This claim maintains that at one specific point in space and time God gave a definitive disclosure of himself in the historical form of Jesus of Nazareth. The Absolute has come into our midst in Jesus. This claim is disputed by those who do not believe that Christianity is unique. Stephen Neill observed that the Christian claim "is naturally offensive to the adherents of every other religious system. It is almost as offensive to modern man, brought up in the atmosphere of relativism, in which tolerance is regarded as almost the highest of virtues." (Christian Faith and Other Faiths)

How then should we regard other faiths if we believe that Jesus is Immanuel - God with us? There are three alternatives.

First is the view that other faiths contain much truth which prepare people for the Gospel. The early Christians saw everything that was good and true in pagan writings as a revelation of Jesus as the Logos, the pre-existent Wisdom, and the Light of the World. "The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world." (John 1:9) "Christ was present in every age and every race, but he was not known as such." (E.L. Allen) This view enables you to give a positive evaluation of all that is compatible with the Gospel in other faiths, but at the same time to maintain the New Testament emphasis that the full light has dawned in Christ alone, and that salvation is in Christ alone. What others know by the light of candles can be illuminated fully by the light of the Son. They need Jesus.

Secondly, is the opposite view of other religions. Instead of emphasizing the good in other religions, this view concentrates on the evil. Such religions deny the salvation that Christ offers. They espouse or allow moral practices which are condemned in the New Testament. Their truths are shrouded in much darkness. Leslie Newbigin, who served in India for many years, writes, "It is precisely at points of highest ethical and spiritual achievement that the religions find themselves threatened by and therefore ranged against the gospel. It was the guardians of God's revelation who crucified the Son of God. It is the noblest among the Hindus who most emphatically reject the Gospel. It is those who say 'We see' who seek to blot out the light." (The Finality of Christ) Thirdly, is the view that sees other faiths as mere human aspirations. Buddhism, for instance, is an aspiration of the human spirit to counteract suffering in the world. Christianity on the other hand claims to be a revelation and a rescue by God himself - God reaching out to us - God with us. There is no doubt that God is active in drawing all people, through other religions, to seek after him and find him (Acts 17:27,28). God is not far from anyone, for "in him we live and move and have our being." God has not left himself without a witness of his presence (Acts 14:17). Human conscience and moral sense are part of all God's work in us (Romans 2:14-16). So we cannot regard other faiths as simply the record of human striving after God. Not everyone is a seeker after God. In fact, very few seriously set out to find God and live according to his will. Light comes into the world, but we love darkness rather than light (John 3:19). Like Adam and Eve, we prefer to hide from God because either we don't want to acknowledge his authority in our lives, or we are ashamed.

Perhaps there is a truth in each of these views. There is much that is good in them, there is much that is evil, and there is much that is of purely human invention. How do we apply this understanding to the current resurgence of Islam? There is much in common between the two religions. But there is also much that is in conflict. The differences between the two cannot be ignored. Muslims are often the most entrenched opponents of Christianity in the world.

Islam has a very different understanding of God. To the Christian, God's will is the expression of his person. His gracious acts to human beings are the outcome of his character. He can be known personally. To the Muslim, this is unthinkable. God does not reveal himself to anyone in any way. He reveals only his will. God to the Muslim is utterly transcendent, removed from us. He cannot be God with us.

Islam has a different understanding of human nature and human sin. To talk of human sinfulness looks to the Muslim like evasion of responsibility. Man should obey God, and if he doesn't he will be punished. He will be weighed in the scales by his good deeds. Sins are merely a list of wrongdoings. There is no conception of sin as affecting one's relationship with God.

Islam has a very different understanding of Jesus. To the Muslim he is one of the prophets. He was not the Son of God - that is blasphemy to the Muslim. He did not die on the cross - God would not abandon one of his prophets to such a fate. He did not bear away the sins of the world. Every man will have to bear his own sins and face his own judgment. The will of Allah, the prayers of Muhammed and saintly Muslims, and the good deeds of the deceased person are the only hopes for escaping from hell to paradise, where the faithful may drink wine handed them by maidens of paradise, whom each man may marry as many as he pleases.

Islam and Christianity have very different conceptions of their holy book. For Muslims, the Koran was written in heaven by God and revealed to Muhammed in the sacred language, Arabic, in which alone worship should be offered. It is infallible, penned by God. The fact that it was revealed to Muhammed, himself illiterate, stresses the fact that man had no part in its composition. For Christians, the Bible was written by men of varied backgrounds and cultures, over a period of about fifteen hundred years. They were men in touch with God, but they were not mere channels of revelation: their own personalities shine through the pages.

Islam has a very different understanding of assurance of salvation. The Muslim can never know he is forgiven. There is always fear in the Muslim heart, especially as he draws near to death. Always there is uncertainty.

There is no parallel in Islam to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer. God is too great and too other from us to indwell the human heart. In Islam God cannot be with us and within us. Yet the presence of the Spirit in our hearts is what turns Christianity from legalism into good news, from duty to joy, from bondage into liberty. The Gospel offers to all people a vision of God who came to be with us, to suffer for us and with us, to make atonement for our sins. Jesus shows that God is not ashamed to share our everyday lives. God with us blends love with law, treats men and women alike, and invites them into his family. He assures us that we equally belong to him, that there is no male or female, that we are all one in Christ Jesus.

Immanuel - God with us. That is the unique truth of the Incarnation, of Christmas, of Jesus. God comes to be with you, to live in you and through you, to bear your burdens, to bring you his peace and joy. Welcome him into your heart and into every part of your life so that you can experience the gift of God's presence and the power of God's love.

(Material in this message comes by permission from Michael Green, Evangelism Through the Local Church, pp.45-67)

Ted's new book, SOUL FOOD: DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR THE HUNGRY, (January through March) is available to order for $14.99 plus S&H from tschroder@ameliachapel.com