6. Christianity is Unique
Christianity is very unique among ancient mythologies. For example, ancient mythologies practiced polytheism or Deism, and ancient mythologies did not teach that their gods desired personal relationship with people. Also, Christianity describes fulfilled prophecies and vicarious atonement which are not present in ancient mythologies. So, Christianity is truly unique among other religions.
God Desires a Personal Relationship
Christianity teaches that God desires to have a personal relationship. This personal relationship with God is similar to a loving parent that helps guide a child’s life. Christianity is unique because other ancient mythologies and religions teach that God is impersonal or not conscious. For example, other religions teach pantheism or Deism where a deity is recognized with nature.
Many verses in the Bible describe the personal relationship that God desires to have with everyone. For example, the Bible says: “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch can’t produce fruit by itself, but must remain in the vine. Likewise, you can’t produce fruit unless you remain in me” (John 15:4).
The Bible also says: “Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8). Finally, the Bible says: “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them loves me. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them” (John 14:21).
Exclusive Worship
The Bible says that God is a jealous god. The Bible also commands people to not worship any other gods. God desires exclusive worship because He has undivided love for His followers, and God wants their complete faithfulness (Exodus 34:14, Deuteronomy 6:5, Psalm 86:11).
Most ancient mythologies practiced polytheism, but the Bible said that people must only follow God (Acts 5:29). Even modern religions, such as Taoism, Hinduism, and Shinto are polytheistic religions. So, Christianity is a very unique religion.
There are many verses throughout the Bible that say that people should only follow God. For example, the Bible says: “Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land” (Deuteronomy 6:13-15).
Vicarious Atonement
The Bible also describes the concept of vicarious atonement. Vicarious atonement in the Bible is the idea that Jesus’s death on the cross was a surrogate sacrifice which paid the punishment for everyone’s sins. Jesus Christ’s death on the cross allows everyone to be reconciled with God (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 3:18).
Ancient mythologies do not the concept of vicarious atonement. Nearly all other modern religions do not include the concept of vicarious atonement either. For example, Buddhism and Islam do not include the concept of vicarious atonement, and the logic of vicarious atonement simply eludes Muslims and Buddhists.
The Bible describes vicarious atonement in many verses. For example, the Bible says: “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). The Bible also says: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).
The Centrality of Sin and Grace
The Bible also focuses on sin and grace. In ancient mythologies, sin and grace were not central. For example, the ancient Egyptians relied on rituals and magic but not grace to forgive their sins. In Christianity, sin is so horrible to God that humans cannot make amends for their sins.
Several verses in the Bible describe the focus of sin and grace. For example, the Bible says: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1).
The Bible also says, “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means” (Romans 6:14-15).
God Who Suffers
The Bible also describes a God that suffers and dies. Some ancient mythologies do describe a god that suffers or dies, such as Norse mythology and Greek mythology. However, Christianity describes a God that is tormented and suffers a very horrifying death. This killing of God in a very shameful manner is not found in any ancient mythologies.
The Bible has several verses which describe Jesus being tormented and crucified. For example, the Bible says: “Again and again, they struck his head with a stick. They spit on him and knelt before him to honor him. When they finished mocking him, they stripped him of the purple robe and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out to crucify him” (Mark 15:19-20).
The Bible also describes the crucifixion of Jesus: “When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there” (Matthew 27:35-36). Crucifixion is a form extreme torture and capital punishment.
The Trinity
The Bible also describes God as being a Trinity. The concept of the Trinity is challenging to understand, and only Christianity has the Trinity. For example, the Christian belief of the Trinity is not in other religions much as Judaism or Islam.
Some religion believe in a trio of gods, but they are not similar to the Christian Trinity since they do not teach that God is three co-equivalent Persons. For example, the Bible also says: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).
The Bible describes the Trinity in many other verses. For example, the Bible says: “When Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up out of the water. Heaven was opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting on him. A voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son whom I dearly love; I find happiness in him’” (Matthew 3:16-17).
Fulfilled Prophecies
The Bible also has contains prophecies, many of which has been fulfilled. So, the number of prophecies in the Bible is debated, but experts estimate that there are approximately 1,800 to 2,500 prophecies. So, the Bible contains both historical and Messianic prophecies.
So, this chapter will present the strongest historical prophecies, and the next chapter will present Messianic prophecies. Historical prophecies in the Bible describe key events that were recorded by historians later. So, the Bible present many historical prophecies, and some of the strongest prophecies are presented in the book of Daniel.
Daniel explained dreams from a pagan monarch and from himself (chapters 2, 7, 8, and 10-12). From his explanations, Daniel predicted Near East history for the next 500 years. Daniel predicts the next four kingdoms: Babylon, Persian, Greece, and Rome. Daniel also predicted Alexander the Great and the breakup of the Greek kingdom by four commanders (Daniel 7:6, 8:5-8, 11:2-4).
Jesus Is Both God and Man
The Bible also teaches that Jesus was both God and man in the Incarnation. The Incarnation teaches that Jesus was both divine and human but only one person. The Bible supports this because Jesus claims to be God and performs miracles, but Jesus also had human restrictions, such as hunger.
Christianity is unique because the Incarnation is only present in Christianity; ancient mythologies do not have the Incarnation. The Bible teaches the Incarnation in many verses. For example, the Bible also says: “Father, I want those you gave me to be with me where I am. Then they can see my glory, which you gave me because you loved me before the creation of the world” (John 17:24).
Also, the Bible says: “Though he was in the form of God, he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit. But he emptied himself by taking the form of a slave and by becoming like human beings. When he found himself in the form of a human, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).
Salvation Comes By Following Jesus, Not From Works
Many religions show that a person can obtain salvation if they have more good works than sins. For example, this teaching is fundamental to both Judaism and Islam which say that a person’s works and sins are weighed to decide their eternal destiny. Christianity, however, teaches that salvation only comes by following Jesus.
The Bible says that true faith in Jesus will create an altered life and produce good works (James 2:20-26). So, the Bible is not claiming that salvation is through faith and works. Instead, a person that truly has faith in Jesus will have good works in their life. The good works are public display of true faith in Jesus.
Many verses in the Bible discuss salvation. For example, the Bible says: “You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith. This salvation is God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed. It’s not something you did that you can be proud of” (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Apostle Paul also discusses salvation. Paul writes that people that have faith in Jesus are “eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14).
Conclusions
There are several unique things about Christianity which are not present in ancient mythologies. Christianity teaches that God desires a personal relationship with everyone. Also, Christianity teaches that Jesus died on the cross as a sacrificial atonement for everyone’s sins, which allows for reconciliation with God through faith. So, everyone must decide if they want to accept Jesus into their heart and follow Him.