Why Choose Jesus?
December 10, 2023
The fall of 2022 was the first year in 38 years that I didn’t coach a high school sport. I quit coaching because I was hired to be a Marketplace Chaplain. A Marketplace Chaplain is a person that is hired to go into assigned businesses within the community to build relationships and minister to the employees. We strive to be the hands and feet of Jesus and to come along side people to do life with them.
I have had the privilege to visit with some employees that are Christian, atheist, agnostic and some that would be considered religious pluralists. There are several broad definitions of religious pluralism; one being that all religions lead to the same god. This is the idea I would like to discuss. There are so many people that believe this way and yet they know very little about what the major religions of the world actually believe.
The four largest “religions” based on populations surveyed are 1) Christianity, 2) Isam, 3) Hinduism, and 4) Buddhism.
Buddhism – A man by the name of Siddhartha Gautama was intentional in learning the “basic truths in life.” Gautama, wanted to know why most people suffer, and what is it that causes suffering. Gautama spent many years studying and practicing different religious customs such as praying, meditating, and fasting. It is believed that he gained “enlightenment” or “nirvana” and came to understand the basic truths of life. This led to him receiving the title “Buddha.”
Ultimately, Buddha came up with a list of “truths” for people to live by. After Buddha died, his teachings were gradually written down from what people remembered. This document was named “The Tripitaka.” Buddhists do not believe in any kind of deity or god.
Hinduism – The Hindu god named Brahman is believed to be responsible for creation and preserving creation. Hinduism believes Brahman is also responsible for the breaking down of creation and any changes that happen within creation and that this happens on a repeating cycle.
Brahman, one of the major gods of Hinduism, is believed to be born from a golden egg. Some Hindus believe that Brahman is infinite and formless, and can be worshipped as such or in different forms which is why they believe that there are a variety of ways in which all human beings can connect with the divine. The divine can be worshipped as a masculine form (man), a feminine form (female), animal form, or a combination of them. This is why there are a variety of Hindu images/paintings that have a combination of human and animal parts.
Hinduism strives to obtain a state of being called Moksha. Obtaining Moksha means a person has overcome spiritual ignorance, and have no attachment to material things. They feel they have reached a state of divine nature, and have reached perfect peace and happiness. Hindus believe in reincarnation.
Islam – Followers of Islam believe that “There is no god but God.” They also believe that Muhammad is the messenger of God and that Allah (God) gave Mohammad the complete and final revelation (Islam Bible the Quran). To become a Muslim, a person needs to state, with conviction, that “There is no god, but God” and Mohammad was the complete and final revelation. With the Islam religion, people face the east to pray several times a day, they donate part of their income to the needy, and during Ramadan (the 9th month in the Islamic calendar) healthy adult Muslims fast from food and drink during daylight hours.
Muslims do not believe Jesus is the Son of God, in fact, to claim Jesus is the Son of God guarantees loss of salvation. It is an unforgiveable sin and blasphemy to believe there is any deity connected to Allah. Muslims do believe Jesus was a messenger sent by God to point people back to “the one true God.” He is not the Son of God and there is no deity in him.
Muslims strive to live a life that is pleasing to Allah and hope that he will choose to forgive them on judgement day. Islam believes that Allah saves by his mercy. It is possible that if a person lives a life that is more pleasing to Allah than another person, Allah could still choose the other person to receive forgiveness and salvation. Jahannam is the place of eternal punishment for unbelievers and evildoers.
Islam believes that God’s original revelations written in the Christian Bible have been changed. As a result, Muslims believe that Christianity strayed from monotheism- from the one true God. They operate from the belief that Christians worship a false god, described as the Trinity.
Islam and Christianity: What’s Different?
Why Choose Jesus?
Christians believe in a “Triune” God, the Trinity – the Father (Jehovah God or Yahweh), the Son (Jesus the Messiah), and the Holy Spirit (a distinctive divine person in spirit form). Christians believe that God the Father sent His Son to die for the sins of mankind, and by confessing with our mouth and believing in our hearts that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for our sins, we will live eternally with Him in Heaven. This makes Jesus the foundation to Christianity.
What Proof Do You Have That Jesus is the Messiah?
Again, one of the purposes of this discussion is to share that the “big 4” religions are drastically different from each other. Religious “Pluralists” are incorrect saying that all religions lead to the same god. The main goal of this article is to help people understand that there is, in my opinion, overwhelming evidence that Jesus is who He says He is.
The above-mentioned article is an excellent article in providing proof that Jesus is the Messiah! I highly encourage you to click on the above link and read the entire article. I have shared some highlights of the article below, as well as some thoughts of my own.
Through Jewish Sages (Jewish scholars and biblical interpreters going back thousands of years) and in the Hebrew Bible we are given tremendous detail on the “Messiah.” Having this kind of detail is powerfully significant. It means there is validity and accuracy regarding Jesus’ existence and the claims made about Him.
· We know his place of birth
· The timeframe of his arrival
· Genealogical background
· And many other identifying characteristics
Here are passages that early Rabbis and sages agree are referring to the Messiah. According to historical written evidence, the Messiah’s lineage, birthplace, time, and lifestyle, shows that Jesus matched the Messianic expectations of the Hebrew Scriptures
This means that there were prophetic writings recorded about the Messiah 2000 years before the arrival of Jesus. Then in the days of Jesus, ALL the prophetic writings came to pass! Jesus is the Messiah!
· Messiah would be from the tribe of Judah: Genesis 49:10 (Hebrew)
· Messiah would be a descendant of King David: 2 Samuel 7:12-16 (Hebrew)
· Messiah was to be born at Bethlehem: Micah 5:2 (Hebrew -Micah 5:1)
· Messiah would arrive before the destruction of the Second Temple: Daniel 9:24-27 (Hebrew)
· Messiah would present himself by riding on a donkey: Zechariah 9:9 (Hebrew)
· Messiah would be tortured to death: Psalm 22: 1-31 (Hebrew)
· Messiah’s life would match a particular description, including suffering, silence at his arrest and trial, death and burial in a rich man’s tomb, and resurrection: Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12 (Hebrew- Is. 52; Hebrew Is. 53)
There Is No One Like Jesus
· Jesus performed hundreds and hundreds of miracles; raising the dead, physical healings, turned water to wine, feeding multitudes (thousands) with a basket of a few fish, driving out demons…
· Jesus brought wholeness to people’s lives
· Because Jesus brought atonement for sin and reconciliation with God, He brings peace, joy, and purpose to those that choose to seek a relationship with Him
· Jesus is the only one who chose to come to earth and take initiative to make a relationship with people
· He is the only one who chose to be tortured and die, raise from the dead, and ascend to heaven, paying for the sins of every human being
· He is the only one who dedicated all his life to live for God and live sinless
· He is the only one that gave up everything, including his life, to be a servant for mankind
· He is the only one who claimed God as the Father
· He is the only one who has brought the message about unchanging faith, hope, and love
Since I have made the choice to believe Jesus is who He says He is, and believing the Bible was written by God through the hand of man, I have experienced peace, joy, and happiness like never before. I have personally witnessed and experienced miracles!
Many people will disregard the Christian Bible because of their educational backgrounds, tragedy in their life (a god wouldn’t allow this to happen to me), or being wrongly informed. So many people have told me that science and evolution teaching is the reason they can’t believe in Jesus. I have a Master’s degree in science and have studied the scientific evidence against evolution for over 30 years. Because of this, it compels me to believe in Yahweh and His son Jesus. I will save comments regarding that for another discussion. I have absolutely zero doubt that Jesus is who He says He is!