What Makes Christianity Unique?
Jesus said, “I Am The Way, the
Truth, & the Life” (John 14:6)
JESUS is the WAY – through His death & resurrection
· Prov. 11:21, 16:5, 17:5, 19:5 Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished… (our evil must be punished)
· Hebrews 9:22b Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
· I Pet. 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust (substitutionary atonement), in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit
· Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
· I John 2:1-2 …Jesus Christ the righteous… is the propitiation (appeasement of wrath) for our sins…
· Romans 5:19 For as through the one man’s disobedience [Adam] the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.
· Colossians 1:21-22 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless…
JESUS is the TRUTH because He is God
· John 8:40 “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth…” (Jesus spoke truth)
· John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
· John 3:3, “Verily, verily, I say to you…” (This word appears 115 times in John!)
· John 14:10 “The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.” (epistemological presupposition: God defines truth)
· John 14:6 “I AM the … truth” (Jesus is God)
· John 5:18 …the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him because He … was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.
· John 5:22-23 “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, in order that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father…”
· John 14:11 Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; otherwise believe on account of the works themselves. (truth confirmed by miracles)
· Mark 2:8-10-11 “But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on hearth to forgive sins” – He said to the paralytic – “I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.”
· John 8:31-32 Jesus was therefore saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in my word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
JESUS is the LIFE through His resurrection and Spirit
· John 10:10b “…I come that they might have life, and might have it abundantly”
· John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, and only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.” (present knowledge of God)
· 1 John 5:12 He who has he Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
· Rom. 5:17, 20 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ… so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (reign of grace & righteousness/sanctification)
· II Corinthians 5:17-21 Therefore is any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come... Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us, “We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
· John 4:14 “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
· I Corinthians 15:20-22 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.
· Colossians 3:9-10 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.
· John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (heaven)
· Luke 18:29 “Truly I say to you, There is no one who has left house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times as much at this time, and in the age to come, eternal life.”
