Billy Graham on why Jesus Christ stands out above any other religious leader in history

There are two things that make Jesus Christ different from religious leaders through history — He was God in human flesh and He's the only one with the power to forgive people's sins, says evangelical pastor Billy Graham.

The founder of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association discussed Jesus' uniqueness in his column piece on The Kansas City Star published Tuesday, May 17. According to Graham, the first main reason that sets Jesus apart from all the other religious leaders who have lived and will ever live is the fact that he was both fully God and fully human. Jesus wasn't just a godly person, he said.

"Think of it: The God who created the whole universe stooped down and took upon himself our humanity!" Graham wrote. "As the Bible says, Jesus 'is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being' (Hebrews 1:3)."

For the second reason, Graham discussed the concept of sin where he likened sin to something that can't be erased by human effort, a stain on a human soul. For this, Graham explained, Jesus came down on Earth to erase the stain and become God's sacrifice for the people's sins.

"He alone made it possible for us to be forgiven of our sins and reconciled to God," said Graham.

On his website for the Daily Devotion section, Graham also pointed to Jesus as a distinguishing factor for Christianity from all the religions of the world. He wrote, "Only the Christian faith claims that its Leader died and rose again and is alive at this moment."

Graham elaborated that Jesus has conquered death, which is why Christianity has "no shrines to visit, no dusty remains to venerate, no tombs at which to worship." He concluded, "There is only one Man who conquered death â€” Jesus Christ — and He will live forever."

The pastor believes that religious curiosity may be a result of a hunger for God, which only God can satisfy.