Sometime ago, I watched the video of the largest religious festival or convention in the world. It was titled Kumbh Mela. In one week, this festival attracted over 80 million people from all over India. The festival had 23,000 priests.
They gathered at the Ganges river to bath so that their sins could be washed away. Now, their action points us to something pivotal about the greatest need of mankind- salvation from the consequence of sin.
Innately, mankind knew he needed help because the moment he sinned, he knew there was a disconnection between him and God. He knew he lost something precious- relationship with God. He knew doom awaited him.
Instead of going through the right channel(Jesus Christ) to connect with God, man invented his own way of reaching out to God- religion. Every religion in the world wants to seek God's forgiveness for the sin of Adam that we inherited.
Religion is man's attempt to reach God for salvation.
In a way, every religion of the world acknowledges the sinful state of man and its consequences. Instead of seeking help from Christ, they came up with laws and formulas to seek salvation whereas those things cannot save
As a student of religion, I see religion as the greatest enemy of salvation. Why did I say so? Religion is appealing to mankind because it demands works, rites and rituals for salvation but Christ simply demands faith in him alone for salvation.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast"( Eph 2:8-9 KJV)
Salvation through Christ looks too cheap and easy for religion because what it demands is simple but man has chosen to achieve it the hard way which is not achievable. Religion has no way of escape from spiritual and eternal death.
With religion, heaven is uncertain and the bad news about the painful eternal destination of all sinners remain certain but with Christ, heaven is certain and we have an assurance of escaping the wrath to come.
1 Thessalonians 1:10 says, "and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come"( KJV)
