Introduction: The Familiar Question
It’s a common and understandable sentiment: at their core, don’t all major religions just teach us to be good people? It’s easy to assume they are all variations on a theme, different paths leading up the same mountain. But what if the central message of Jesus was fundamentally different—not just in degree, but in kind? What if his claims and the solution he offered were so unique they set his message entirely apart? This isn’t about splitting hairs; it’s about exploring four surprising distinctions that reveal a radically different framework for understanding God, humanity, and reality itself.
1. The Message of Jesus: He Didn’t Just Bring It, He Was It
The first and most foundational difference is a radical, unparalleled claim in religious history. While revered figures like Buddha, Krishna, or Muhammad positioned themselves as prophets or messengers pointing to God’s truth, the message of Jesus was that he is God’s truth. This distinction is critical because it shifts the entire focus from a set of teachings to the identity of the teacher himself.
For other prophets, the message was the point. For Jesus, he was the point. This is why his statement, “Before Abraham was born I am,” was so explosive. To his audience, this wasn’t a confusing turn of phrase; it was a direct claim to divinity. As the source material highlights, Jesus was claiming to be Yahweh, the name God used for himself when speaking to Moses from the burning bush.
Jesus is the message the other people claiming to be prophets just claim to be prophets I’m speaking for God they said Jesus said “I am God.” Before Abraham was born I am…
What’s striking here is how Jesus substantiated this claim. His miracles weren’t random displays of power; they were targeted demonstrations that he was the solution to the four fundamental problems that plague humanity: sin, nature, sickness, and death. He was sinless (power over sin), he calmed the storm (power over nature), he healed the sick (power over sickness), and he rose from the grave (power over death). He wasn’t just delivering a message of salvation; he was demonstrating that he was the salvation. This is why the central question he posed wasn’t, “What do you think of my teachings?” but rather, “Who do you say that I am?”
2. The Message of Jesus Is About Grace, Not a Celestial Scorecard
Many religious systems operate on a principle of works—a kind of celestial scorecard where salvation is earned by ensuring your good deeds outweigh your bad. In some interpretations of Islam, for instance, one can never be certain they have done enough, leaving them, as the source notes, “at the whim of Allah.” The message of Jesus proposes a completely different economy: one built not on works, but on grace.
This reframes the entire debate. To illustrate the flaw in the scorecard logic, consider our own judicial system. Imagine a man on trial for murder arguing his case by saying, “Well yeah it’s true judge i did murder the guy but think of all the other guys I didn’t murder.” The argument is absurd. Good deeds don’t cancel out a crime. So why, as the source rhetorically asks, do we assume this is how God operates?
Scholar John Lennox offers a powerful relational analogy. He describes the absurdity of giving his future wife a cookbook and demanding 40 years of flawless performance before he would agree to love her. No healthy relationship works that way. And yet, this is often how people imagine their relationship with God.
…why do we think God works that way why do we think God gives us a book and he says to us “Well if you if you obey this book very well for the next 40 years then I’ll see about loving you.” That’s not the way God works, God loves you from the beginning…
3. Historical Corroboration for the Message of Jesus: Flood Stories
A common challenge to the Bible’s historical accounts, like Noah’s flood, is the existence of older, similar stories such as the Epic of Gilgamesh. The skeptical argument is that the biblical narrative must be a borrowed myth. But what if that logic is backward?
The source offers a counter-intuitive perspective: instead of disproving the biblical account, the existence of numerous ancient flood stories across disconnected cultures could be seen as powerful corroborating evidence. As the interviewer in the source recalled from his own pre-Christian days, “when I was reading the the Hindu myths you know I read about a global flood you know and this man by the name of Manu…survived.”
From the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh to the Hindu story of Manu, the widespread presence of a shared, catastrophic memory begs the question: Why is this story found nearly everywhere? Perhaps, as the source suggests, the simplest explanation is the most logical one: “maybe because there was a great flood.” This reframes a common point of contention into a potential point of confirmation for the historical backdrop of the message of Jesus.
4. The Message of Jesus Solves the One Thing All Religions Agree On
Everyone agrees on the problem; the key distinction lies in the proposed solution. Scholar Stephen Prothero, though not a Christian, makes a fascinating point: despite their vast differences, virtually all world religions and philosophies share one common starting point.
…the one thing they do share in common is this point that something is wrong with this world.
This universal acknowledgment—that we live with suffering, injustice, and brokenness—is what theologians call the problem of evil. Everyone, from the devout to the atheist, agrees the world is not as it should be. This universal diagnosis sets the stage for Christianity’s unique answer. The source states it plainly: “The whole reason Jesus did come to earth… is because we’ve sinned.” The message of Jesus frames itself as the direct and specific answer to this universal problem of evil. It establishes a shared human experience as the entry point for understanding the Christian solution.
Conclusion: The Question That Remains
When examined closely, the message of Jesus isn’t just another path up the same mountain; it’s a claim that the mountain itself can be moved. The universal acknowledgment that our world is broken sets the stage for a solution. While many systems propose a “celestial scorecard” of works, Jesus offers grace—a solution made possible only by who he claimed to be: not just a messenger, but the message itself, God in human form.
Ultimately, these profound distinctions circle back to the one question that matters most, the same one Jesus himself posed two thousand years ago: Who do you say that I am?
SOURCE: “Jesus vs Every Other Religious Leader: The Shocking Differences!” I Frank Turek Comes Out Swinging, Anil Kanda
Here are the biblical references from the blog, along with additional verses that support the key theological points discussed:
- John 8:58: Jesus claims the divine title “I AM,” asserting eternal existence before Abraham.
- Exodus 3:14: God reveals His name “I AM” to Moses, the specific title Jesus later applied to Himself.
- John 14:6: Jesus states He is the Truth and the Life, not merely a prophet pointing toward them.
- Matthew 16:13–15: Jesus poses the defining question to His disciples: “Who do you say that I am?”
- Mark 4:39–41: Jesus demonstrates sovereign power over nature by calming the storm.
- Matthew 9:2–6: Jesus proves His authority to forgive sins (a divine prerogative) by healing the sick.
- 1 Corinthians 15:3–4: The historical reality of Jesus’ resurrection, demonstrating power over death.
- Ephesians 2:8–9: Salvation is described as a gift of grace, explicitly rejecting a “scorecard” of works.
- Titus 3:5: We are saved by His mercy and regeneration, not by righteous deeds we have done.
- Romans 5:8: God demonstrates love for sinners before they change, contrasting with the “cookbook” analogy.
- Genesis 6–9: The biblical narrative of the Great Flood, which parallels other ancient accounts.
- Romans 3:23: The universal diagnosis that every person has sinned and falls short of God’s glory.
- Romans 8:20–22: Creation itself is described as groaning under corruption, acknowledging the problem of evil.