Taking on Common Arguments against Christianity

Claim: “All religions lead to God, anyway.”

Atheists will sometimes make some form of assertion that all religions lead to God, that all religions are equally true or valid and that as long as the believer is sincere, they will receive their eternal reward.

1. The Deity of Jesus is Exclusive

13 while we wait for the blessed hope–the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, - Titus 2:13 NIV

1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: - 2 Peter 1:1 NIV

9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, - Colossians 2:9 NIV

Christianity is alone in its claim that Jesus is God. All other religions deny this claim. Some religions deny the existence of a god, others claim there are many gods and others claim that we are gods. If the other religions are true and Jesus is not the one true God, then Christianity must necessarily be false and therefore cannot be equally valid compared to other religions.

** DISCUSS **

2. The Gospel is Exclusive.

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. - John 14:6 NIV

9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. - John 10:9 NIV

12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” - Acts 4:12 NIV

12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. - 1 John 5:12 NIV

Jesus claimed HE was the only way to the Father. There was no other way but by Him. One of the core tenets of the Christian faith is the exclusivity of the faith. If true, then it is logically impossible for all religions to be equal in its claims of salvation. If Jesus’ claim of exclusivity is true then the atheists’ claim must be false. On the other hand, if the atheists’ claim is true, then Jesus’ claim about Himself must be false and the defining authority on Christianity is not to be trusted.

** DISCUSS **

3. The Means of Salvation is Exclusive

21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood–to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished– 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. - Romans 3:21-26 NIV

8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. - Romans 5:8-11 NIV

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

Christianity is exclusive in its claims about how we are saved. While all other “religions” focus on earning your salvation through adherence to a set of rules and following certain set of practices and performing enough good deeds, Christianity makes it clear that we cannot earn our salvation, but it is a gift from God, purchased for us by Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross and received through faith. Again, the claims of Christianity are exclusive and opposed to the rest of all other religions. Both cannot be true at the same time.

** DISCUSS **

Summary

This claim is an attempt to diminish the message of the Gospel and portray Christianity as just one out of infinite possible paths to salvation. Unfortunately for atheists, the assertion crumbles under the weight of the slightest of scrutiny. For this to be true, the Gospel as well as the tenets of every other religion must be false.