Who is Jesus?

What the world’s religions say about Jesus, and what Jesus says about Himself.

Many religions. One truth.

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Jesus, in John 14:6

If that is true, then every other way to God is false, however sincere the people who follow it. Choose a religion from the list and see for yourself:

a short summary of what it teaches,
who it says Jesus is,
what Jesus says about Himself, and why both cannot be true,
its teaching and His, side by side.

Each religion is described fairly, the way its own followers would describe it, with its own writings. Then it is set beside the words of Jesus.

Islam

What Islam teaches

Followers: Muslims, about 2 billion people
Began: Arabia, in the early 600s AD
Holy book: The Quran

Islam was first preached in Arabia in the early 600s AD. Muslims believe that God gave His final message to a man named Muhammad through the angel Gabriel, and that this message is kept word for word in the Quran. They see it as the same faith God gave to Abraham and the prophets after him. The word Islam means surrender to God, and a Muslim is someone who surrenders to Him.

Islam is the second-largest religion in the world. Its two main branches are Sunni and Shia.

Main beliefs

There is one God (Allah, in Arabic). He has no partner and no son, and nothing is like Him. (Quran 112:1–4)
God sent many prophets, among them Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Muhammad is the last. (Quran 33:40)
God gave earlier books such as the Torah and the Gospel. Muslims believe those books have not been kept in their first form, and that the Quran is God’s final word.
There are angels, a Day of Judgment, heaven and hell. On that day each person’s deeds will be weighed. (Quran 21:47)
Muslims keep the Five Pillars: saying the statement of faith (“There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God”), praying five times a day, giving to the poor, fasting in the month of Ramadan, and traveling to Mecca once in a lifetime if they are able.
People are born without sin. Each person answers for his or her own deeds, and no one can carry the burden of another. (Quran 6:164)

What Islam says about Jesus

Islam honors Jesus as one of God’s great prophets. But it teaches that He is not the Son of God and that He did not die on the cross.

The Quran calls Him Isa, the son of Mary, and gives Him the title Messiah. (Quran 3:45)
He was born to the virgin Mary by God’s command. (Quran 3:47; 19:19–21)
He healed the blind and the leper and raised the dead, each time by God’s permission. (Quran 3:49; 5:110)
He was a messenger and a servant of God, not God and not God’s Son. The Quran tells people not to say “Three.” (Quran 4:171; 5:72–75; 19:30)
He was not killed and was not crucified. It only looked that way, and God raised Him up to Himself. (Quran 4:157–158)
Most Muslims believe He will come back before the Day of Judgment.

What Jesus says about Himself

He is the Son of God. When the high priest asked if He was the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus answered, “I am.” (Mark 14:61–62)
He and the Father are one, and He was alive before Abraham was born. (John 10:30; John 8:58)
He would be killed and rise again on the third day. He said so ahead of time, more than once, and said He laid down His life by His own choice. (Mark 8:31; Mark 10:33–34; John 10:17–18)
His death was for our sins: His life given as a ransom for many, His blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins. (Mark 10:45; Matthew 26:28)
He is the only way to God: “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
His words will never pass away. (Matthew 24:35)

Both cannot be true. Islam says Jesus was only a prophet, that He did not die on the cross, and that no one needs a savior. Jesus said He is the Son of God, that He would die and rise again, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. If Jesus told the truth, then Islam is false, no matter how sincere the people who follow it.

Right and wrong: Islam and Jesus, side by side

Right and wrong

Islam teaches

God sets what is right and wrong in the Quran and in the example of Muhammad. God commands justice and doing good, and forbids what is shameful and unjust. Some things are allowed (halal) and some are forbidden (haram), such as alcohol, gambling and pork.

Quran 16:90; 5:90; 2:173

Jesus teaches

All of God’s commands hang on two: love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus said right and wrong begin in the heart, so anger and lust count, not only murder and adultery.

Read: Matthew 22:37–40 · Matthew 5:21–28

How to live

Islam teaches

Live in obedience to God. Pray five times a day, fast during Ramadan, give a share of what you have to the poor, keep your promises, and be patient in hard times.

Quran 2:177

Jesus teaches

Put God’s kingdom first. Pray, give and fast quietly, not to be seen by others. Serve others, and build your life on His words.

Read: Matthew 6:33 · Matthew 6:1–18 · Mark 10:43–45 · Matthew 7:24–27

How to treat people

Islam teaches

Be good to parents, relatives, orphans, the poor, neighbors and travelers. Be fair, even when it goes against you. You may answer a wrong in equal measure, but it is better to forgive, and God rewards it.

