OUR WAYS ARE NOT HIS WAY

From the beginning when God created Adam until today, man has wanted to do things his way. Adam and Eve, wanting to be wise, proved their ignorance by believing Satan instead of God. The father of lies told them God had lied to them about the fruit of the forbidden tree. The irony is, Adam and Eve were already like God, for He had made them in His own image and likeness. By deciding to "take a short-cut to God-like knowledge," the opposite happened. They ceased to be like God and as a result, even a saved man will not be like God again until he is face-to-face with Him (1 John 3:2).

Cain, the first murderer, had the same problem. God had apparently instructed Adam's family on animal sacrifice, because when Cain made an offering of produce, it was rejected. Perhaps Cain had reasoned that if Abel, who was a shepherd, could offer the product of his work, then he could offer the product of his. "The apple didn't fall far from the tree" (pun intended).

Not much has changed. Man is still trying to please or placate his creator; the first motivated by respect, and the last by fear. Religion is man's effort to make himself worthy of spending eternity with God. By doing good works and by avoiding "bad works" (sin), man believes he will be acceptable. Unfortunately, all those who are "religious" are in for a disappointing eternity. Religion will inevitably lead to hell.

Biblical Christianity is not a religion. True Christianity teaches that man is incapable of earning salvation through good works (Romans 9:32; Galatians 2:16; 3:11). In fact, the Bible teaches that man's desire to earn their way to heaven is the result of pride; they want to be able to brag about how good they are (Ephesians 2:9). Man becomes "worthy" of heaven when he places his faith in the crucified, buried, raised, and glorified Son of God (John 6:29). Righteousness is by faith in His finished work on our behalf, and not by our works (Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23). True Christianity is not a religion, but is a relationship with God. He becomes our Father and we become His child.

There is a Christianity that is not taught in the Bible. It is a religion of works and fear. It is no different than any other religion. It is as evil as all the rest of the religions; it promises eternity, but its promises are empty lies. If you want to be pleasing to God and to avoid His wrath, place your faith in Jesus Christ. Period. Amen.