My dear friends, I really wanted to write you about God’s saving power at work in our lives. But instead, I must write and ask you to defend the faith that God has once for all given to his people. Jude 1: 3 [CEV]
What makes the Christian faith different from every other faith? Prince Charles, next in line to the British throne, has let it be known that if and when he becomes king he would like to be regarded as Defender of all faiths rather than Defender of the faith - the Christian faith. Living now as we do in a multi-faith rather than a Christian society, he said, it is important that this shift be reflected in the duties of the monarch. No Christian would want to deny any individual or group the right to follow or practice the faith of their choice, but we must be careful that tolerance of other religions does not cause us to fall into the trap of thinking that Christianity is just one religion among many. Decidedly, it is not. Christianity is in a category all by itself. If that belief opens us up to the charge of arrogance, then so be it.
Recently, I heard a religious commentator say on television that one religion is as good as another. One religion as good as another? How utterly absurd! It sounds broadminded but actually it is the judgment of ignorance. No one would ever make that statement if they understood the purpose of Christ's coming to this world, His atoning death on the cross, and His glorious resurrection. We are not unmindful of the spiritual glow which comes from other lamps, but our claim for Jesus is the claim He made for Himself - He alone is the Light of the world, and thus utterly indispensable to salvation.
O Father, help me comprehend even more fully and clearly the truths of the faith into which, by Your grace, You have brought me. I cannot live by opinions, I must live by convictions. May Your truths become my convictions. In Christ's Name I pray. Amen.
Selwyn Hughes edited by Dave MacLellan
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