There can't just be one religion

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I’m not here to choke you out or bully you into faith. But after getting to know you all over the past number of months I want you to hear loud and clear that we desire here at the Glade to see you emboldened in your faith. This has often been teh feedback that guys like Grady and myself have received from you all in our time with you all be it on trips at camps, whatever the case may be. A common refrain has been, “we want to learn more. We want to know why we believe what we believe. We want to know how to talk about our faith.”

I find your lack of faith disturbing…

I’m not here to choke you out or bully you into faith. But after getting to know you all over the past number of months I want you to hear loud and clear that we desire here at the Glade to see you emboldened in your faith. This has often been teh feedback that guys like Grady and myself have received from you all in our time with you all be it on trips at camps, whatever the case may be. A common refrain has been, “we want to learn more. We want to know why we believe what we believe. We want to know how to talk about our faith.”

So with that in mind we are going to spend a bit of time together this semester talking more and more about this line of thinking. Some like to attach the title of “apologetics” to this kind of study. And just to break down that word a bit because in our culture to “apologize” for something as we know it, means to show remorse for something, right?

JP misses the bus to go to the sounds game clearly he should “apologize” for making everyone that much later, right? Jus kidding, you know I love you right, buddy?

But if you trace the meaning of this word back to its original meaning, from Greek it literally translates to, “to give an account for.” That’s the same word used in - when the apostle commends followers of Jesus to, “always be prepared to give an account or defend.”

13 Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, or be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. 16 Yet do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffers for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. - Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), .

But if you trace the meaning of this word back to its original meaning, from Greek it literally translates to, “to give an account for.” That’s the same word used in - when the apostle commends followers of Jesus to, “always be prepared to give an account or defend.”

13 Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, or be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. 16 Yet do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffers for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. - Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), .

So how then do we respond to an inquisitive, oftentimes pessimistic world? You are prepared… You are prepared to give an account or defend? Why? To win arguments? To show how much more you know about the deeper things in life?

13 Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, or be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. 16 Yet do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffers for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. - Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), .

No.

So how then do we respond to an inquisitive, oftentimes pessimistic world? You are prepared… You are prepared to give an account or defend? Why? To win arguments? To show how much more you know about the deeper things in life?

No.

Peter here tells us that we are ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience.

No.

Why? So when an accusatory and opposing world comes at you, you’ll be able to fight back right? That’s not what he says. He says that you will posture yourself in gentleness and respect as Jesus was gentle and gave dignity to the down and outs of society, so that when, not if, you are accused, the accusations will obviously be baseless.

Peter here tells us that we are ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience.

This is why we honor God with our minds, our thoughts, and our actions and that’s why we come here together in study, in this study of apologetics. So that we may “always be on the ready to give a defense.” Not to arm ourselves to inflict pain or damage, but that our lives might be a light unto a dark, dark world.

Why? So when an accusatory and opposing world comes at you, you’ll be able to fight back right? That’s not what he says. He says that you will posture yourself in gentleness and respect as Jesus was gentle and gave dignity to the down and outs of society, so that when, not if, you are accused, the accusations will obviously be baseless.

This is why we honor God with our minds, our thoughts, and our actions and that’s why we come here together in study, in this study of apologetics. So that we may “always be on the ready to give a defense.” Not to arm ourselves to inflict pain or damage, but that our lives might be a light unto a dark, dark world.

So why

So why ? Why is it good and right to answer the tough questions? Because as we see around us, God has blessed us with these really wonderful capacities to think, to think deeply, to discover things. You look at advances in modern medicine or technology or the arts and you see many ways in which God has especially blessed people for deep thought.

This is why we honor God with our minds, our thoughts, and our actions and that’s why we come here together in study, in this study of apologetics. So that we may “always be on the ready to give a defense.” Not to arm ourselves to inflict pain or damage, but that our lives might be a light unto a dark, dark world.

