BAHA’I RELIGION, JESUS, AND ALL OTHER RELIGIONS
Anita and I have been attending a discussion group at the Baha’i Center. The Baha’is are really lovely people. They even accept me with my Jesus-talk. No wonder – they accept Jesus as a man of God, according to Wikipedia:
∑ Bahá'ís follow Bahá'u'lláh, a prophet whom they consider a successor to Muhammad, Krishna, Jesus, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, and Abraham.
∑ In Bahá'í belief, all of the Manifestations of God are from the same God and have the same spiritual and metaphysical nature, and that there is absolute equality between them. The differences between the various Manifestations of God and their teachings, Bahá'u'lláh explained, are due to the varying needs and capacities of the civilization in which they appeared, and not due to any differences in their level of importance or nature.
∑ The Manifestations of God all fulfill the same purpose and perform the same function by mediating between God and creation. In this way each Manifestation of God manifested the Word of God and taught the same religion, with modifications for the particular audience's needs and culture. Bahá'u'lláh wrote that since each Manifestation of God has the same divine attributes they can be seen as the spiritual "return" of all the previous Manifestations of God.
Although the Baha’is believe that their revelations are the purest expression of God, they also believe that there might be further revelations:
∑ Bahá'ís do not claim that the Bahá'í revelation is the final stage in God's direction in the course of human spiritual evolution. The Bahá'í writings contain assurances that after 1000 years, another Manifestation of God will appear to advance human civilization.
I was surprised to hear one Baha’i claim that he too believed that Jesus had died for our sins. Could this possibly be? I found that the first revelator of their faith, Abdu’l-Baha, had written (cir. 1844):
∑ There are those who believe that the cause of salvation is none other than a confession of Divine Unity. There are those who say: This is not sufficient. Belief in Divine Unity must be combined with righteous deeds as prescribed by the All-Merciful. There are still others who aver that the above must be combined with a most praiseworthy character blessed by God. And yet again there are those who assert that one must encompass all the grades of spiritual perfection and attain the beauty of an inner conscience before one can be truly saved. But undoubtedly, what is most certain, most sure and incontrovertible, what the People of God cling to most confidently is that the true cause of salvation is none other than steadfastness in the Testament and firmness in the Covenant of the All-Merciful. This faithfulness is the particular characteristic of our belief in the Supreme Manifestation of God in this Day. (Provisional translation by Khazeh Fananapazir; http://bahaiteachings.org/salvation-for-one-and-all)
∑ Abdu’l-Baha propounds a fascinating holistic theory of salvation, meant to apply to each person and to all people:
The Bahai organization summarizes it as:
• “Belief in the oneness of God. (Salvific belief.)
• Good works. (Salvific action.)
• Sterling character. (Salvific sanctification.)
• Inner transformation. (Salvific beatitude.)
• Faithfulness to the Covenant. (Salvific solidarity.)”
These are “meant to apply to each person and to all people.” However, it also seems that this organization also requires faithfulness to their “Covenant”:
∑ A corollary of this teaching is faithful obedience to Baha’i decision-making–through elected, consultative Baha’i councils that oversee the well-being and progress of Baha’i communities worldwide–as well as faithful adherence to Baha’i precepts and ethics. (http://bahaiteachings.org/salvation-for-one-and-all)
Baha’i salvation is both faith-based and performance-based. It seemed that my new Baha’i friend wanted to cover all the bases, including faith in Jesus. While I was touched by this, I wondered whether this type of faith was acceptable to our Lord. When I was immature in the faith and not clear about salvation, I decided that I would play-it-safe. I would trust in both faith and in my own performance of good works. However, this placed my attention and hope on myself, and it was killing me. As long as I trusted in the goodness of my performance, I was tormented. Why? I always had doubts in my moral goodness and performance. This made me think of Paul’s teachings:
∑ I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. (Galatians 5:2-4 ESV)
Paul had been referring to the belief that salvation had been wrongly taught as a matter of two things: trusting in Christ and also becoming a Jew, through circumcision, to adequately perform the law. However, Paul put the end to such a false hope. If our trust is based, even partially, on our performance, we “have fallen from grace.”
There is no way that we can merit salvation through being good enough:
∑ Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped [from boasting], and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:19-20)
Consequently, salvation had to be received as a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). Ankerberg and Weldon, therefore, have written:
Knowing that salvation is totally the gift of God and not based upon the slightest merit on my part has been absolutely liberating. This understanding has enabled me to face the painful truth about myself. I don’t deserve anything from God apart from condemnation (Romans 6:23), but that is okay, because salvation and my eternal hope are based upon the unchanging gift of God. Consequently, I am now free from the burden to have to obsessively prove that I am deserving, when I am really not.
This makes me grateful that I have a God who loves me so much that He is not put off by my very evident unworthiness. Rather than making me complacent about my moral obligations, this gratitude prods me on to joyfully please the One who has died for me while I was His enemy (Romans 5:8-10).
What then do I say to my beautiful Baha’i friends? I want to accept them as they have accepted me. They have accepted my faith. Therefore, I want to reciprocate by accepting their faith, but does love require this “quid pro quo?” No! Love requires that I seek their ultimate good. How? By sharing with them the Biblical Jesus who taught:
∑ “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 ESV)
