Lennox | Why Christianity over all other religions

apparently well let's let's move on to the final question and actually there's to that more or less ask the same question I think probably it's best for you to begin on this one John someone asked why does John specifically believe in the Christian God what about other religions and another person asked a similar question how is one to decide between the thousands of faiths on offer without the use of a reliable method such as science so why your God and not another one John and how do you come to that conclusion in the this is quite a sensitive question but the only way I can approach it is by Peters method of rational inquiry and you see at one level let's take the three monotheistic religions and the but before I say anything this is important you've heard me clearly say that I believe you whatever you believe are made in the image of God and therefore of infinite value secondly you've heard me say that I believe that there's a common element and morality so when you raise with me the questions of other religions please understand I'm not criticizing your morality that is very important nor am i criticizing your value I'm being asked a rational question on what basis do you - so I'll tell you here is one level the three great monotheistic religions their attitude to the resurrection forgive me Peter if I raise it again is forgive the pun it wasn't until today and my Jewish friends believe that Jesus died and did not rise my Muslim friends believe he didn't die I believe he both died and rose those three things cannot be simultaneously historically correct so we have to do investigations in exactly the same way as we investigate any event in history we can't repeat it to see what happened but we can make an inference to the best explanation and all I can say in the short answer is I've done that in many times and come to the conclusion that the Christian explanation is true but there's a second explanation and it's this I often ask myself travelling around the world as I've done asked people of different religions what they mean by a religion and they usually come up with something like Southampton University in the following sense you have an entrance exam into the university and you get in and then you're on the way or the path and you're being taught by delightful professors and then you face the final judgement which is called finals do you recognize that okay now on the way on your path there professors have ever kind they are cannot guarantee that you're going to get through at the end why because the basic principle of a university course is merit now many of my friends what I asked them about religion including Christianity they say that's it there's a ceremony at the beginning perhaps performed as a child or an adult then you're on the way or the Eightfold Path or whatever it is the Tao the teaching and then you're faced with a final assessment but the teachers the Guru's and all the rest of them the priests cannot guarantee your acceptance of that final judgment I think I can provide I just a bit Oh John John hasn't quite hit the punch line I haven't hit the punch line Christianity if that's what religion is Christianity is not a religion for a very simple reason in Christianity the acceptance comes to the beginning not the end now I mentioned that briefly on the way through tonight and this is a spectacular difference that I as I sit here I've not reached the final judgement but I know that I'm accepted why because I'm very good no no no no because of what Christ has done and the absolute s of what it is to be a Christian is that I have trusted him that what he did on the cross no this may seem all mistake to you but let me say what it is that what he did there means that I can be accepted at the beginning of the journey that makes a spectacular difference in fact you wouldn't if it was a question of marriage imagine I proposed to a girl and say look here's a cookbook there are rules in it you keep them pretty well for the next 40 years and then I'll accept you well she'd throw the book in my face but that's what many of us think of God no wonder people give up on religion in my view because it comes it becomes a slavish trying to merit acceptance when Christ is prepared to give his salvation is a free gift so I'm not doing this evening for example to gain brownie points with God I'm doing it because God has accepted me and that is the wonder of Christianity to me

Channel: japexican007

Views: 23,030

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Id: mwSryuzf3cc

Length: 5min 36sec (336 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 15 2019