So why ? Why is it good and right to answer the tough questions? Because as we see around us, God has blessed us with these really wonderful capacities to think, to think deeply, to discover things. You look at advances in modern medicine or technology or the arts and you see many ways in which God has especially blessed people for deep thought.

So just as we would honor God with our time, with our talents, with our efforts, with our money, we also come here to honor God with out minds.

So why ? Why is it good and right to answer the tough questions? Because as we see around us, God has blessed us with these really wonderful capacities to think, to think deeply, to discover things. You look at advances in modern medicine or technology or the arts and you see many ways in which God has especially blessed people for deep thought.

So just as we would honor God with our time, with our talents, with our efforts, with our money, we also come here to honor God with out minds.

Your life will be your ultimate apologetic. What you truly believe will work its way out into your life. If I believe that this stool will hold me but I refuse to put my weight into it, there at least lies some question, right?

So just as we would honor God with our time, with our talents, with our efforts, with our money, we also come here to honor God with out minds.

Paul says in 2 Cornthians 10:5 that we… take every thought captive to obey Christ. - Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), .

So just as we would honor God with our time, with our talents, with our efforts, with our money, we also come here to honor God with out minds.

If you proclaim that you believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, how then shall we live? We hope. We love. We believe, not as the world believes, but we believe in the one who proclaimed himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one can come to the Father except through me.”

Paul says in 2 Cornthians 10:5 that we… take every thought captive to obey Christ. - Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), .

This is our worship… This is how we bring glory to God through our minds. Have you ever thought of that? Have you every taken your thought life into consideration.

I test out as an introvert. That’s not to say that I don’t love being around people. I do, but I most certainly recharge on my lonesome, any one else in here with me?

This is our worship… This is how we bring glory to God through our minds. Have you ever thought of that? Have you every taken your thought life into consideration.

So that is to say the way that I am wired and maybe you also, there is a lot of stuff that churns beneath the surface with me. And I sit back and eventually catch myself in thought and have to reign myself in saying, “that’s not honoring to God. That doesn’t please Him.”

I test out as an introvert. That’s not to say that I don’t love being around people. I do, but I most certainly recharge on my lonesome, any one else in here with me?

So that is to say the way that I am wired and maybe you also, there is a lot of stuff that churns beneath the surface with me. And I sit back and eventually catch myself in thought and have to reign myself in saying, “that’s not honoring to God. That doesn’t please Him.”

So my hope is that as we embark on this journey together, we would wade deeper into God-honoring, God-glorifying thought. And that means asking the tough questions, being ready to give a defense, and plumbing the depths of a truly infinite God. Ultimately knowing that at some point we will land in mystery. We will land at a place of saying you know what, I don’t know the answers, hard and fast but I know in my bones that God is good and He sent His Son to die for me and to make sinners right in the sight of God.

So that is to say the way that I am wired and maybe you also, there is a lot of stuff that churns beneath the surface with me. And I sit back and eventually catch myself in thought and have to reign myself in saying, “that’s not honoring to God. That doesn’t please Him.”

So my hope is that as we embark on this journey together, we would wade deeper into God-honoring, God-glorifying thought. And that means asking the tough questions, being ready to give a defense, and plumbing the depths of a truly infinite God. Ultimately knowing that at some point we will land in mystery. We will land at a place of saying you know what, I don’t know the answers, hard and fast but I know in my bones that God is good and He sent His Son to die for me and to make sinners right in the sight of God.

But with that said, question #1 in our series: Can there be just one true religion?

Your life will be your ultimate apologetic. What you truly believe will work its way out into your life. If I believe that this stool will hold me but I refuse to put my weight into it, there at least lies some question, right?

But with that said, question #1 in our series: Can there be just one true religion?

So my hope is that as we embark on this journey together, we would wade deeper into God-honoring, God-glorifying thought. And that means asking the tough questions, being ready to give a defense, and plumbing the depths of a truly infinite God. Ultimately knowing that at some point we will land in mystery. We will land at a place of saying you know what, I don’t know the answers, hard and fast but I know in my bones that God is good and He sent His Son to die for me and to make sinners right in the sight of God.