Quran 4:36; 4:135; 42:40

Jesus teaches

Treat others the way you want to be treated. Love your neighbor, and love your enemies too: do good to them and pray for them. Do not pay back wrong for wrong. Forgive again and again.

Read: Matthew 7:12 · Matthew 5:38–45 · Matthew 18:21–22

When we do wrong

Islam teaches

Turn back to God and ask Him to forgive. He is merciful. No savior is needed, because each person answers for his or her own deeds. On the Day of Judgment those deeds will be weighed.

Quran 39:53; 6:164; 21:47

Jesus teaches

No one is good enough on their own. Jesus said He came to give His life as a ransom for many, and that whoever believes in Him has eternal life. God welcomes all who turn back to Him, like the father who ran to meet his lost son.

Read: Mark 10:18 · Mark 10:45 · John 3:16 · Luke 15:11–24

The difference. Much of what Islam says about honesty, fairness and care for the poor agrees with what Jesus taught. But underneath, Islam hopes that good deeds and God’s mercy will be enough on the Day of Judgment. Jesus said no one is good except God alone, and that He is the only way to the Father. (Mark 10:18; John 14:6)

Jesus is the way

He did not claim to be one way among many. Here is the good news He brought, in five short parts.

Read the good news

Choose another religion

Judaism

What Judaism teaches

Followers: Jews, about 15 million people
Began: With Abraham, nearly 4,000 years ago
Holy book: The Hebrew Bible, above all the Torah

Judaism is the faith of the Jewish people and one of the oldest religions in the world. It teaches that the one God made a covenant, a lasting promise, with Abraham and his family, and later gave His law, the Torah, to Moses at Mount Sinai.

The Jewish Scriptures are the books Christians call the Old Testament. Jews also study the Talmud, a large collection of the rabbis’ teaching on how to live out the Torah. The main branches today are Orthodox, Conservative and Reform. Judaism puts great weight on how a person lives, not only on what a person believes.

Main beliefs

There is one God, who made all things. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4)
God chose the people of Israel and made a covenant with them. (Genesis 17:7; Exodus 19:5–6)
The Torah is God’s teaching. The rabbis count 613 commands in it, including the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20:1–17)
Life is shaped by the Sabbath, the holy days, daily prayer and, for many, the kosher food laws.
The Messiah is still to come: a king from the family of David who will bring peace to the whole world. (Isaiah 11:1–9; Isaiah 2:4)
People are free to choose good or evil. Those who do wrong can turn back to God, and He forgives. Jews hold different views about life after death; many speak of “the world to come.”

What Judaism says about Jesus

Judaism teaches that Jesus was not the Messiah and is not God.

Jesus was a Jew who lived and taught in the land of Israel in the first century. He has no place in Jewish faith or worship.
Judaism teaches that the Messiah will bring peace to the world, gather the Jewish people back to their land, and rebuild the Temple. Because these things have not happened, it does not accept Jesus as the Messiah. (Isaiah 2:4; Isaiah 43:5–6; Ezekiel 37:26–28)
God is one, and God is not a man. So Judaism does not accept that God became a man, or that God is three in one. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Numbers 23:19)
Each person answers for his or her own sin and must turn back to God. Judaism does not accept that one man can die for the sins of others. (Deuteronomy 24:16; Ezekiel 18:20)
Some Jewish writers today describe Jesus as a Jewish teacher of His time. But no branch of Judaism accepts Him as Messiah or Lord.

What Jesus says about Himself

He is the Messiah. When a woman said, “I know that Messiah is coming,” Jesus told her, “I who speak to you am He.” (John 4:25–26)
The Scriptures are about Him. He said Moses wrote about Him, and that everything written about Him in the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms had to come true. (John 5:46; Luke 24:44)
The Messiah had to suffer and die first, and rise on the third day. He said Isaiah’s words about God’s suffering servant, who carries the sins of many, were about Him. (Luke 24:46; Luke 22:37; Isaiah 53:5–6)
His blood is the new covenant that God promised through Jeremiah, poured out for the forgiveness of sins. (Luke 22:20; Jeremiah 31:31–34)
He is more than a man. He said He and the Father are one, and that He was alive before Abraham was born. (John 10:30; John 8:58)
He will come again in glory. And He said, “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (Matthew 25:31; John 14:6)

Both cannot be true. Judaism says the Messiah has not come yet and that Jesus was not the one. Jesus, who was a Jew, said He is the Messiah the Jewish Scriptures promised, who had to suffer first and will come again in glory. If Jesus told the truth, then Judaism is wrong about its own Messiah, no matter how sincere the people who follow it. The Scriptures it reads are true. The Messiah they promise has already come, and no one comes to the Father without Him.

