12 Unique Offers of Christianity

Everything important comes with a value offer. How about the value of Christianity?

In business, a value proposition is your promise that you can solve a problem others can’t and its why people should choose you over someone else. Ultimately it goes to the heart of what you do and why you do it.

Consider what makes Christianity unique from other religions. How many points of difference can you think of? Theologian and author Pastor Timothy Keller got up to 12 in a thought-provoking Facebook post on the uniqueness of the Christian faith. Number 12 may be the most interesting.

You could follow up your Easter weekend by using Keller’s thoughts in a series of weekend messages. The content would be appreciated by new believers as well as those who are longtime followers of Jesus.

8 More Ways to Use the Info

  • Preach a series of six messages using two offers per message.

  • Preach the first six offers in a series in the Spring and the remaining six in the Fall.

  • Choose six offers and preach a six-part series.

  • Include the offers in your “Welcome to Church” class or your “New Members” class.

  • Put the offers on a handout that would fit into a Bible or notebook and give them to everyone at a weekend service.

  • Print them on a bookmark.

  • Post them on your church’s “About Us” webpage.

  • Share them weekly in a series of social media posts.

12 Basic Offers of Christianity (Tim Keller, FB, March 27, 2022)

  1. Christianity offers contentment and joy not based on changing circumstances. Our bad things will turn out for good (Romans 8:28), our good things can’t be taken from us (Ephesians 1:3), and the best things are yet to come (1 John 3:1-3).

  2. Christianity uniquely offers a non-performative identity — not constantly ebbing and flowing based on your accomplishment and conduct (Philippians 3:4-9; 1 Corinthians 4:3-4).

  3. Christianity offers a basis for morality and justice that avoids the twin dangers of relativism and oppression. (I freely admit that many Christians use secular moral foundations and themselves veer toward relativism or oppression).

  4. Christianity offers a kind of freedom (embracing the right restrictions) that, unlike the secular definition (the absence of restrictions), does not undermine love relationships.

  5. Christianity offers a unique hope for the world — not eventual nothingness (secularism) and not even mere spiritual paradise (other religions). It promises a renewed, perfect physical world — a new heavens and new earth.

  6. Christianity offers a resolution to guilt, shame, and self-laceration that avoids both minimizing your own failures and allowing other people to ultimately define you.

  7. Christianity offers a unique view of power. The incarnation, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus shows us power both voluntarily relinquished and yet deployed for service to others.

  8. Christianity offers meaning and purpose in life that suffering not only cannot take away from you but can only enhance. It can enable you to face death without any fear.

  9. Christianity offers a unique account of morality/truth. Not subjectivism grounded in culture or evolution (secularism) nor objectivism grounded in an impersonal transcendent norm (Greek-Roman; idealism). Rather it is grounded in an absolute Person — Jesus.

  10. Christianity offers a unique view of salvation. We are saved by sheer grace and Christ’s work, not ours. We cannot contribute to salvation with moral effort, religious observance, prayers, transformed consciousness, etc. Finished salvation is received, not achieved.

  11. Christianity offers a unique approach to repairing relationships. It neither privileges the forgiven (so that justice is not done) nor privileges the forgiver (so forgiveness is withheld). Without both, we can’t maintain human social relationships.

  12. Christianity offers a unique view of uniqueness. The claim of uniqueness plays into the human need to feel superior. But Christianity’s difference is the grace-claim: Saved Christians are NOT better than anyone. That particular uniqueness can subvert the dangers of claiming it.

Be the first to post a comment below about how you will use these ideas at your church. Thank you.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bob Jones

Bob Jones is the founder of REVwords.com, an author, blogger, and coach with 39 years of pastoral experience. You can connect with Bob here.

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