You may have been asked something like this in your circles at school or amongst other friends or some variant of the question but eventually it all comes back to question of, “do you really believe that Christianity is the only plausible way to live a faithful life?”

But with that said, question #1 in our series: Can there be just one true religion?

If you proclaim that you believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, how then shall we live? We hope. We love. We believe, not as the world believes, but we believe in the one who proclaimed himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one can come to the Father except through me.”

You may have been asked something like this in your circles at school or amongst other friends or some variant of the question but eventually it all comes back to question of, “do you really believe that Christianity is the only plausible way to live a faithful life?”

I don’t ever want you to think that I am conjuring something out of my own thought so what does Scripture say about that? Does anyone know where we might go for an answer to this question?

How about , - “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

How about , - “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

What we have here is an affirmative from Jesus himself that Christianity does claim to be the sole means by which one achieves life and life to the full. This is an exclusive truth claim.

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

What we have here is an affirmative from Jesus himself that Christianity does claim to be the sole means by which one achieves life and life to the full. This is an exclusive truth claim.

How many of you heard, well that’s narrow-minded or close-minded thinking? Or you have been called narrow or closed-minded? The reality is that this is exclusive.

What we have here is an affirmative from Jesus himself that Christianity does claim to be the sole means by which one achieves life and life to the full. This is an exclusive truth claim.

How many of you heard, well that’s narrow-minded or close-minded thinking? Or you have been called narrow or closed-minded? The reality is that this is exclusive.

Your life will be your ultimate apologetic. What you truly believe will work its way out into your life. If I believe that this stool will hold me but I refuse to put my weight into it, there at least lies some question, right?

How many of you heard, well that’s narrow-minded or close-minded thinking? Or you have been called narrow or closed-minded? The reality is that this is exclusive.

If you proclaim that you believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, how then shall we live? We hope. We love. We believe, not as the world believes, but we believe in the one who proclaimed himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one can come to the Father except through me.”

We as Christians believe that Jesus is the only means by which one can be made right with God because we see here that those are the very words of Christ himself.

There are many who wish to paint Jesus in the light of just being a humanitarian or he is simply for social justice and he is indeed for those things but not just for the sake of being a humanitarian or socially just.

We as Christians believe that Jesus is the only means by which one can be made right with God because we see here that those are the very words of Christ himself.

There are many who wish to paint Jesus in the light of just being a humanitarian or he is simply for social justice and he is indeed for those things but not just for the sake of being a humanitarian or socially just.

When Jesus speaks with his disciples he tells them to, “fear not, Believe in God; believe also in me.” So we are not talking about some undefined belief, we are not talking about merely thinking positive thoughts or “good vibes,” no Jesus tells us to believe in God, believe in him, that His Father is the holder of this eternal dwelling that you and I call heaven and that it is Jesus is the one who takes us there.

And if that is not enough, Jesus ties a bow on it by simply saying, “I am the way, and teh truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father (the holder of this eternal dwelling ro which you and I have been made for,) except… through… me… If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen Him? And Jesus would later go on to say, in ,

And if that is not enough, Jesus ties a bow on it by simply saying, “I am the way, and teh truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father (the holder of this eternal dwelling fir which you and I have been made for,) except… through… me… If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen Him? And Jesus would later go on to say, in ,

When Jesus speaks with his disciples he tells them to, “fear not, Believe in God; believe also in me.” So we are not talking about some undefined belief, we are not talking about merely thinking positive thoughts or “good vibes,” no Jesus tells us to believe in God, believe in him, that His Father is the holder of this eternal dwelling that you and I call heaven and that it is Jesus is the one who takes us there.

27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

And if that is not enough, Jesus ties a bow on it by simply saying, “I am the way, and teh truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father (the holder of this eternal dwelling fir which you and I have been made for,) except… through… me… If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen Him? And Jesus would later go on to say, in ,

27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

Your life will be your ultimate apologetic. What you truly believe will work its way out into your life. If I believe that this stool will hold me but I refuse to put my weight into it, there at least lies some question, right?

