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In an increasingly secular and pluralistic Australia, Christians must recover their confidence in proclaiming Jesus Christ as the unique, sufficient and only Saviour.

Some years ago, I led a team presenting the message of Jesus in local primary schools at Easter and Christmas. We faced opposition from some of the school principals. On one occasion, I had to address the staff of a particular school, defending why I believed it was appropriate to present the Christian message at Christmas and Easter. I won the battle on that occasion.

When Jesus Became a Swear Word

However, one thing has remained vividly in my memory. I was introducing our presentation for the day at a school. I mentioned the name of Jesus. A little boy sitting in the front row turned to his friend and said, “He just swore.” Sadly, for this little boy, Jesus was just a swear word. Of course, that is true for many.

Where does Jesus fit in today’s Australia?

I think that He is largely ignored. We are embarrassed by the message of Jesus. We have so departed from authentic Christianity in the media, academia, some religious circles, and politics that some even doubt that He is an historical figure.

As well, we are faced with a variety of non-Christian religions that grow in influence largely because of migration. Each one rejects the uniqueness of Jesus.

I believe that it is time for the Christian church to boldly and lovingly proclaim the uniqueness of Jesus as the only Saviour.

The Scriptures Proclaim One Saviour

All the redemptive acts and purposes of God are through the Lord Jesus Christ. This is highly significant today. Because we live in a secular, pluralistic society in which the significance of Jesus is ignored, unknown or diminished. So-called Christian leaders fail to assert the uniqueness of Jesus. So, let us rehearse what the Scriptures say about him.

The following verses state clearly that salvation is found only in Jesus.

• Acts 4:12 — “Salvation is found in no one else… no other name under heaven… by which we must be saved.” This is the clearest single verse declaring Jesus as the sole saviour.
• John 14:6 — “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus Himself claims that he alone is the way to relationship with God.
• Salvation is received uniquely by believing in Jesus. These passages show that eternal life is granted only through faith in Christ.
• John 3:16 — Eternal life is given only to those who believe in him.
• John 3:36 — “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life… whoever rejects the Son will not see life.”

Jesus is the Only Mediator Between God and Humankind

These verses emphasise that Jesus alone is the way to God.

• 1 Timothy 2:5 — “One God and one mediator… Christ Jesus.”
• John 10:9 — “I am the door… whoever enters through me will be saved.”
• Jesus is identified in the New Testament explicitly as “Saviour”
• These passages name Jesus as the Saviour, not merely a saviour.
• 1 John 4:14 — “The Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world.”
• Matthew 1:21 — Jesus “will save his people from their sins.”
• Titus 2:13 — Jesus is called “our great God and Saviour.”
• 2 Timothy 1:10 — Salvation was “manifested through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus.”

Salvation is Based Solely on Christ’s Redemptive Work

These verses show that Jesus’ death and resurrection are the only basis for salvation.

• 1 John 2:2 — Jesus is the propitiation for sins of the whole world.
• Romans 6:23 — Eternal life is “in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
• Ephesians 2:8–9 — Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ, not human effort.

The message of the New Testament is that Jesus is the unique Lord and Saviour. The New Testament presents Jesus as the sole, sufficient, and exclusive Saviour.

That is the bedrock of our Christian faith. We cannot compromise on this.

Stay with Christ

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881) was a Russian novelist, journalist and short-story writer whose psychological penetration into the human soul had a profound influence on the 20th-century novel. By the time of The Brothers Karamazov, which appeared in 1879-80, Dostoyevsky was recognised in his own country as one of its great writers.

His books Crime and Punishment, an account of redemption, and The Idiot, featuring the central character as a Christ figure, are all profoundly influenced by Christian themes.

Dostoyevsky said this about Christ:

I believe that there is nothing lovely, deeper, more sympathetic, more rational, more manly, and more perfect than the Saviour. I say to myself with jealous love that there is no one else like Him, but that there could be none. I would even say more: if anyone could prove to me that Christ is outside the truth, and if the truth really did exclude Christ, I should prefer to stay with Christ, and not with the truth.^[1]

There can be no compromise in our belief in the uniqueness of Jesus as Saviour and Lord. We hold to Him with all our strength and conviction and, empowered by His Spirit, we proclaim this message to an unbelieving and lost society.

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[1] Judith Gunn, Dostoyevsky Dreamer and Prophet (Sydney: Lion Paperback, 1990), 68.