What’s the call of the world?  How am I successful in it?  A simple google search can provide some insight.  Just type in “10 steps to [blank].”  Put pretty much anything in that space and you are sure to get a program outlining what you need to do to reach a goal or to be successful at something.

The world is full of “do more to be more” philosophies and religion has unfortunately not escaped from this mentality.  Devotion to a religion can stem from a desire to acquire something that we normally don’t have (Buddhism – enlightenment), gain security in the afterlife (Islam, Christianity), to have a good next life (Hinduism), or perhaps just to satisfy that feeling that there is something greater out there.

The best part of most religions or spiritual mindsets is that they fit neatly into our “do more to be more”/10 steps to success society.  Let’s take a peak under the hood of a couple…

Islamic followers need to each take care of their own sin, earning salvation by following the Five Pillars of the Faith.

Hindus believe that they are stuck in this life through reincarnation cycles and are continually trying to escape the cycle through union with Brahma – an impersonal god which is the “that” behind and beyond reality.  This union is achieved by the Hindu through devotion, meditation, good works and self-control.

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus Christ’s death on the cross paid for Adam’s (first man in Genesis) sin so we now have the opportunity to earn a position in an earthly paradise after death.  We earn it through good works and perfect obedience to Jehovah.

Buddhists believe that suffering is universal among anyone living.  Salvation from suffering (nirvana) is when we escape from the unending cycle of suffering that is brought about through reincarnation.  Suffering is caused by craving (selfish desire), thus to reach nirvana one must eliminate craving from their life by following a system called the Eightfold Path.  If someone can follow the Eightfold path, they will eventually reach nirvana.

(This list is nowhere near exhaustive and I’m not claiming that I have described each of these religions/lifestyles holistically. However, I do think it gives enough of a focused glimpse into them to understand the point I’m trying to make.)

Work towards this.  Do this and be free.  This is the general pattern expressed in these religions but Christianity has a message that seems to stand out from the rest.  A key verse in the Bible that I cling to is Ephesians 2:8-9 which reads:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

This passage demands humility and I refer to it often. Let’s break it down…

• How have I been saved?  By grace.
• How do I receive this grace?  Through faith.
• Who’s doing is it?  What did I do to earn it?  “This is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
• Why can’t I earn it?  It’s not a result of works.  God gives it to me so that no one may boast.  The praise and glory go all to him.

Wow!  I do nothing!  But wait a minute, this sounds like a scam.  It sounds too good to be true which usually means that it is.  You never get something for nothing.  That, however, is the message of the gospel that is central to Christianity and I think one of the reasons that makes it true.

Christianity goes against the grain of the worldly message that says “do this to earn this.”  It advocates a message that seems as if it isn’t a part of this world and one that is contrary to my natural human tendency of “do to earn.”  It doesn’t make sense.  I want something to do.  There must be a list of things that I can focus on accomplishing my whole life to earn me a better position in the end.  I want to do it myself.  The gospel, however, says that I can’t.

The gospel says that I have fallen short and because of my sin the penalty I am facing is death.  But God in his great mercy sent his Son to die in my place and bear the wrath that I deserve because of my sin.  God gives this priceless gift freely; all I need do is accept it through faith.  Perhaps one of the hardest things about Christianity to accept is that I am a helpless sinner who NEEDS God.  It’s humbling, difficult to grasp, and challenging to what I’m used to.  So let’s go back to the idea of “do more to be more.”  If the world as a whole was to create a god and a religion based around that god, what would it look like?  Wouldn’t it look a lot like how the world operates?  Wouldn’t the god command us to do things that make sense to the world?  If the world holds to a “do more to be more” or a “do this to earn this” mindset, it seems to me that if a religion were to come out of the world, it would follow this mindset as well which is what I see in all of the religions spare one, Christianity.  It’s message is contrary and even seemingly a bit crazy to think about.  It leaves people saying, “So…I didn’t do and can’t do anything to earn salvation?  I need to humble myself and accept that I’m a helpless sinner who needs someone else to give it to me?”

It’s a hard but beautiful thing to come to believe.  It’s hard because I can’t do anything and have to actually have a relationship with God instead of doing things for him.  It’s beautiful because I don’t have to climb a ladder to get to him.  He did all the work and has come to me.  He provided the payment necessary for me to experience him and commune with him.

So why does this matter?  In a world of increasing relativism and a mindset that all religions are reaching towards the same thing, it becomes increasingly harder and harder to believe Jesus’ words when he said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).  He says that there is only one true way to God and that is through him.  Even though the trend of relativism says there is no absolute truth, I disagree.  I believe that the Judo-Christian God and his Word are absolute truth. (Just saying “there is no absolute truth” is a claim to absolute truth so the statement in itself falls apart.)  Through his Word he has brought us a message that makes little sense to our human brains and worldly ambitions. It doesn’t follow the same pattern or formulas as other religions. But because it makes the least sense, I believe that it makes the most sense.

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