Right and wrong: Judaism and Jesus, side by side

Right and wrong

Judaism teaches

God shows what is right in the Torah: the Ten Commandments and the hundreds of other commands, as the rabbis explain them. What God asks is to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with Him.

Read: Exodus 20:1–17 · Micah 6:8

Jesus teaches

Jesus said He did not come to do away with the Law but to fulfill it. He summed it up in two commands from the Torah: love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. He said it reaches the heart, so anger and lust count, not only murder and adultery.

Read: Matthew 5:17 · Matthew 22:37–40 · Matthew 5:21–28

How to live

Judaism teaches

Keep God’s commands in everyday life. Pray, rest on the Sabbath, keep the holy days, study the Torah, give to those in need, and help mend the world.

Read: Deuteronomy 6:4–9 · Exodus 20:8–11

Jesus teaches

Put God’s kingdom first. Pray, give and fast quietly, not to be seen. Jesus said the Sabbath was made for people, and that what makes a person unclean comes out of the heart, not what goes into the mouth.

Read: Matthew 6:33 · Matthew 6:1–18 · Mark 2:27 · Mark 7:14–23

How to treat people

Judaism teaches

Love your neighbor as yourself, and love the stranger. Care for the poor, the widow and the orphan. Do not hate, take revenge or hold a grudge. The teacher Hillel summed up the Torah this way: what is hateful to you, do not do to another.

Read: Leviticus 19:17–18 · Leviticus 19:33–34 · Talmud, Shabbat 31a

Jesus teaches

Jesus quoted the same command, “love your neighbor,” and stretched it to cover enemies: do good to them and pray for them. In His story of the Good Samaritan, your neighbor is anyone in need. Forgive again and again.

Read: Matthew 22:39 · Matthew 5:43–45 · Luke 10:25–37 · Matthew 18:21–22

When we do wrong

Judaism teaches

Turn back to God. This is called teshuvah: admit the wrong, make it right with the person you hurt, and change your ways. God forgives those who return to Him. Each year the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is set apart for this.

Read: Ezekiel 18:21–23 · Leviticus 16:29–30 · Mishnah, Yoma 8:9

Jesus teaches

Jesus also called people to turn back to God. And He said more: that He has authority to forgive sins, that His blood is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins, and that He came to seek and to save the lost.

Read: Mark 1:15 · Mark 2:5–11 · Matthew 26:28 · Luke 19:10

The difference. Jesus drew His moral teaching from the same Scriptures Judaism reads, so much of it agrees. What separates them is Jesus Himself. He said the Law and the Prophets point to Him, and that forgiveness comes through His blood. (Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:44–47; Matthew 26:28)

Jesus is the way

He did not claim to be one way among many. Here is the good news He brought, in five short parts.

Read the good news

Choose another religion

Catholicism

What Catholicism teaches

Followers: Catholics, about 1.4 billion people
Began: Rome; it counts the apostle Peter as its first Pope
Holy book: The Bible, plus Church tradition

The Roman Catholic Church is the largest church in the world. It is led from Rome by the Pope, whom Catholics call the Holy Father and believe stands in the place of the apostle Peter. Under him are bishops and priests, and a priest is called “Father.”

Catholics read the Bible and call Jesus the Son of God. But Catholic life is built around the Church itself: its priests, its tradition, and set rituals called sacraments, through which it teaches that God’s saving grace is given. Catholics also pray to Mary and to the saints.

Main beliefs

There is one God in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Nicene Creed)
God’s word comes through both the Bible and the tradition of the Church, and the Church has the authority to explain it. The Pope, called the Vicar of Christ, has full power over the whole Church. (Catechism 80–82; 882)
There are seven sacraments, which the Church teaches are necessary for salvation: baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist (Communion), confession, anointing of the sick, marriage and holy orders. (Catechism 1129)
In the Mass, the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ, and His sacrifice on the cross is made present and offered through the priest. (Catechism 1366–1367; 1376)
Sins committed after baptism are forgiven by confessing them to a priest, who gives a penance to do. Serious sins must be confessed this way. (Catechism 1456–1461)
Mary is honored as the Mother of God and Queen over all things, and is called Advocate, Helper and Mediatrix. Catholics pray to her and to the saints, asking them to pray for us. The Church says this honor is not worship. (Catechism 966; 969; 971; 956)
A person is saved by God’s grace, first given in baptism. The believer must then work with that grace through faith, the sacraments and good works, and by them can merit more grace and eternal life. (Catechism 1992; 2010)
Those who die in God’s friendship but are not yet fully pure are made pure in purgatory before they enter heaven. (Catechism 1030–1031)

What Catholicism says about Jesus

Catholicism calls Jesus the Son of God, who died on the cross and rose again. But it teaches that what He did reaches a person through the Catholic Church, its priests and its sacraments.

