Do all religions lead to real eternal blessings? This should be a significant life question to consider for those who have been taught a particular belief system. This article will answer the question: How is Jesus, the LORD and Savior of the Bible, different from all the other religious founders throughout history?
For devout Christians, Jesus is not only the Savior, but a specific person within the tripartite Godhead (i.e., the Trinity). As God the Son, Jesus has always eternally existed, and could never be a created person (John 1:1-3). He is fully God and fully man (Philippians 2:6-8), the two natures joined in one person, but remaining distinct from each other. He possesses all of the same attributes of deity along with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit (Colossians 2:9).
Based upon the biblical evidence, this article begins by debunking the false idea that Jesus was only a created angel. The New Testament does not support this position and even states the opposite—He is superior as the Son of God and is worshipped by the angels (Hebrews 1:1-14). Being the servants of God, angels rejected personal worship because it is a divine prerogative of God alone,
“And I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. And he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers the prophets, and of those who heed the words of this book; worship God.” (Revelation 22:8-9, NASB)
Even during the time of His infancy, Jesus became the object of worship (Matthew 2:11). The testimony of these verses specify that only God is worthy of worship and Jesus is the proper focus of worship for all Christians.
During His ministry, Jesus exercised His divine authority over the physical, natural, and spiritual realms. He permanently healed many types of sicknesses and diseases, e.g., leper (Matt. 8:1-4); the paralyzed (Matt. 8:5-13; 9:1-8); the blind (Matt. 9:27-31); the deaf & mute (Mark 7:31-37). He was the divine agent of the creation of all things (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17) and displayed His divine power over nature, e.g., commanded a major storm on the Sea of Galilee to cease (Mark 4:35-41); walked on water (Mark 6:45-52). He had the divine prerogative to forgive sin (Mark 2:1-12); commanded the demonic spirits to come out of possessed individuals (Luke 4:31-37; 40-41) and called the dead back to life (Luke 7:11-17; 8:49-56; John 11:28-44).
Only God can reveal who God really is, and being truly God, Jesus is the perfect and complete revelation of God in bodily form (John 1:14). As the only mediator between God and mankind (1 Timothy 2:5), Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies as the Savior (Isaiah 53) and perfect sacrifice for all the sins of the world (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
No other religious founder could be equivalent with the essential attributes and prerogatives of Jesus, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9). The physical death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus were personally witnessed by his disciples and hundreds of other believers (1 Corinthians 15:5-8; John 20). Jesus is the Head of the church (Ephesians 1:22) and the perfect representation of the love, mercy and grace of God. He removed the barrier of sin in order for all who believe to be saved and receive the blessing of eternal life through Him (1 John 5:9-13).
George L. Arroyo