If Christianity is the correct religion, does this mean that other religions are wrong?

If Christianity is the correct religion, does this mean that other religions are wrong?

Asked by Someone

If christianity is the correct religion, does this mean that other religions are wrong? What are the implications for people who are not Christians?
Does one need to be Christian to go to heaven? What about people on an isolated island who have never encountered Christianity - what are the implications for them?

Try also: Are all religions the same?
What if someone hasn’t heard about Jesus?

It sounds like you are worried that God is unjust because if believing in Jesus is the only way to get to heaven, then God hasn’t given everyone the same opportunity. Clearly some people die without ever hearing about Jesus. Others follow different religions because they were brought up that way.

I think the first thing to notice is that we don’t have to worry about whether God will judge people justly or not. As Abraham put it: “Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Genesis 18:25). Or, as Paul would later write:

“He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury”
(Romans 2:6-8)

The question you need to ask yourself is whether you think you deserve to go to heaven or not. Remember Jesus’ standard for getting into heaven? “You must be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) Have you lived up to it? Always done the right thing in every situation? Acted selflessly - always putting other peoples interests before your own?

If you answer no to that question - as anyone who isn’t fooling themselves will - then that is the great hope and wonderful news of Christianity! Jesus came to die for us so that we *don’t* have to be perfect to get into heaven! He lived the perfect life so that we wouldn’t have to and he died in our place: taking the “wrath and fury” that we deserved because of our sin on himself. Now you can go to heaven just by trusting that what he did will get you there!

That’s amazing news for guys like you and me who know that they have stuffed up. We don’t have to rely on ourselves any more!

As for everyone else in the world, well we Christians work pretty hard at sharing this great news with them too. And the people we don’t get to in time? Well, will not the judge of the whole earth to what is just? We trust that He will.

Answers are kindly provided by our friends at Christianity.net.au

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