Jesus is the Son of God, “true God and true man,” born of the Virgin Mary. He died for sins, rose on the third day, and will come again. (Catechism 464; Nicene Creed)
His saving grace is given through the seven sacraments, beginning with baptism, which the Church says are necessary for salvation. (Catechism 1129; 1992)
His sacrifice is made present on the altar at every Mass and offered through the priest. (Catechism 1366–1367)
He forgives sins committed after baptism through a priest, in confession. (Catechism 1456–1461)
Catholics also pray to Mary, whom the Church calls Advocate and Mediatrix, and to the saints, asking them to speak to God for them. (Catechism 969; 956)
On earth the Pope stands in His place as head of the Church, with the title Vicar of Christ. (Catechism 882; 936)

What Jesus says about Himself

He is the only way to God, and He named no one else: “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6; John 10:9)
He told people to come straight to Him, and to ask the Father directly in His name. He taught no one to pray to Mary. When a woman called His mother blessed, He answered that the blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it. (Matthew 11:28; John 16:23–27; Luke 11:27–28)
He told His followers not to give one another religious titles such as “father,” because they have one Father, who is in heaven, and one Teacher, and they are all brothers. (Matthew 23:8–10)
He forgave sins by His own word, and He taught people to ask the Father directly for forgiveness. He never sent anyone to confess to a priest. (Mark 2:5–11; Matthew 6:9–12; Luke 18:13–14)
He said that whoever believes in Him has eternal life and has already passed from death to life. The work God asks for, He said, is to believe in the One He sent. (John 5:24; John 6:28–29; John 6:47)
On the cross He said, “It is finished.” He promised the thief dying beside Him paradise that very day, with no ritual, no priest and no purgatory. (John 19:30; Luke 23:39–43)
He warned against prayers that pile up repeated words, and against setting human tradition above the word of God. (Matthew 6:7–8; Mark 7:8–13)

Both cannot be true. Catholicism says many true things about Jesus. But it places a church, priests, rituals, Mary and the saints between a person and God, and makes salvation depend on them. Jesus placed no one between. He said He is the way, and that whoever believes in Him has eternal life. A religion that adds to Jesus what He never taught is false, even when it uses His name, and no matter how sincere the people who follow it.

Right and wrong: Catholicism and Jesus, side by side

Right and wrong

Catholicism teaches

The Ten Commandments and the teaching of Jesus, as the Church explains them. The Pope and the bishops have the final say on what they mean. Sins are sorted into mortal (grave) and venial (lesser).

Catechism 1716; 1854–1857; 891

Jesus teaches

God’s word is the standard, and no human tradition may be set above it. All of God’s commands hang on two: love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. Right and wrong begin in the heart.

Read: Mark 7:8–13 · Matthew 22:37–40 · Matthew 5:21–28

How to live

Catholicism teaches

Follow Christ inside the Church. Go to Mass every Sunday and holy day, receive the sacraments, confess to a priest at least once a year, keep the days of fasting, say set prayers such as the rosary, and do works of mercy.

Catechism 2041–2043; 971; 2447

Jesus teaches

Follow Him. Stay close to Him and keep His words. Pray to your Father in private, simply, not with phrases said over and over. God wants worship in spirit and in truth.

Read: Luke 9:23 · John 15:4–10 · Matthew 6:6–8 · John 4:23–24

How to treat people

Catholicism teaches

Love your neighbor as yourself and even your enemies, and care for the poor. Here Catholic teaching repeats the words of Jesus. Inside the Church, people are ranked: the Pope, then bishops, then priests, then everyone else.

Catechism 1825; 2443–2447; 882

Jesus teaches

Treat others the way you want to be treated. Love your neighbor and your enemies. Among His followers no one is to be ranked above the rest or take titles of honor: “you are all brothers,” and the greatest is the one who serves.

