I am a Hindu, why should I consider becoming a Christian?

This then was no mere Athanasian dogma. It is the distinct teaching of John 1, Philippians 2, Hebrews 1, and very many other passages in the apostolic writings. It is the keystone of Christianity. Without it not only is its salvation a myth but its morality is a cheat. For all is built on the capital truth that God in Divine love humbled Himself to become man and die for sinners, that He might save and bless the believer to the uttermost, not by Christ only, but with Him.

Thus is God known in His Son and by His Spirit, as scripture abundantly testifies. Take our Lord's few words in John 17:3: "This is life eternal, to know thee [the Father] the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou didst send." O turn not away from such grace and truth, but "believe in the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house."

Bhagwan Das willingly agreed for us to hold a meeting. By this time a big crowd gathered in the open air. We addressed the people in their own tongue, and told them the simple story of the cross of Calvary, that brings forgiveness of sins and reconciliation to God to all who put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. An hour or two had passed when Bhagwan Das interrogated us. We reason with him. We asked him, What is the Hindu religion? He replied, It is the religion of my ancestors. We asked, What is the religion of your ancestors? He vaguely replied, The Brahman religion.

As a matter of fact the Brahman religion may mean anything. With some it is a collection of silly superstitions. With others it is simply a matter of mere external rites, having no moral or practical values. As time went on, the manner of Bhagwan Das changed. He became an anxious listener to the Gospel message. I said to him on one occasion, "Bhagwan Das, you remember the Hindu proverb, 'Though you may wash charcoal in milk, it will never become white, but, if you put it in the fire, it will at once become white'? Your mind is like that charcoal. Argument will never change you. You need the fire of God's Holy Spirit in your heart, and the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, to cleanse you from all sin." Without another word the old Bhagath fell upon his knees, and with bowed head cried out, "I believe it, I believe it. I want to be free from sin. I do. I do," his feelings finding relief in a flood of tears. Thus he entered into peace with God. Here is a sample of India's need. Would that hearts may be stirred to meet that need.

Here we get the answer to the Hindu’s yearnings of heart. Had he rightly understood, he could have rejoiced that God is perfect, and been assured that He will answer true prayer, that He is love and has shown it by sending His only begotten Son into the world—God and Man, yet one blessed Person—who died an atoning death on the cross, and that God can RIGHTEOUSLY forgive sins, and yet maintain absolute justice.

And we know it is the only remedy for sin. A brother tells how, when traveling in India some time ago, he was brought in contact, on the train, with a cultivated Brahmin. After some little discussion concerning Christianity and the religions of India, the Brahmin offered the brother a few pages of his sacred books, the Vedas, to read. He read them, and was surprised at the exalted and beautiful poetry they contained. When he returned them, he was asked his opinion of them. He confessed frankly that he was surprised at finding them to contain such very fine poetry and sentiment. "But," said he, "it lacks what all your sacred books, and all your religions, outside the Bible and Christianity, lack." "What is that?" the native asked. "They contain no remedy for sin," was the reply. Yes, that's the lack with culture, godless education, rationalism, ritualism, and all the makeshifts and substitutes for the gospel in the land to-day — they provide no remedy for sin. And the sin-question is the burning question for a guilty race to stand up to and have settled. And nothing can settle it but the blood. "And the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin." So in his dream the butler sees what stands for the blood, and gets his liberty and reinstatement into Pharaoh's favor.

Satan is very busy in India as elsewhere. He is doing His best to get it believed that all religions are practically one and the same, as long as their followers are sincere seekers after God. We are assured that sincere seekers after God will find Him, but it can only be through Christ. He is the Way. There are not several ways—the Hindu way, the Sikh way, the Mohammedan way, the Buddhist way, the Christian way—there is only ONE way. Christ says, “I am THE Way” there is no other.

Along with their rejection of God as sovereign creator of the world, Hindus also part company with Christianity on the critical issue of Jesus Christ as God's incarnate Son. Hindu worshipers of Vishnu, for example, believe that God has become incarnate many times in the past." The Bible teaches that God became incarnate only once in human history (see John 1: 14). Jesus came not to teach humanity various "ways" to salvation, but to be "the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6) and "to take away the sins of many" (Heb. 9:28).

Regarding God and Jesus Christ: Hindus do not believe in a personal, loving God, but in Brahma, a formless, abstract, eternal being without attributes, who was the beginning of all things."' They believe that Jesus is not God but just one of many incarnations, or avatars, of V'shnu. Christians believe that God is an eternal, personal, spiritual Being in three persons ‑ Father, Son and Holy Spirit (see Matt. 3:13‑17; 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14). Jesus Christ is God as well as sinless man and He died for our redemption (see John 1: 13,14; 1 Pet. 2:24). Regarding sin and salvation: Hindus call sin "utter illusion" because they believe all material reality is illusory. They seek deliverance from samsara, the endless cycle of death and rebirth, through union with Brahma, which is achieved through devotion, meditation, good works and self‑control. Christians believe that sin is prideful rebellion that leads to eternal separation from God after living only one life, not many (see Rom. 3:23; Heb. 9:27) and that salvation is gained only through believing in the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (see Rom. 3:24; 1 Cor. 15:3).

There it is, the unadorned truth, still more profound morally than chapter 1, in Christ revealing the grace of God to the utmost, God's glory in His person with man's ultimate deliverance, and thus of the highest moment to the salvation, well-being, and happiness of the believer. All comes out in plain facts, such as a child could take in, yet involving principles truer and deeper than any ideas evolved by the most philosophic of mankind. Herein lies an essential difference between revealed truth and all its rivals. Take Vedaism, Brahmanism, Buddhism, Lamaism, or aught else in India and the adjacent lands; take Confucianism, Taoism, Foism, in China; take Sabaism, Jovism, Fetishism ancient and modern: can any one of these systems allege a single fact as its basis? The religion of the Bible, Old or New Testament, Judaism or Christianity, rests on distinct realities, not on mere ideas of man's mind.

Again: "If one system of religion may claim that we blind our hearts and eyes in its favour, so may another; and there is precisely the same reason in becoming a Hindu in religion as a Christian." (Ib. p. 114.) Now how totally does this deny the fact that God can bring in that which can enlighten man? Christianity and Hinduism lie there, and "the moral and intellectual powers of man must be acknowledged as having a right and duty to criticise the contents of scripture." (Ib. p. 115.)