The Uniqueness of Christ

People have argued about religion and truth for thousands of years. But at times, when we've been honest with ourselves, we have been able to agree about some things, including the condition of man. No matter how much good we do, there is always a feeling on the inside that something is still missing - that because we are all human, we'll never be able to get to the point where we can say things are just as they should be in our hearts.

We Christians believe that Jesus is the missing piece for every person-not more trying and more good deeds. That does not mean good works have no importance. However, doing good simply won't be enough to make things right on the inside. Even atheists have appreciated how Jesus gave us such an accurate description of our hearts.

Consider the recent conversion of A.N. Wilson, English writer and newspaper columnist. He attended theological college, only to drop out at the end of his first year. Persuaded by the popular mode of intellectualism, he thought that no one could know the truth about who Jesus was, and that we couldn’t rely on the bible’s account of Jesus:

“[W]e can accept some church version of Jesus, or if it makes more appeal to us, we can accept a ‘heretic’ version; or we can make one up by ourselves.”

An atheist for thirty years, Wilson reconstructed his own view of Jesus by looking to the very scriptures he claimed we could not rely on, and then by speculating that Jesus was something other than what was presented in those scriptures (e.g. that Jesus was probably married).

After thirty years of being a very vocal atheist, Wilson recently returned to the Christian faith, accepting the gospel and the biblical view of Jesus in what he calls a road to Damascus experience:

“In the past, I have questioned [the gospel’s] veracity and suggested that it should not be taken literally. But the more I read the Easter story, the better it seems to fit and apply to the human condition. That, too, is why I now believe in it.”

Similarly, W.E.H. Lecky, historian and atheist (never a convert to Christianity) said this about Jesus's character, as presented by Christianity:

“[It] has shown itself capable of acting on all ages, nations, temperaments, and conditions; has been not only the highest pattern of virtue but the strongest incentive to its practice; and has exercised so deep an influence that it may be truly said that the simple record of three short years of active life has done more to regenerate and to soften mankind than all the disquisitions of philosophers, and all the exhortations of moralists.”

History of European morals: from Augustus to Charlemagne, Volume 2

Also consider this interesting observation of Christian apologist, Ravi Zacharias:

"So profound was the transformation of British society that Bertrand Russell, one of the most prominent and influential atheists of the last century, could later write, 'It is doubtful that the method of Mahatma Gandhi would have succeeded except that he was appealing to the conscience of a Christianized people.'"

Ravi Zacharias said he was amused to see this quote by Russell, an atheist, in the home of Ghandi, a pantheist.

Our church will be covering the issue of truth starting on January 1st:

http://www.icontact-archive.com/qBrsGr8VFWe6RhfqOBRshfOK0ckkYIsA?w=2