'All religions are basically the same.'

Anyone who has spent much time at all seeking to tell people the Good News of who Jesus is and what He has done on behalf of sinners has almost certainly heard the assertion that serves as the title of this post. This assertion could be answered in many ways; certainly, for example, someone could carry a chart contrasting the different religions. My inclination, however, is to point people once again to the person and work of Christ. All religions are NOT basically the same, simply because they say different things about Jesus and the Cross. Christians believe in Jesus as the Son of God, who died on the Cross in the place of sinners and who was raised from the dead as the conqueror of sin, death, and Hell. Muslims (to give one example among many) specifically deny that Jesus is God's Son or that He was crucified.

Christians have long stressed the importance of doctrine, but this is because doctrine is meant to point us to Christ. Our great passion is for Jesus Himself. And this is the great difference that separates Christianity from all other religions. It is only Christianity that is centered upon the ever-living Lord Jesus, who is one God with the Father (and Holy Spirit) from eternity, who did the good works we have failed to do and died the death that we deserved, and who defeated the enemy we cannot defeat: namely, death. All other religions deny Jesus (properly understood), prescribe human effort as the way to salvation, and thus end in despair.