Is this narrow? Yes, and even Jesus spoke to that when he said,

27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

Is this narrow? Yes, and even Jesus spoke to that when he said,

If you proclaim that you believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, how then shall we live? We hope. We love. We believe, not as the world believes, but we believe in the one who proclaimed himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one can come to the Father except through me.”

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

How many of you have seen one of these driving down the road?

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

How many of you have seen one of these driving down the road?

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Nice sentiment, right? However it is not biblical. Some may call you narrow minded. Some may call you dogmatic. That surely you cannot make such a bold and exclusive claim to truth. However that same person would bid you to believe exclusively how they would, right? Do you see that?

Everyone makes exclusive claims to truth. Even those who would fly the flag of total tolerance, that all paths lead to whatever heaven you want to believe is in and of itself an exclusive claim to truth.

Nice sentiment, right? However it is not biblical. Some may call you narrow minded. Some may call you dogmatic. That surely you cannot make such a bold and exclusive claim to truth. However that same person would bid you to believe exclusively how they would, right? Do you see that?

Everyone makes exclusive claims to truth. Even those who would fly the flag of total tolerance, that all paths lead to whatever heaven you want to believe is in and of itself an exclusive claim to truth.

Many have tried to squash faithful belief claiming that its nothing but destructive and that we would do well to be without it.

Everyone makes exclusive claims to truth. Even those who would fly the flag of total tolerance, that all paths lead to whatever heaven you want to believe is in and of itself an exclusive claim to truth.

Many have tried to squash faithful belief claiming that its nothing but destructive and that we would do well to be without it.

Many have tried to outlaw it. Many have tried to condemn it. And many have tried to, and I would argue that this applies to many of us, have tried to privatize it. Your belief is your belief and my belief is my belief and we’ll just leave it at that.

Many have tried to squash faithful belief claiming that its nothing but destructive and that we would do well to be without it.

Many have tried to outlaw it. Many have tried to condemn it. And many have tried to, and I would argue that this applies to many of us, have tried to privatize it. Your belief is your belief and my belief is my belief and we’ll just leave it at that.

However we have seen attempts to outlaw organized religion in case studies like communist China or Nazi Germany and in each case the evidence is right in front of you the mass destruction that was caused in that effort.

Many have tried to outlaw it. Many have tried to condemn it. And many have tried to, and I would argue that this applies to many of us, have tried to privatize it. Your belief is your belief and my belief is my belief and we’ll just leave it at that.

However we have seen attempts to outlaw organized religion in case studies like communist China or Nazi Germany and in each case the evidence is right in front of you the mass destruction that was caused in that effort.

After communist china expelled western missionaries in China after World War II this forced Chinese peoples to take up the mantle of leadership in their own churches and today China along with Africa are two areas experiencing the most rapid Christian growth in the world.

However we have seen attempts to outlaw organized religion in case studies like communist China or Nazi Germany and in each case the evidence is right in front of you the mass destruction that was caused in that effort.

After communist china expelled western missionaries in China after World War II this forced Chinese peoples to take up the mantle of leadership in their own churches and today China along with Africa are two areas experiencing the most rapid Christian growth in the world.

Well maybe its not an overt tamping out of faith but how about the much more polite way to do away with religion, just keep it private. How many of you have heard that faith is a private subject? My mom always told me that it was rude to bring up religion and politics in conversation, anyone else hear that?

After communist china expelled western missionaries in China after World War II this forced Chinese peoples to take up the mantle of leadership in their own churches and today China along with Africa are two areas experiencing the most rapid Christian growth in the world.

Well maybe its not an overt tamping out of faith but how about the much more polite way to do away with religion, just keep it private. How many of you have heard that faith is a private subject? My mom always told me that it was rude to bring up religion and politics in conversation, anyone else hear that?

