Objection #4: All Religions Teach The Same Thing

Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man
–Romans 1:22-23

Some people object to the exclusivity of Jesus Christ for salvation by saying, “All religions teach basically the same thing. Why is your religion the only right one?” That raises a good question: Where did all these world religions come from? Some say it is the result of sincere people seeking after God in their own way, and that ultimately all paths lead to the same God. But that is not what the Word of God says. The fact that there are so many religions in the world is not evidence of the sincerity of man, but of the sinfulness of man.

Paul talked about the origin of other religions in Romans 1:22-23: “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.” These people rejected the true God and replaced Him with a god of their own liking. As somebody has said, “In the beginning God created man in His own image, and ever since, man has been trying to return the favor.” All other religions in the world today are an attempt of man to create God in his own image. The fact that there are so many religions in the world today is a testimony to the sinfulness of man and his rejection of the truth.

There is a second explanation for the world religions today: Satan’s deception. Psalm 106 describes how the Israelites began to worship the gods of other nations. In verses 36-37, the psalmist wrote, “[They] served their idols, which became a snare to them. They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons.” Behind every one of those false gods was a demon used to lure Israel away from God, and the same is true today. Behind every other religion in the world today is a demon–a demon that Satan has sent in order to deceive people and lead them from the truth. You might say, “Not all religions involve child sacrifice or other horrible practices. Some actually have a lot in common with Christianity.” Remember, 2 Corinthians 11:14 says that “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” in order to deceive people. And the best way to deceive people is by mixing a lot of error with just a little bit of truth. That is how Satan works in the world’s religions today.

So do all religions teach basically the same thing? Absolutely not. Only Christianity says that the way to God is not through what we do for God, but through what God has done for us by sending His Son to die on the cross for us. There are not many ways that lead to God; there is one way, and it is through Jesus Christ.

Today’s devotion is excerpted from “Why Every Other Religion Is Wrong” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2008.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.