you to unforgettable destinations in Italy, Turkey, and Greece.

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