A professor at Yale a number of years ago once said,

Efforts to craft a public square from which religious conversation is absent, no matter how thoughtfully worked out, will always in the end say to those of organized religion that they alone, unlike everybody else, must enter public dialogue only after leaving behind that part of themselves that they may consider the most vital. - Keller, Timothy. The Reason for God (pp. 14-15). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

So when someone tells you that you cannot bring your religious beliefs into the conversation they ask the Christian to withhold that which is most fundamental to their being. No one else would ask anyone else to leave what they believe to be most fundamental to their humanity at the door like that. So once you engage someone and say, “hey listen, I can’t assume that I don’t believe as if I don’t, it is at the very foundation of who I a just as you place your reasoning at the base of who you are.” I hope that opens the door for you to have conversations about this faith that we come and pour over week after week.

Efforts to craft a public square from which religious conversation is absent, no matter how thoughtfully worked out, will always in the end say to those of organized religion that they alone, unlike everybody else, must enter public dialogue only after leaving behind that part of themselves that they may consider the most vital. - Keller, Timothy. The Reason for God (pp. 14-15). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Can there be only one religion? Do these exclusive truth claims hold up? Let’s take in once more to the merit found in Scripture.

So when someone tells you that you cannot bring your religious beliefs into the conversation they ask the Christian to withhold that which is most fundamental to their being. No one else would ask anyone else to leave what they believe to be most fundamental to their humanity at the door like that. So once you engage someone and say, “hey listen, I can’t assume that I don’t believe as if I don’t, it is at the very foundation of who I a just as you place your reasoning at the base of who you are.” I hope that opens the door for you to have conversations about this faith that we come and pour over week after week.

Can there be only one religion? Do these exclusive truth claims hold up? Let’s take in once more to the merit found in Scripture.

Christianity provides a firm basis for respecting people of other faiths. Jesus assumes that nonbelievers in the culture around them will gladly recognize much Christian behavior as “good” (; cf. ). - Keller, Timothy. The Reason for God (p. 18). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Your life will be your ultimate apologetic. What you truly believe will work its way out into your life. If I believe that this stool will hold me but I refuse to put my weight into it, there at least lies some question, right?

Christianity provides a firm basis for respecting people of other faiths. Jesus assumes that nonbelievers in the culture around them will gladly recognize much Christian behavior as “good” (; cf. ). - Keller, Timothy. The Reason for God (p. 18). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. - Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), .

If you proclaim that you believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, how then shall we live? We hope. We love. We believe, not as the world believes, but we believe in the one who proclaimed himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one can come to the Father except through me.”

15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. - Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), .

Jesus here commends you to good works, why? So they may be seen and they might enhance your witness in the presence of others.

12 Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits. - Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), .

But please take note of the dynamic at play in each of these passages, we do not do good works to merit any standing with God, but that we can display with our good works before a watching world that yes, there is one way to God, and this is what he has bid me to do, namely to lay myself down for you!

Tim Keller says it like this -

Most people in our culture believe that, if there is a God, we can relate to him and go to heaven through leading a good life. Let’s call this the “moral improvement” view. Christianity teaches the very opposite. In the Christian understanding, Jesus does not tell us how to live so we can merit salvation. Rather, he comes to forgive and save us through his life and death in our place. God’s grace does not come to people who morally outperform others, but to those who admit their failure to perform and who acknowledge their need for a Savior.

Christians, then, should expect to find nonbelievers who are much nicer, kinder, wiser, and better than they are. Why? Christian believers are not accepted by God because of their moral performance, wisdom, or virtue, but because of Christ’s work on their behalf. Most religions and philosophies of life assume that one’s spiritual status depends on your religious attainments. This naturally leads adherents to feel superior to those who don’t believe and behave as they do. The Christian gospel, in any case, should not have that effect.

Most people in our culture believe that, if there is a God, we can relate to him and go to heaven through leading a good life. Let’s call this the “moral improvement” view. Christianity teaches the very opposite. In the Christian understanding, Jesus does not tell us how to live so we can merit salvation. Rather, he comes to forgive and save us through his life and death in our place. God’s grace does not come to people who morally outperform others, but to those who admit their failure to perform and who acknowledge their need for a Savior.

