Only Christianity Offers a Complete Plan of Redemption
- Date: 2007-11-14 - Word Count: 670
Share This!
Christianity does not leave loose ends. The plan of redemption goes full circle. God is holy and our sin separates us from Him. God's justice demands a price to be paid, the price of death by the shedding of blood. God's grace allows a substitute to pay the price for us. In the Old Testament times this was achieved by sacrificing animals. Not any animal, but animals that met God's specifications, they had to be first born, male and without blemishes. God accepted the sacrifice of the animal as payment for the price of sin of men. But because an animal cannot sin (it is a-moral) this sacrifice had to be repeated again and again, every time a new sin was committed.
Then God's love dispatched Jesus, His Son, to earth to pay that price with His blood. Jesus was - like the Old Testament sacrificial animals - first born, male and without blemishes. But above all He was also without sin by His own choice. That made Him the perfect (and only) sacrificial lam who's blood was sufficient for all past, present and future sins. By accepting Jesus' payment by faith for our sins, we can be reconciled to God during this lifetime as well as after our deaths, when this reconciliation is fully realized.
This plan of redemption is what the Bible is all about. It is unveiled and unfolded throughout the early history of man. It starts in Genesis with the story of Adam and Eve and their sin. It follows the patriarchs, the Mosaic law and the people of Israel. The New Testament explains Jesus' life and sacrifice. It leaves no open ending. If we accept the gift of Jesus by faith, we can be assured of our salvation. If not, we can be assured of our damnation. It's as simple as that.
Other religions do not offer a similar complete plan.
Hinduism claims that one needs only "improve" through numerous cycles of reincarnation. Yet the believer will never know with any certainty how successful he or she is in achieving that objective. One never knows upon death if the soul will have reached Moksha, or if another cycle of rebirth, life, and death is required.
The situation with Buddhism is similar. When is one truly free of suffering? How do you measure that, and how do you know? You die, and then what? Do you disappear into Nirvana or be reborn as a human being or as some other organism. Like Hinduism, it seems to leave many questions unanswered.
The Muslim believes that after death he or she will face the judgment of Allah. And the believer will be judged on the account of his life as an obedient and submissive Muslim and the balance of his good and bad deeds. "Then those whose balance [of good deeds] is heavy, - they will be successful. But those whose balance is light, will be those who have lost their souls, in Hell will they abide" (Surah 23:102-3). However, when are there enough good deeds to outweigh the bad deeds? How does this economy or scale work? When will you reach a point in life that you can die with the certainty that you will enter heaven? Muslims will always face that question with uncertainty. The Qur'an hints that the believer can be confident of his or her eternal destiny, but there is no guarantee. Even Mohammed himself was uncertain of his own salvation. So Muslims strive mightily to reach paradise, but they continually live with the fear that Allah will judge their arrogance and send them to hell. Only Muslims martyred in a jihad have certainty of heaven.
Only Christianity, through God's grace by faith in Christ's sacrifice, gives a guaranteed path to salvation.
About the author
Rob VandeWeghe is a skeptic turned Christian by studying the evidence for Christianity. More articles like this by Rob are available at www.WindmillMinistries.org
You can also view and order Rob's new book on the evidences called Prepared to Answer . Enjoy and research hundreds of pages of figures, facts, finds and features.
Then God's love dispatched Jesus, His Son, to earth to pay that price with His blood. Jesus was - like the Old Testament sacrificial animals - first born, male and without blemishes. But above all He was also without sin by His own choice. That made Him the perfect (and only) sacrificial lam who's blood was sufficient for all past, present and future sins. By accepting Jesus' payment by faith for our sins, we can be reconciled to God during this lifetime as well as after our deaths, when this reconciliation is fully realized.
This plan of redemption is what the Bible is all about. It is unveiled and unfolded throughout the early history of man. It starts in Genesis with the story of Adam and Eve and their sin. It follows the patriarchs, the Mosaic law and the people of Israel. The New Testament explains Jesus' life and sacrifice. It leaves no open ending. If we accept the gift of Jesus by faith, we can be assured of our salvation. If not, we can be assured of our damnation. It's as simple as that.
Other religions do not offer a similar complete plan.
Hinduism claims that one needs only "improve" through numerous cycles of reincarnation. Yet the believer will never know with any certainty how successful he or she is in achieving that objective. One never knows upon death if the soul will have reached Moksha, or if another cycle of rebirth, life, and death is required.
