What Makes Jesus Different?

What makes Jesus different? What makes Christianity different from other religions? The answer is relatively simple, and yet I believe human pride has turned it into the hardest question of all time.

I’ve seen posts on Patheos that ask, and attempt to answer, the question: Do Adherents of Abrahamic Faiths Worship the Same God? Since Christians, Jews, Muslims, Baha’is all claim to worship the God of Abraham, the question would seem to be easily answered yes.

However, I think this is the wrong question. The more important question is: Am I—whether Christian, Jew, Muslim, or Baha’i—worshipping God in the way that most honors Him? Am I, in my worship, giving all glory to God?

Lessons from My Childhood

When I was a kid, I strived to please my mom. She was happy, and I felt loved, if I got all perfect grades in school. I never wanted to disappoint her, so I worked hard to be the best.

In the sixth grade, I was told that if I got all A’s on my report card, I would get $5 for every A. I brought home a report card that had three grades for each of seven subjects. I don’t remember the exact purpose of each column on the report card, but I remember the excitement I felt to know I would be getting $105!

That’s not what I got. My parents gave me $35 instead, $5 for each subject I got an A in. I felt disappointed, to say the least. I didn’t feel quite as loved as I would have with $1

05 in my wallet.

Grades continued to be a source of striving for me. Except in tenth grade when I refused to dress down for PE to play softball and got a D. My mom was furious and it seems I didn’t care anymore.

Striving for God’s Love

Early in my faith walk, I also strived to please God, to earn His love. If someone asked me to do something at church, I always said yes. I figured if I was asked, God must want me to do it. Service was an important part of the religious experience. We are called, after all, to be the Good Samaritan.

I served in the hospitality ministry, even though hospitality isn’t really my gifting. Kids are not my favorite group of people, but still I taught in Sunday school and confirmation class. I was on church counsel and the elder board, a totally exhausting task for me. Because I love to cook, I headed up a church ministry to cook and serve dinner to a group of women in a rehab facility. I edited the church newsletter. I did so many things with so little discernment and so much pressure to do more.

That kind of faith walk is exhausting. Eventually I felt burnt out and resented the ask. And all that service didn’t give me any sense of assurance that I was doing enough.

What Makes Jesus Different?

The day I realized that faith in Jesus wasn’t about doing more and more to please God, I gained the freedom to say “no” when the opportunity wasn’t right for me. This faith life is not a graded system where I must earn my way with all A’s and perfect attendance.

I indeed am at the end, and I cannot do anything more—but He begins right there—He does the things that no one else can ever do.
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, August 22.

I worship God best when I trust the words of Jesus on the cross: “It is finished” (John 19:30). I can do nothing to earn my salvation. Better yet, I don’t need to. Jesus did it all. He gets the glory for all that I do that is good, for all that I need He has done.

I honor God when I admit I can’t do this myself. I need Him every minute of every hour of every day.

What makes Jesus different is that He only requires that I trust Him. He requires nothing more of me. Not one single thing.

Jesus Is Different from Other Abrahamic Religions

Islam is essentially a point system. It’s all about whether a Muslim is good enough, and had done enough good.

The Quran states that God will judge each individual by his or her deeds and that heaven awaits those who have lived righteously and hell those who have not.
Pew Research Center.

Judaism is less a point system, but still hinges on what the faithful adherent does in this life.

The Afterlife is an expression of the relationship to God and spirituality that we have nurtured and developed in this world. The way one experiences the Afterlife is totally dependent upon his preparation beforehand. Each choice in this world shapes who we are and creates either connection or disconnection to the Next World.
5 Surprising Facts About Judaism (emphasis added).

The Baha’i faith is similarly about striving to be better.

Entrance into the Kingdom is through the love of God, through detachment, through sanctity and holiness, through truthfulness and purity, through steadfastness and faithfulness, and through self-sacrifice.
Baha’i Teachings, How Do We Get to Heaven?

Some Christian denominations and individuals believe a similar requirement for getting to heaven when we die. Many legalistic sects require that followers adhere to all the rules lest they lose their salvation. Some Christian preachers are all hellfire and brimstone, losing sight of the saving grace of Jesus.

A Root of Pride

Pride is the root of sin. It is also the root of a faith that seeks to save itself. We humans have a hard time admitting we can’t do it ourselves. When we succeed at anything, we like to pat ourselves on the back.

Throughout the Bible, we see God opposed to the proud and favoring the humble.

Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 8:14 NLT. (Read all of chapter 8 here).

It is God, through Jesus, who saves us from our sin. He is our rescuer and our redeemer. Humility has always been God’s desire for His people.

Knowing Love

Looking back at my childhood, I know now that my mom loved me. She wanted me to do my best because my life would be better if I did. My future mattered to her because she loved me. She didn’t stop loving me when I got a D in P.E. or an A- in Contemporary Political Theory in college.

Jesus loves me too. Even more than my mom did. And although the Bible offers guidance and even rules for better living, Jesus will never stop loving me if I fail to follow them all. His grace is sufficient for my life now and into eternity.

Closing Prayer on Jesus’s Love

Heavenly Father, help us to worship You as You desire. Help each person reading this article to let go of pride and embrace the humility needed to accept Your redeeming love on the cross as the only requirement for salvation. May the hills of heaven be filled with those who believed Your words on the cross—It is finished. Help us to let go of the striving to be good enough and instead to trust in Your goodness and grace, Your strength and power, Your atonement for our sins (past, present, and future). In Jesus’s name, amen.