“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name [Jesus] under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Jesus said:
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father [God] except through me.” (John 14:6)
“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you [YHWH, the God of the Bible], the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)
“In fact, for this reason I [Jesus] was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (John 18:37)
Most religions contain a code of morality, and while many of them share common similarities, their ideas about who “god” is, the afterlife and how to attain an eternally blessed state are completely contradictory. Simple logic would therefore conclude that all religions are not saying the same thing. And the more serious question arises: Which religion, if any, is telling us the truth about the afterlife and how to attain an eternally blessed state?
Some religions, such as Buddhism, are simply philosophies about how one should live. Biblical Christianity (which is based solely on the teachings of the Bible), on the other hand, claims to teach the absolute truth, the only way to God and the only valid way to eternal salvation. This is a huge claim, but could it ever be proven?
God has proven it to us by doing something only God could do. God proved his existence and the authority of the Bible as his divinely inspired word to us through Bible prophecy. (See 8) Can Bible Prophecy Be Proven?) Logically, if the Bible is God’s divinely inspired word, as it claims to be (and is validated as such by Bible prophecy), then everything it says is the absolute truth, including what it says about other religions (that they are false and not the true way to God).
As a generalism, all other religions aside from Biblical Christianity are works-based. That is, in every other religion, you do good works in order to merit salvation or to attain a more blessed or enlightened state. Christianity is different in that our right standing before God (and therefore worthiness to enter heaven) is based upon God’s grace (God’s favor granted to us on the basis of our faith in Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice for us, not our own good works.) The Bible declares that repentance and faith in Jesus is the ONLY way we can be saved from our sins and from their penalty, death and hell–at the exclusion of all other religions. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name [Jesus] under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
The Bible teaches that God is perfect in holiness and that he cannot be in the presence of sin. Although God created us to be in a close, loving personal relationship with him, our sins have separated us from him. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). God declares that the just punishment for our sins is death and hell. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
However, God does not want anyone to go to hell; therefore, out of his great love for us, he provided the way for us to be saved. God came to earth as the man Jesus Christ, and he lived the perfect, sinless life that none of us could live. Jesus then took all of our sins upon himself and bore the punishment for them through his death on the cross. He rose from the dead three days later making reconciliation with God possible.
In order to be reconciled to God you must first repent (confess and turn away) from your sins. Second you must trust in Jesus Christ as your personal savior, believing that he has paid the punishment for your sins.
Our eternal destination is not something we can afford to be mistaken about. Many casually reason, “I’ll find out the truth when I die,” but by then it will be too late. Are you really willing to risk an eternity in hell by neglecting to find the absolute truth about God and eternal salvation now?
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)
“‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD…” (Jeremiah 29:13-14)
See: 1) Is Truth Subjective or Absolute?
For more questions and answers about God, see “Is God Real?”
For more information on the difference between Christianity and other religions, please see:
Websites:
A brief article as to why Christianity is the truth:
Why believe in Christianity Over All Other Religions?
A brief explanation of the different major world religions and how Christianity is totally different:
5 Major World Religions – See What These Different Religions Believe About God
Videos:
Jesus Christ claimed to be God incarnate and the only true way to heaven. What evidence is there to support these claims?
The Case for Christ, By Lee Strobel
IS GOD REAL? SALVATION TESTIMONIES