Read: Matthew 7:12 · Matthew 5:43–45 · Matthew 23:8–12

When we do wrong

Catholicism teaches

Confess your sins to a priest, who forgives in God’s name and gives a penance to do. Serious sins must be confessed this way. Catholics base this on what Jesus said to His apostles after He rose. After death, those who are not yet fully pure are made pure in purgatory.

Read: John 20:23 · Catechism 1456–1461; 1030–1031

Jesus teaches

Ask your Father directly: “Forgive us our debts.” Jesus forgave sins by His own word and never sent anyone to confess to a priest. The tax collector who simply asked God for mercy went home right with God, and the dying thief was promised paradise that very day. What Jesus gave His followers to carry to the world was the news of forgiveness in His name.

Read: Matthew 6:9–12 · Mark 2:5–11 · Luke 18:9–14 · Luke 23:39–43 · Luke 24:46–47

The difference. Where Catholicism repeats what Jesus said about love, it agrees with Him. The trouble is everything it adds: a priest to confess to, rituals to keep and merit to earn. Jesus said the one who believes has eternal life. (John 6:47)

Jesus is the way

He did not claim to be one way among many. Here is the good news He brought, in five short parts.

Read the good news

Choose another religion

Hinduism

What Hinduism teaches

Followers: Hindus, about 1.2 billion people, most in India
Began: India, more than 3,000 years ago, with no single founder
Holy books: The Vedas, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and others

Hinduism grew up in India over thousands of years. It has no single founder, no one creed and no central authority, so Hindus believe and worship in many different ways. Many Hindus call their faith Sanatana Dharma, “the eternal way.”

Its oldest scriptures are the Vedas. The best loved is the Bhagavad Gita, in which the god Krishna teaches a warrior named Arjuna about duty, devotion and the soul.

Main beliefs

Behind everything there is one supreme reality, called Brahman. Hindus worship many gods and goddesses, such as Vishnu, Shiva and the Goddess (Devi), and many understand them as forms of the one Brahman.
Every living being has a soul (atman) that never dies. (Bhagavad Gita 2:20)
The soul is born again and again in new bodies, the way a person puts on new clothes. This cycle of rebirth is called samsara. (Bhagavad Gita 2:22)
Karma: every action has results that come back to the one who did it, in this life or a later one.
Dharma: each person has duties to do, and they depend partly on that person’s place and stage in life. (Bhagavad Gita 3:35)
The goal is moksha: freedom from the cycle of rebirth. The paths to it include devotion to God, knowledge, selfless action and meditation.

What Hinduism says about Jesus

Hinduism has no single teaching about Jesus. Many Hindus honor Him as a holy man or a teacher, and some as one of many forms God has taken. But they do not see Him as the only Son of God or the only way to God.

Jesus is not named in the Hindu scriptures, and Hinduism has no official view of Him.
Many Hindus honor Him as a holy man and a wise teacher. Mahatma Gandhi, for one, loved His Sermon on the Mount.
Some Hindus see Jesus as an avatar, a form God has taken on earth, as they believe of Rama and Krishna. In that view He is one of many, not the only one. (Bhagavad Gita 4:7–8)
Most Hindus do not accept that Jesus is the only way to God. A well-known verse says, “Truth is one; the wise call it by many names.” (Rig Veda 1.164.46)
Hindu teaching generally does not see His death as a sacrifice that takes away the sins of the world. Each soul bears the results of its own actions (karma).

What Jesus says about Himself

He said there is one God, and that God alone is to be worshiped. (Mark 12:29–30; Matthew 4:10)
He is God’s one and only Son, who came down from heaven. He is not one holy man among many, or one of many forms of God: whoever has seen Him has seen the Father. (John 3:16; John 6:38; John 14:9)
He is the only way: “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” The gate is small and the road is narrow. (John 14:6; Matthew 7:13–14)
He is the resurrection and the life. After death, He said, come resurrection and judgment. The new birth He taught is by God’s Spirit, not into another body. (John 11:25–26; John 5:28–29; John 3:3–6)
He gave His life as a ransom for many, and He gives eternal life as a gift. It is not earned over many lives. (Mark 10:45; John 10:28)

Both cannot be true. Hinduism says there are many gods and many ways, and that Jesus is at most one holy man or one form of God among many. Jesus said there is one God, that He is God’s only Son, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. If Jesus told the truth, then Hinduism is false, no matter how sincere the people who follow it.

Right and wrong: Hinduism and Jesus, side by side

Right and wrong

Hinduism teaches

Right living is called dharma. Part of it is the same for everyone: do no harm, tell the truth, give freely, stay pure and keep yourself under control. Part of it depends on your stage of life and your place in society.