It is common to say that “fundamentalism” leads to violence, yet as we have seen, all of us have fundamental, unprovable faith-commitments that we think are superior to those of others. The real question, then, is which fundamentals will lead their believers to be the most loving and receptive to those with whom they differ? Which set of unavoidably exclusive beliefs will lead us to humble, peace-loving behavior?

Christians, then, should expect to find nonbelievers who are much nicer, kinder, wiser, and better than they are. Why? Christian believers are not accepted by God because of their moral performance, wisdom, or virtue, but because of Christ’s work on their behalf. Most religions and philosophies of life assume that one’s spiritual status depends on your religious attainments. This naturally leads adherents to feel superior to those who don’t believe and behave as they do. The Christian gospel, in any case, should not have that effect.

One of the paradoxes of history is the relationship between the beliefs and the practices of the early Christians as compared to those of the culture around them. The Greco-Roman world’s religious views were open and seemingly tolerant—everyone had his or her own God. The practices of the culture were quite brutal, however.

It is common to say that “fundamentalism” leads to violence, yet as we have seen, all of us have fundamental, unprovable faith-commitments that we think are superior to those of others. The real question, then, is which fundamentals will lead their believers to be the most loving and receptive to those with whom they differ? Which set of unavoidably exclusive beliefs will lead us to humble, peace-loving behavior?

One of the paradoxes of history is the relationship between the beliefs and the practices of the early Christians as compared to those of the culture around them. The Greco-Roman world’s religious views were open and seemingly tolerant—everyone had his or her own God. The practices of the culture were quite brutal, however.

The Greco-Roman world was highly stratified economically, with a huge distance between the rich and poor. By contrast, Christians insisted that there was only one true God, the dying Savior Jesus Christ. Their lives and practices were, however, remarkably welcoming to those that the culture marginalized. The early Christians mixed people from different races and classes in ways that seemed scandalous to those around them. The Greco-Roman world tended to despise the poor, but Christians gave generously not only to their own poor but to those of other faiths. In broader society, women had very low status, being subjected to high levels of female infanticide, forced marriages, and lack of economic equality. Christianity afforded women much greater security and equality than had previously existed in the ancient classical world.30 During the terrible urban plagues of the first two centuries, Christians cared for all the sick and dying in the city, often at the cost of their lives.31

Why would such an exclusive belief system lead to behavior that was so open to others? It was because Christians had within their belief system the strongest possible resource for practicing sacrificial service, generosity, and peace-making. At the very heart of their view of reality was a man who died for his enemies, praying for their forgiveness. Reflection on this could only lead to a radically different way of dealing with those who were different from them. It meant they could not act in violence and oppression toward their opponents.

Your life will be your ultimate apologetic. What you truly believe will work its way out into your life. If I believe that this stool will hold me but I refuse to put my weight into it, there at least lies some question, right?

Why would such an exclusive belief system lead to behavior that was so open to others? It was because Christians had within their belief system the strongest possible resource for practicing sacrificial service, generosity, and peace-making. At the very heart of their view of reality was a man who died for his enemies, praying for their forgiveness. Reflection on this could only lead to a radically different way of dealing with those who were different from them. It meant they could not act in violence and oppression toward their opponents.

If you proclaim that you believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, how then shall we live? We hope. We love. We believe, not as the world believes, but we believe in the one who proclaimed himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one can come to the Father except through me.”

There is no room to be puffed up in this Christian faith guys and girls. The only thing that you contributed to your salvation is the sin that made it necessary. So as we approach a watching world, let us not approach them wishing to inflict pain, but let us in meekness and gentleness and as the beggars that we truly are, point every one the we can where to find food.

Your life will be your ultimate apologetic. What you truly believe will work its way out into your life.

If you proclaim that you believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, how then shall we live? We hope. We love. We believe, not as the world believes, but we believe in the one who proclaimed himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one can come to the Father except through me.”