Creekside Church, May 2, 2021
How Can Christianity Claim It's Right and All Other Faiths are Wrong?
Locations & Times
Creekside Church Online
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 11:00 AM
Jesus made exclusive truth claims.
Matthew 7:13-14 - “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
John 14:6 - Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Acts 4:12 - Salvation is found in no one else [but Jesus], for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
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Isn't it too arrogant to say that Christianity is right and all other faiths are wrong?
We live in a culture that says truth is unknowable. Therefore, we should all live our own truth.
Elephant and the blind men parable: Used to demonstrate how all religions only see part of the truth. But ultimately, the claim that you can see better than the blind men is an exclusive truth claim.
All truth claims are exclusive.
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Aren't all religions basically the same?
There are significant differences in beliefs and in world-views.
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What about those who never hear about Jesus?
This is a fascinating question but we shouldn't let it derail us from deciding on whether or not Christianity's truth claims are true or not.
Ultimately we know that God is love and he is just. However he deals with those who never explicitly heard about Jesus will be just and loving.
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Christianity doesn't just make exclusive claims, it also makes unique claims. Particularly about what God is like.
Can any other faith embrace the truth found in the parable of the Prodigal Son? That God loves us this much and has this much grace and mercy for us?
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Our culture's rejection of truth claims is partly because of how truth claims have been weaponized.
We should learn from Jesus how to carry his truth.
With humility and love.
John 18:33-19:3
18:33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”
40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
Jesus Sentenced to Be Crucified
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.
Matthew 7:13-14 - “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
John 14:6 - Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Acts 4:12 - Salvation is found in no one else [but Jesus], for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
---
Isn't it too arrogant to say that Christianity is right and all other faiths are wrong?
We live in a culture that says truth is unknowable. Therefore, we should all live our own truth.
Elephant and the blind men parable: Used to demonstrate how all religions only see part of the truth. But ultimately, the claim that you can see better than the blind men is an exclusive truth claim.
All truth claims are exclusive.
---
Aren't all religions basically the same?
There are significant differences in beliefs and in world-views.
---
What about those who never hear about Jesus?
This is a fascinating question but we shouldn't let it derail us from deciding on whether or not Christianity's truth claims are true or not.
Ultimately we know that God is love and he is just. However he deals with those who never explicitly heard about Jesus will be just and loving.
---
Christianity doesn't just make exclusive claims, it also makes unique claims. Particularly about what God is like.
Can any other faith embrace the truth found in the parable of the Prodigal Son? That God loves us this much and has this much grace and mercy for us?
---
Our culture's rejection of truth claims is partly because of how truth claims have been weaponized.
We should learn from Jesus how to carry his truth.
With humility and love.
John 18:33-19:3
18:33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”
40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
Jesus Sentenced to Be Crucified
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.