Bhagavad Gita 16:1–3; 3:35

Jesus teaches

All of God’s commands hang on two: love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus gave the same commands to everyone alike. They reach the heart, so anger and lust count, not only murder and adultery.

Read: Matthew 22:37–40 · Matthew 28:19–20 · Matthew 5:21–28

How to live

Hinduism teaches

Do your duty without clinging to the results. Worship and pray, often every day at home or at a temple. Practice self-control and, for many, yoga, meditation and a vegetarian diet. What you do in this life shapes the next one.

Bhagavad Gita 2:47

Jesus teaches

Put God’s kingdom first and follow Him. Pray simply to your Father, who already knows what you need. After death, Jesus taught, come resurrection and judgment.

Read: Matthew 6:33 · Luke 9:23 · Matthew 6:7–8 · John 5:28–29

How to treat people

Hinduism teaches

Do no harm (ahimsa) to any living thing. Be truthful, generous and welcoming: a guest is to be treated like a god. Honor your parents and teachers. One old rule of dharma says not to do to others what would hurt you.

Taittiriya Upanishad 1.11.2; Mahabharata, Anushasana Parva

Jesus teaches

Treat others the way you want to be treated. Love your neighbor and your enemies. Jesus touched people no one else would touch and ate with outcasts. What you do for the least person, you do for Him.

Read: Matthew 7:12 · Matthew 5:43–45 · Mark 1:40–42 · Mark 2:15–17 · Matthew 25:35–40

When we do wrong

Hinduism teaches

Wrong actions bring bad karma, which must be worked out in this life or a later one. A person can make amends through good deeds, rituals, pilgrimage and devotion. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna promises to free from sin all who surrender completely.

Bhagavad Gita 18:66

Jesus teaches

Jesus said suffering is not always payback for a person’s own sin. He pictured sin as a debt too big to repay, which God forgives freely. He came to give His life as a ransom for many, and He sets people free.

Read: John 9:1–3 · Matthew 18:23–27 · Mark 10:45 · John 8:34–36

The difference. Hinduism’s call to do no harm and to tell the truth agrees with much that Jesus taught. But underneath, Hinduism says each soul must work off its own karma over many lives. Jesus said sin is a debt we cannot repay, and that He came to pay it. (Matthew 18:23–27; Mark 10:45)

Jesus is the way

He did not claim to be one way among many. Here is the good news He brought, in five short parts.

Read the good news

Choose another religion

Buddhism

What Buddhism teaches

Followers: Buddhists, more than 300 million people
Began: Northern India, 400 to 500 years before Jesus
Holy books: The teachings of the Buddha, such as the Pali Canon

Buddhism began in northern India about 400 to 500 years before Jesus was born. A prince named Siddhartha Gautama left his palace to find out why people suffer. After years of searching he sat down under a tree to meditate, and there, Buddhists believe, he woke up to the truth. From then on he was called the Buddha, which means “the awakened one.”

The Buddha did not teach about a God who made the world. He taught a path: a way to end suffering by training the mind and letting go of craving. The main branches today are Theravada, Mahayana (which includes Zen and Pure Land) and Vajrayana (Tibetan Buddhism).

Main beliefs

The Four Noble Truths: life is marked by suffering; suffering comes from craving; suffering can end; and the way to end it is the Eightfold Path. (Samyutta Nikaya 56.11)
The Eightfold Path: right understanding, intention, speech, action, work, effort, mindfulness and concentration.
Nothing lasts, and there is no lasting soul or self.
Karma and rebirth: what a person does shapes what comes next, and beings are born again and again until they are set free.
The goal is nirvana: the end of craving, suffering and rebirth.
In most Buddhist teaching there is no God to save a person. Each one must walk the path; the Buddhas only point the way. (Dhammapada 276)
One large branch, Pure Land, does look for help: it trusts a Buddha named Amitabha to bring his followers to a pure land after death.

What Buddhism says about Jesus

Buddhism has no teaching of its own about Jesus. Many Buddhists respect Him as a wise and loving teacher. But Buddhism does not teach that He is God or that He saves.

