Do you believe that Jesus is superior to every other leader of a world religion?
Understand me. In general, the founders of other religions made noteworthy contributions to humanity’s knowledge.
Dr. Norman Geisler explicitly explains why Jesus is unique among the founders of other world religions.
If, in fact, Jesus not only claimed but proved to be God.
That makes Jesus the most important figure who ever lived.
It also means we must make the life-altering decision to either place our faith in him or reject him as God.
So why should you choose Jesus? Firstly, a comparison to other religious leaders should convince you that he is superior.
And secondly, if you agree, your next step should be to make him your Lord and Savior.
I. Why Are the Leaders of Various Worldviews Important?
Specifically, a worldview is determined by:
- Firstly, whether God exists
- Secondly, God’s attributes or characteristics.
It must be remembered; there are only seven worldview choices. But the critical question is, “Which religion is the correct one.”
Therefore, a reasonable starting point is to compare each religion’s founder. And when you compare them, there is only one answer. Jesus is superior.
II. Jesus Is Superior to All Other Religious Leaders
Christ is unique among all who ever lived.
Jesus proved to be God in the flesh.
- Significantly, Christ claimed to be God (John 8:58)
- Moreover, he fulfilled over 300 prophecies
- Equally important is his sinless life (1 Pet. 2:22)
- Most compellingly, he performed remarkable miracles, including the resurrection. Historically reliable documents record these events (Mark 16:6; John 2:11; 6:2; 9:16; 11:47, 1 Cor. 15:7).
- Undeniably his disciples and eyewitnesses confirmed he is God (Matt. 16:13–16; John 1:1–5, 14; Heb. 1:3)
- Above all, he displayed his love for people in dying for the sins of the world (John 15:13)
There are six primary founders of major world religions:
- Moses
- Muhammad
- Gurus
- Buddha
- Confucius
- Lao Tzu
And Jesus is superior to each.
1. Jesus is Superior to Moses of Judaism
Judaism is the world’s oldest monotheistic religion. And Moses is the greatest Old Testament prophet. But Jesus claimed and proved to be the Son of God (Heb. 3:5–6), who fulfilled Moses’ Law (Matt. 5:17).
Undoubtedly, Moses performed miracles (Exod. 4:1-7). But Christ’s signs and wonders were more extensive and extraordinary in degree. As a result, the New Testament is clear that Jesus is superior to Moses (Matt. 5:17; Heb. 3:1-6).
2. Jesus is Superior to Muhammad of Islam
Muhammad, the founder of Islam, admitted he was only a mortal prophet (Surah 6:50).
But Jesus proved to be God in at least two ways:
- First, by fulfilling more than 300 Old Testament prophecies (Isa 7:14; cf. Matt. 1:21f.; 2 Sam. 7:12f.; cf. Matt. 1:1; Micah 5:2; cf. Matt. 2:1; Isa. 35:5–6; cf. Matt. 9:35; 118:22; cf. 1 Peter 2:7; Ps. 22 & Isa. 53; cf. Matt. 27:31f; Ps. 2:7 and 16:10; cf. Acts 2:31 & Mark 16:6).
- And second, by performing miracles, including his resurrection.
It is important to realize that Muhammad offered no sure hope for salvation. Instead, he gave only guidelines for working oneself into Allah’s favor, known as the five religious pillars (e.g., Surah 5:10).
By comparison, Christians understand that faith in Jesus and not works save us (Eph. 2:8-9) if we repent and accept him as our Lord (John 3:16).
3. Jesus in Contrast to Hinduism’s Gurus
In Hinduism, a guru is a teacher. In essence, he must help Hindus understand the sacred writings. The main ones are the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads.
In contrast, Christ’s teaching is easily understandable.
Further, Jesus taught that there is only one God.
On the other hand, Hinduism worships 330 million gods (polytheism). And Hinduism teaches that each Hindu must reach godhood.
Faith in Jesus saves us (Eph. 2:8-9). And without a doubt, we can be secure in our salvation (Eph. 1:13-14; 1 John 5:13).
However, Hindus must work out their “salvation” on their own. Specifically, this process includes the maze of recurring karmic cycles of reincarnation.
Finally, they reach moksha. Moksha, in effect, is the final escape from recurring reincarnations. And in this case means entering a state of oneness with the “ultimate reality,” called Brahman.
Christ teaches selfless love (Matt. 22:39). But orthodox Hinduism’s caste system ignores the suffering. Instead, it insists on leaving suffering people alone because it is their karma.
4. Jesus is Superior to Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) of Buddhism
Buddhism began as an atheistic reformation movement within Hinduism. However, subsequent forms of Buddhism returned to the Hindu gods.
Buddhism teaches Siddhartha Gautama’s Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path.
In contrast, Jesus taught that life is a gift from God. Therefore, we are to enjoy God now (John 10:10).
And, additionally, have hope in the life to come (John 14:6) to anyone who accepts Him as their Savior (John 14:6).
In contrast, Buddhism sees life as suffering. Therefore, the ultimate goal is eradicating individual personhood. This final loss of “self” occurs by reaching nirvana. And reaching nirvana is through the process of recurring reincarnations.
5. Comparing Jesus to Confucius
Confucianism is an ethical system and not a religion per se. In general, it promotes a virtuous life and societal peace and harmony.
The Confucian so-called Silver Rule is: “What you do not want others to do to you, do not do to them.” This rule is like Christ’s “Golden Rule” (Matt. 7:12).
Confucianism is a self-effort system believing humans are good and can reach perfection.
But Christianity claims we are all sinners (Rom. 3:23). Therefore, we need God’s grace for inner reconciliation with God through Jesus (2 Cor. 5:18) before outward changes in actions are possible.
6. Jesus is Superior to Lao Tzu (Taoism)
The Tao believes the world is full of conflicting opposites and manifestations. Therefore, the Yin and Yang represent all things existing as inseparable and contradictory opposites.
To understand the Tao means accepting that all opposites are one. Without a doubt, this belief is contradictory.
Lao Tzu’s philosophy denies the fundamental principle of logic. This principle is the “Law of Noncontradiction” (LON). The LON asserts the opposite of true is false.
Taoism, however, teaches that the opposite of “true is true.” This conflicts with the LON and Christ’s commands to use our reason (Matt. 22:37-38; 1 Pet. 3:15).
Furthermore, Taoism asks each follower to relinquish their power to change things.
By comparison, Jesus taught that each person has a choice. As a result, we can believe or not believe (John 3:18), obey or disobey (John 15:14), change the world, or allow the world to change us (Matt. 5:13–16).
III. What If I Want to Follow Jesus?
- To sum up, Christianity makes exclusive claims. In other words, only Christianity is true, and the six other worldviews are wrong.This exclusivity rests on the uniqueness of Jesus.
- Firstly, he is both fully God and fully human (Matt. 1:22-23).
- Secondly, Christ chose to die on the cross as our substitute taking on our sins and bearing God’s punishment.
- Thirdly, spiritual salvation only comes through him (Acts 4:12).
- Fourthly if you accept him as your God, you can spend eternity with him (1 Pet. 2:24).
If you want to become a Christian:
- To begin with, genuinely repent of your sinful life (Acts 2:38).
- And subsequently, sincerely place your complete trust (faith) in Jesus as your Savior and God.
“because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9–10, ESV)
You are now God’s child (Rom. 3:23-26).
On the other hand, if you are already a Christian, thank God for giving us Jesus. He is our “way,” our “truth,” and our “life” (John 14:6). He alone saves us from the hopelessness of all other worldviews.
