You and I have a huge decision: which religion or worldview we are going to commit our lives (and eternal destiny) to. If we are going to decide this, we need to consider the founder of that faith commitment.
After comparing the founders of the world’s most significant religions, it is apparent that only Jesus reigns superior.
What About Hypocrites?
A common mistake is that people reject Christianity because of the hypocrisy or misbehavior of people calling themselves Jesus followers. Avoid making that mistake by seeking to know the real Jesus.
Are All Religions Fundamentally the Same?
Another common mistake is the belief that “All religions are essentially the same and only superficially different.”
This view is wrong! All worldviews are “fundamentally different and only superficially the same” because at the heart of each faith commitment lies an essential belief that contradicts all the others! These fundamental contradictions make it impossible that all religions could be the same!
It is valid to claim that “there is some truth in all worldviews”--otherwise, no one would believe in them. Because all truth is God’s truth, any truth found within a non-Christian religion or worldview is present because God has left his witness manifested in:
- physical nature (Ps. 19:1; Rom. 1:18–20)
- human nature (Acts 17:26–29; Rom. 2:12–15)
- history (Acts 17:26)
But despite some superficial shared similarities, there is only one answer to the question, “Which religion contains all truth?” The answer is Christianity. And after surveying the progenitors of other world religions, it is evident Jesus is superior to them all.
Jesus Is Superior To All Other Religious Leaders
Christ is unique among all who ever lived. Jesus claimed and proved to be God in the flesh (Matt. 16:13–16; John 1:1–5, 14; Heb. 1:3).
No other world teacher:
- Claimed to be God (John 8:58)
- Fulfilled over 300 prophecies
- Lived a sinless life (1 Pet. 2:22)
- Performed remarkable miracles (including the resurrection)
- Displayed the love for people that Jesus did 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
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). And while Moses performed miracles, Christ’s signs and wonders were more extensive and extraordinary in degree. Matthew’s Gospel and the book of Hebrews show Jesus’ superiority to the faithful prophet Moses.
2. Jesus is Superior to Muhammad of Islam
Muhammad, the founder of Islam, admitted he was only a mortal prophet (Surah 6:50). Jesus proved to be God by fulfilling prophecy and performing miracles, including his resurrection (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; ; Ps. 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).
Muhammad offered no sure hope for salvation, only guidelines for working oneself into Allah’s favor known as the five religious pillars (e.g., Surah 5:10). By comparison, we can 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 is Superior to Guru of Hinduism
In Hinduism, a guru is a teacher who must help Hindus understand the sacred writings of Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads. In contrast, Christ’s teaching is easily understandable.
Jesus taught that there is only one God. Hinduism worships 330 million gods (polytheism), and that each Hindu must reach godhood.
Faith in Jesus saves us (Eph. 2:8-9), and we can be secure in our salvation (Eph. 1:13-14; 1 John 5:13). Hindus are left on their own to work their way out of the maze of recurring karmic cycles of reincarnation until they reach moksha ( escaping recurring reincarnations into a state of oneness with the “ultimate reality,” called Brahman)
Christ teaches selfless love (Matt. 22:39). But orthodox Hinduism’s caste system 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 (though later forms of Buddhism returned to the Hindu gods) based around Siddhartha Gautama’s Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path.
Jesus taught that life is a gift of God to be enjoyed now (John 10:10) with the hope in the life to come (John 14:6) to anyone who accepts Him as their Savior (John 14:6). Buddhism sees life as suffering. The ultimate goal is eradicating individual personhood by reaching nirvana through the process of recurring reincarnations.
5. Jesus is Superior to Confucius
Confucianism is an ethical system (rather than a religion) that 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,” and is similar to 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) in need of 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 is the principle that the world is full of conflicting opposites and manifestations between Yin and Yang. To understand the Tao means accepting that all opposites are one and that truth lies in contradiction. Lao Tzu’s denial of the Law of Noncontradiction conflicts with Christ’s commands to use our reason (Matt. 22:37-38; 1 Pet. 3:15).
Taoism asks each follower to relinquish their power to change things. But Jesus taught that each person has a choice to believe or not believe (John 3:18), to obey or disobey (John 15:14), to change the world or be changed by it (Matt. 5:13–16).
So What If I Do Want to Follow Jesus?
Christianity’s exclusive claims rest on the uniqueness of Jesus, who is superior to all other religions’ founders and main models:
- Jesus alone teaches what is entirely correct and accords with reality
- He alone is God in the flesh (Matt. 1:22-23)
- And spiritual salvation only comes through him (Acts 4:12)
But Christianity is unique because Jesus isn’t just a teacher of principles we try to emulate. He is both fully God and fully man. Christ willingly died on the cross as our substitute. He took on our sins and bore God’s anger and punishment, so we do not have to be eternally separated from God (1 Pet. 2:24).
If you want to become a Christian, your first step is to repent of your sinful life and put your full trust (faith) in Jesus as your Savior and God. Once God forgives your sins, you become his child (Rom. 3:23-26).
If you are already a Christian, thank God for giving us Jesus, who is our “way,” our “truth,” and our “life” (John 14:6) and saving us from the hopelessness of all other worldviews.
Resources
Geisler, N. L. (1999). “Christ, Uniqueness of.” In Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (pp. 135–140). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