The situation with Buddhism is similar. When is one truly free of suffering? How do you measure that, and how do you know? You die, and then what? Do you disappear into Nirvana or be reborn as a human being or as some other organism. Like Hinduism, it seems to leave many questions unanswered.
The Muslim believes that after death he or she will face the judgment of Allah. And the believer will be judged on the account of his life as an obedient and submissive Muslim and the balance of his good and bad deeds. "Then those whose balance [of good deeds] is heavy, - they will be successful. But those whose balance is light, will be those who have lost their souls, in Hell will they abide" (Surah 23:102-3). However, when are there enough good deeds to outweigh the bad deeds? How does this economy or scale work? When will you reach a point in life that you can die with the certainty that you will enter heaven? Muslims will always face that question with uncertainty. The Qur'an hints that the believer can be confident of his or her eternal destiny, but there is no guarantee. Even Mohammed himself was uncertain of his own salvation. So Muslims strive mightily to reach paradise, but they continually live with the fear that Allah will judge their arrogance and send them to hell. Only Muslims martyred in a jihad have certainty of heaven.
Only Christianity, through God's grace by faith in Christ's sacrifice, gives a guaranteed path to salvation.
About the author
Rob VandeWeghe is a skeptic turned Christian by studying the evidence for Christianity. More articles like this by Rob are available at www.WindmillMinistries.org
You can also view and order Rob's new book on the evidences called Prepared to Answer . Enjoy and research hundreds of pages of figures, facts, finds and features.
Related Tags: christ, bible, christianity, heaven, messiah, sacrifice, redemption, jihad, apologetics, nirvana
Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles
Recent articles in this category:
- The Unused Power
Ever wondered what would have already been accomplished on this earth if only a handful of people ha - How Horoscope / Astrology Does Affect A Person's Happiness
When we speak about happiness, it reflects on two variations. One as an emotion like being happy or - Using The Internet For God
Do you have a Christian product, service or message that you would like to inexpensively advertise a - Get The Latest Catholic Church Mass Times Now On The Internet
Get to know the Catholic Church Mass Times through the Internet. It is generally obligatory to atten - Horoscope Compatibility For Libra, Capricorn, Sagittarius
According to psychic readings, people under this horoscope signs are somewhat different and somewhat - Know Your Life Through Psychic And Clairvoyance!
Having psychic and clairvoyant readings done from professionals is the best way to know the flaws th - Astrology/horoscopes: Why People Love Astrology
Astrology/horoscopes is the study of celestial body movement. Astrologers believe that the movement - Benny Hinn: India Healing Crusade
Benny Hinn recently conducted a healing crusade in India that drew one of the largest crowds ever. P - Sun, Moon, Ascendants Sign In Birth Chart Wheel
The Ascendant signs or the rising sign - is the zodiacal sign and degree that was ascending on the e - Zodiac Sign Gemini And Its Houses Description
Understanding Zodiac is not that difficult at all, determining your reading for the said subject doe
Most viewed articles in this category:
- No Sign in the Prayer Test
The recent release of the Richard Dawkins book, "The God Delusion", has brought renewed accusations - Bible Versus Quran Versus Sciences Array (2) the Bees
Before dealing with the topic of the Bees in Quran versus Bible versus sciences, it is mandatory to - Understanding the Heart
(If you wish to more benefit from this article, please read first our "The Alems" titled article. - Christian Dating vs Courtship
Over the past decade, or so, It's become popular in modern churches to use the concept of courtship - Bible Versus Quran Versus Sciences, Array (19) the Birds
The issues concerning the Birds in the Bible are:1) The Birds are Detestable and intolerable, 2) The - Starting the Wealth Process
Luke 6:38 KJV Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken togethe - Dissolving the Illusion of Fear
Webster defines fear as unpleasant emotions cause by expectation or awareness of danger. However, - Crossing Paths with a Whistleblower
Mordechai Vanunu grew up in an Orthodox Jewish home but abandoned the faith by his mid teens. He bec - Conspiracy Madness
In connection with the WTC disaster there are conspiracy theories that have been proposed. Such as t - How You Dream Your World Into Existence
Reality is not real. It is a dream. This is not a metaphorical statement. On the quantum level of