What is Unique About Our Faith?

MEMORY VERSE: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” —II Corinthians 4:6

HEBREWS 1:1-4
ACTS 17:22-28

AS CHRISTIANS it is appropriate to inquire, what is unique about our faith? If we truly appreciate the Christian faith we will not be able to say that after all it does not make a great deal of difference what one believes, so long as he lives an upright life and is a good citizen of his community. Following Christ involves much more than this.

Our first lesson citation reminds us of one of the very unique aspects of the true Christian faith, which is that God, the Creator of heaven and earth, is its Author, and has communicated his truth to his people through those specially chosen by him for this high responsibility—first, the prophets of the Old Testament, and, beginning with the first advent, through his Son and those chosen to be his apostles. There is no other word of authority so far as the Christian faith is concerned, than that which has reached us through these chosen representatives of the Most High God.

And this indeed is unique! How often these days we hear professed representatives of Christ, in presenting their messages, refer to the opinions and sayings of all sorts of prominent people in the world, and almost never to the Bible itself. True, we can all be helpful to one another in understanding the inspired Word of God, but we should never lose sight of the fact that the only true oracles of God are those contained in his inspired Word.

Paul summed the matter up for us beautifully when he wrote, “He that descended [Christ] is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”—Eph. 4:10-13

Another unique thing about our faith is, as our Scripture lesson points out, provision was made for the purging of our sins. This was done by Jesus when he gave his flesh for the life of the world. (John 6:51) When Jesus was raised from the dead he was highly exalted “to the right hand of the Majesty on high,” where he ever liveth to make intercession for his people, who, on account of original sin in Eden, cannot measure up to the Creator’s high standard of righteousness, so would otherwise have remained under condemnation.

Also unique about our faith, as pointed out in the second section of the lesson, is that we worship a true and living God. He is the “God that made the world and all things therein.” And, “seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshiped with men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.”

As Paul pointed out to the Athenians on Mars’ hill, this true and living God, in whom “we live, and move, and have our being,” is unknown to the vast majority of mankind. In Athens the people erected an altar “with the inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.” While Paul made a noble effort to make the unknown God known to the Athenians, and the faithful servants of God since have proclaimed the name of this mighty and loving God, he is still largely unknown to the vast majority of mankind of all nationalities, even in professed Christian countries.

This will not always be so, for the Bible tells us that a time is coming when a knowledge of the true God shall fill the earth as the waters cover the sea. (Isa. 11:9) Meanwhile there are a favored few who come to know and appreciate the true God. These are the ones who, in harmony with our memory verse, are enlightened because God has commanded that the light of the Gospel should shine into their hearts

QUESTIONS

Name some of the unique aspects of our faith.

When will all mankind be enlightened concerning the true and living God?

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