Buddhism began centuries before Jesus was born, so its scriptures do not mention Him.
Many Buddhists admire what He taught about love, mercy and forgiveness.
Some Buddhist teachers speak of Him with great respect. The Dalai Lama has said Jesus was either a bodhisattva (one who lives to free others from suffering) or an enlightened person. The Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh called Jesus one of his spiritual ancestors.
Buddhism does not teach a Creator God, so it does not teach that Jesus is the Son of God.
Buddhism teaches that no one can make another person pure, so it does not accept that the death of Jesus takes away sin. (Dhammapada 165)

What Jesus says about Himself

He came from God. Jesus spoke of God as the Creator and as His Father, who sent Him into the world. (Matthew 19:4; John 8:42; John 3:16–17)
He came to seek and to save the lost, because no one can save himself. “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” (Luke 19:10; John 15:5; Matthew 19:25–26)
He said that everyone who sins is a slave to sin, and that only He, the Son, can set a person free. (John 8:34–36)
He is the way: “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
He said a person’s soul is worth more than the whole world. What He gives is not an end to the self but life: eternal life, knowing God, and a place with Him. (Mark 8:36–37; John 17:3; John 14:2–3)

Both cannot be true. Buddhism says there is no God to save you and that you must free yourself. Jesus said God is real and made you, that you cannot save yourself, and that He came to seek and to save the lost. If Jesus told the truth, then Buddhism is false, no matter how sincere the people who follow it.

Right and wrong: Buddhism and Jesus, side by side

Right and wrong

Buddhism teaches

Actions are called skillful or unskillful: they lead away from suffering or toward it. Wrong grows from three roots: greed, hatred and not seeing clearly. The Five Precepts are: do not kill, do not steal, do not misuse sex, do not lie, and do not cloud the mind with drink or drugs. These are a training to take up, not commands from a God.

Dhammapada 183

Jesus teaches

Right and wrong come from God, who made us. All His commands hang on two: love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. They reach the heart, so anger and lust count, not only murder and adultery.

Read: Matthew 19:4 · Matthew 22:37–40 · Matthew 5:21–28

How to live

Buddhism teaches

Follow the Eightfold Path and the Middle Way, between a life of pleasure and a life of harsh self-denial. Meditate and train the mind. Let go of craving and of clinging to things, because craving is the cause of suffering.

Samyutta Nikaya 56.11

Jesus teaches

Do not live for wealth or worry about tomorrow. Put God’s kingdom first. Jesus invites the hungry, the thirsty and the worn out to come to Him, and promises to fill them and give them rest.

Read: Matthew 6:19–21 · Matthew 6:33–34 · John 6:35 · Matthew 11:28–30

How to treat people

Buddhism teaches

Show kindness and compassion to every living being. Do not harm any creature. Give freely. Hatred never ends by hatred; it ends only when hatred is let go. Overcome anger with kindness.

Dhammapada 5; 223; Metta Sutta

Jesus teaches

Treat others the way you want to be treated. Love your neighbor and your enemies: do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who hurt you. What you do for the least person, you do for Him.

Read: Luke 6:27–31 · Matthew 25:35–40

When we do wrong

Buddhism teaches

In most Buddhist teaching there is no God to forgive sin. Every action brings its own result (karma), and each person must become pure by his or her own effort on the path. No one can make another person pure.

Dhammapada 165

Jesus teaches

God is a Father who forgives. Jesus told of a son who came home with nothing and was welcomed with open arms. He said He came to give His life as a ransom for many, and that He gives eternal life to those who believe in Him. It is a gift.

Read: Luke 15:11–24 · Mark 10:45 · John 3:16 · John 10:28

The difference. Buddhism’s call to kindness and self-control agrees with much that Jesus taught. But underneath, Buddhism says you must free yourself, with no God to help. Jesus said that apart from Him we can do nothing, and that He came to seek and to save the lost. (John 15:5; Luke 19:10)

Jesus is the way

He did not claim to be one way among many. Here is the good news He brought, in five short parts.

Read the good news

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Sikhism

What Sikhism teaches

Followers: Sikhs, about 25 million people
Began: Punjab (now India and Pakistan), about 1500 AD
Holy book: The Guru Granth Sahib

Sikhism began about 500 years ago in the Punjab, a region now shared by India and Pakistan. Its founder, Guru Nanak (1469–1539), taught that there is one God and that all people are equal before Him. Nine more Gurus, or teachers, followed him. Since 1708 Sikhs have looked to their scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, as their living Guru.

The word Sikh means learner. Sikhs gather in a gurdwara, where anyone of any background is welcome to a free meal (called langar). Many Sikhs join the Khalsa, the community of the committed, and wear five signs of their faith, such as uncut hair and a steel bracelet.

