Christians need to understand what the Bible teaches about other religions in order to effectively love and respect those from different faiths, while sharing our gospel message.
Baha’i faith, founded by a 19th-century Persian, recognizes Jesus as an agent of God and places Him alongside other religious leaders from prior religious movements.
Table of Contents
God is Love
God is love, which means He deeply cares for each individual he encounters. He understands their needs, desires and fears – so much so that He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die in their place – this ultimate act of sacrifice was the ultimate symbolism of his affections for us as well.
The Bible uses many different terms to describe love, depending on which part of Scripture you’re reading. In the New Testament, however, God uses the term agape (Greek for “love”) to refer to his compassion towards humanity – this kind of love stands in contrast with our typical notions of philia or eros love in everyday life; rather, this form of compassion sacrifices everything to serve others and give hope for a brighter future.
Jesus epitomized unconditional, selfless love; when He instructed us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecuted us, He demonstrated this type of unconditional and selfless affection that Compassion strives to replicate in its interactions with children we serve and their families.
God made it abundantly clear throughout the Old Testament that there were other religions. He didn’t want His people to think these other faiths were manifestations of the true God or worshipped a similar god, instead stating they were rivals to him, worshiping supernatural beings in opposition to Him – demonic forces.
As we love and care for others, it is also essential that we be willing to share the truth of God’s Word – including how other religions may contain parts of it but Christianity holds all. This doesn’t mean that other faiths should be disregarded but only that we be willing to share what the Gospel offers them.
God is Truth
Truth is an integral attribute of God that reveals his character and plays an essential part in maintaining existence of our universe and human life as revealed in Scripture. Jesus himself came as “The Truth,” to bring light and dispel darkness caused by error and sinful living. Conversely, Satan lies constantly to lead people away from discovering what the truth really is.
God is truth. To say so is to imply that He alone embodies all truth. His word embodies His character and, thus, all its truth is found therein. Therefore, any attempt at defining truth outside Him would be misguided; those who think all religions contain elements of truth are making an error both theologically and culturally when making such claims.
Jesus stated that he did not come to abolish the Law or Prophets, but to fulfill them. Furthermore, He described Himself as being the Light of the World or simply Truth itself; those who love truth will shun falsehood and adhere to God’s Word; those who reject truth will face eternal damnation while those who embrace truth may experience salvation and eternal life.
The Bible urges a respectful and welcoming attitude toward people of other religions; however, it cautions against mixing their beliefs with Christianity – hence its many unusual and offensive references in the Old Testament. God wants us to remain loyal to Himself rather than drift away into other religions that might lead to confusion or lead to the loss of distinctness.
Christians must remain vigilant against Satan and his minions, who attempt to undermine the message of Scripture by propagating false beliefs that undermine its integrity. That’s why it’s crucial that we read and study God’s Word regularly – with an intention of discovering its truth regardless of our personal feelings or opinions about it.
God is Good
People often refer to God being good in terms of His power; He redeemed us through Jesus, created the universe from nothing, sustained human life through seasons and weather patterns, delivered Gospel message of redemption etc. However, He is more than this; He stands as the benchmark of goodness: always right, faithful, kind – never doing anything unpleasant, bad or dark!
Therefore, the Bible emphasizes the need to follow in His footsteps if we claim to know Him. God provides wisdom and patience when asked for and manifested by revealing His righteous law – an integral component in living out God’s plan: “Teach me Your Statutes; I Will Obey Them Completely (Psalm 119:68).
Repentance and belief in Jesus are necessary in order for a person to receive God’s gift of the Holy Spirit, enabling Him to work in their hearts to effect change from within – this is how He achieves His purpose – “for I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you; plans that give hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).
The Bible shows us that God is generous and merciful, eager to demonstrate His goodness towards others. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, His grace enables Him to forgive sinners – He delights more when one sinner repents than 99 righteous persons do (Luke 15:10)!
Christians must share their faith in the One true God with members of other religions in a respectful and loving manner, without arguments or trying to persuade people into accepting their version of the Divine. Instead, Christians should show love by loving others and showing His goodness – just like how Jesus did this: instead of trying to convince crowds He was their Messiah, He only asked those truly seeking answers about him to follow Him.
God is Righteous
God is just and His righteous judgments will be carried out regardless of our human efforts to rationalize evil. He will punish those who break His laws while rewarding those who obey Him – this is why the Bible proclaims Jesus to be God’s only way (John 14:6).
Evidence of God’s righteousness can be seen throughout the Old Testament. When Abraham appealed to Him regarding Sodom and Gomorrah, Genesis 19:20 says He heard their prayers as He promised that those who rejected his Son and His word would eventually pay. Our prayers for help will always be heard because He knows their needs better than we do!
As we gain more understanding of God’s righteousness, we can begin to gain clarity about what the Christian life entails. When we come to Jesus through faith alone and become his righteousness through baptism, this becomes the cornerstone of our relationship with him, giving hope in spite of sin’s destructive forces.
God is just and justifies those who break His laws, while rewarding those who obey. Often when we feel wronged we want justice but often forget to remember that He will provide it – but one must always remember He will vindicate those who break them!
People often view any violation of law that does not result in punishment as unjustified and the judge being too lenient in punishment. It is essential to remember that ultimately God is our judge and He will deal with all violations against His laws accordingly.
Once we trust in Christ, we become his people and his special possession. He has declared us righteous in his sight forever not only because of salvation from our sin, but also by being changed into His image and likeness – when this occurs our problems of original sin will have been permanently resolved.