Main beliefs

There is one God, the Creator, without fear and without hatred. He is beyond time, is never born, and exists by Himself. (Guru Granth Sahib, p. 1)
All people are equal: men and women, rich and poor, every race and caste.
Three daily duties: keep God’s Name in mind, earn an honest living, and share with others.
Karma and rebirth: the soul is born again and again until it is joined with God.
The goal is to be one with God. It comes by His grace, as a person turns from self-centeredness and lives remembering Him.
Serving others without thought of reward (seva) is part of worship.

What Sikhism says about Jesus

Sikhism has no teaching of its own about Jesus. Sikhs are taught to respect other faiths, and many honor Him as a holy teacher. But Sikhism does not teach that He is God or the only way to God.

The Sikh Gurus did not teach about Jesus, and Sikhism has no official view of Him.
Many Sikhs respect Jesus as a holy man who taught love and humility.
Sikhism teaches that God is never born and does not take a human body. So it does not accept that Jesus is God come in the flesh. (Guru Granth Sahib, p. 1)
Sikhs believe that people of any faith can reach God, so they do not accept that Jesus is the only way.
Sikhism has no teaching of a sacrifice for sin. It looks to God’s grace and a life lived remembering Him.

What Jesus says about Himself

God has come to us in Him. He said that whoever has seen Him has seen the Father, and that He and the Father are one. (John 14:9; John 10:30)
He came down from heaven, and He was alive before Abraham was born. (John 6:38; John 8:58)
He is the only way, not one way among many: “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6; John 10:9)
Sin needs a sacrifice, and He is that sacrifice: the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep, His blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins. (John 10:11; Matthew 26:28)
After death come resurrection and judgment, and He gives eternal life to everyone who believes in Him. (John 5:28–29; John 6:40)

Both cannot be true. Sikhism says God never takes a human body, that there are many ways to Him, and that no sacrifice for sin is needed. Jesus said that whoever has seen Him has seen the Father, that He is the only way, and that He gives His life for the forgiveness of sins. If Jesus told the truth, then Sikhism is false, no matter how sincere the people who follow it.

Right and wrong: Sikhism and Jesus, side by side

Right and wrong

Sikhism teaches

The root of wrong is self-centeredness. From it come five “thieves”: lust, anger, greed, attachment and pride. Right living means honesty, humility and keeping God in mind. As the scripture says, “Truth is higher than everything, but higher still is truthful living.”

Guru Granth Sahib, p. 62

Jesus teaches

All of God’s commands hang on two: love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus said the trouble starts in the heart: greed, pride and every other evil come from within. Anger and lust count, not only murder and adultery.

Read: Matthew 22:37–40 · Mark 7:20–23 · Matthew 5:21–28

How to live

Sikhism teaches

Keep God’s Name in mind through the day, work honestly, and share what you have. Serve others. Live a family life in the world, not apart from it. Stay away from alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, and be faithful in marriage.

Sikh Rehat Maryada (code of conduct)

Jesus teaches

Put God’s kingdom first. Pray simply and sincerely to your Father. Serve others, as He came to serve. Follow Him.

Read: Matthew 6:33 · Matthew 6:5–8 · Mark 10:43–45 · Luke 9:23

How to treat people

Sikhism teaches

Treat everyone as an equal, whatever their caste, faith, sex or wealth. Share food with all. Serve those in need, and stand up for people who are treated unjustly. “No one is my enemy, and no one is a stranger.”

Guru Granth Sahib, p. 1299

Jesus teaches

Treat others the way you want to be treated. Jesus welcomed people others looked down on, and ate with them. Love your neighbor and your enemies. What you do for the least person, you do for Him.

Read: Matthew 7:12 · Mark 2:15–17 · Matthew 5:43–45 · Matthew 25:35–40

When we do wrong

Sikhism teaches

Wrong actions bring results (karma) and keep the soul in the cycle of rebirth. Freedom comes by God’s grace, as a person turns from self-centeredness, keeps God in mind and lives truthfully. God forgives, and no sacrifice for sin is needed.

Guru Granth Sahib, Japji Sahib

Jesus teaches

God forgives all who turn back to Him, like the father who ran to meet his lost son. Jesus also said what that forgiveness would cost, and that He would pay it Himself: He came to give His life as a ransom for many, His blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins.

Read: Luke 15:11–24 · Mark 10:45 · Matthew 26:28

The difference. Sikhism’s call to honesty, service and equal treatment agrees with much that Jesus taught. But Sikhism says no sacrifice for sin is needed. Jesus said His blood is poured out for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:28)

Jesus is the way

He did not claim to be one way among many. Here is the good news He brought, in five short parts.

Read the good news

Choose another religion