Have you ever wondered about the number of religions that are practiced throughout the far reaches of the globe?  Many of us are somewhat familiar with the world’s major belief systems such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism, but is this just the tip of the world religion iceberg?  Precisely how many religions are there?  Care to take a wild guess? 

   a  850   

   b  2,000       

   c  3,150   

   d  4,200  

   e  none of the above is correct

 

If you chose e, that is, none of the above is correct, you are right, for in truth, there are only two religions.  Two?  Just two?  This is correct. There are just two religions:

a  I can please God or Allah or Krishna or Brahman or my so-called higher power by being a good person, performing acts of kindness, practicing certain rituals, and adhering to certain traditions.

b  I cannot conceivably hope to please our Holy God based upon my own feeble efforts, works, or merit; therefore, I need a Savior who can deliver me from my sin and guilt and the terrible wrath to come.

 

Those who think they can earn God’s favor through meritorious conduct have either an exceedingly lofty opinion of themselves and their abilities or they harbor a woefully flawed understanding of who God is and what He expects from us.  According to the Bible, our attempts at earning God’s favor is a losing proposition, for being good is never good enough.  The Prophet Isaiah wrote, “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away (Isaiah 64:6 NASB emphasis mine).”  Those who attempt clothing themselves in robes of self-righteousness are, in truth, garbing themselves in dirty rags.  Would you care to approach the throne room of God dressed only in a vile, tattered, malodorous, lice-infested garment?  If we could see our unredeemed selves as God sees us, we would gasp in horror at the vile creatures we are who look as though we have been dredged out of the Hudson River.  Do you really think you can impress God? 

 

As most people believe the secret of securing God’s love and attaining eternal life rests with themselves, let us see what this looks like according to the Scriptures.  In the following narrative, the Pharisee was a member of a religious sect known for their zealous observance of the rites, rules, and rituals of Judaism. The Pharisees were highly regarded by the people for their outward piety.  By contrast, the tax collector, also known as a publican, was a hated member of society, for publicans used strong-arm techniques such as extortion, intimidation, and violence in collecting heaping sums of money for the Roman government. Publicans did Rome’s dirty work, so to speak, and were paid handsomely for their efforts. The Jews regarded publicans as traitors, turncoats, and quislings of the worst kind.  Let’s read this passage from Luke’s gospel record:  

 

Now He (Jesus) also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:  “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and began praying this in regard to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, crooked, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’  But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to raise his eyes toward heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’  I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other one; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 18:9-14 NASB).”

 

Do not miss this point:  The proud and pious Pharisee fancied himself as a paragon of virtue—a shining example of absolute moral perfection.  According to his own words, he practically radiated with purity and goodness.  I strongly suspect he believed God was awestruck by his flowery prayer that sounded more like an excerpt from his impressive spiritual resume.  Our Pharisee was convinced he had earned God’s favor by his exemplary conduct.

 

The tax collector’s prayer was quite different in content and nature.  Rather than exalting himself, he acknowledged his woeful nature while begging for mercy and forgiveness.  He knew that he was rotten to the core and incapable of earning God’s approval.  God honored the tax collector’s prayer.  

 

The Pharisee’s religion was one of self-righteousness.  He considered eternal life a reward for his virtuous living.  The publican harbored no such foolishness in this thinking.  He knew he was a lost sinner incapable of saving himself.  His hope was built on a foundation of God’s grace and mercy.  He knew he could never earn God’s favor by keeping the rites, rules, and rituals of mere religion.

 

What about you?  Are you trusting in yourself?  Are you hoping to impress God by being a good person?  Are you attempting to earn His approval by living a respectable life?  If so, God will regard your prayers with the same repugnant disdain brought about by the Pharisee’s grandiose boasting.  You cannot please God by being good, because being good is never good enough. 

 

The Apostle Paul wrote, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8, 9 NKJV).”  Again, please do not miss this point:  We are incapable of saving ourselves by relying upon on good works or meritorious conduct.  Eternal life is a gift.  A gift is not earned.  The self-righteous Pharisee was full of boasting, but at the end of the day, he was just another lost sinner, bloated with pride, and bound for eternal destruction.

 

Many will object saying, “You paint a picture of a God who is exacting and unreasonable.  I have a different opinion. I believe God knows I am doing my best, and He will reward me accordingly.  When I die, God will consider the good that I have done as well as the bad I have done.  He will see the good in me outweighs the bad in me.  Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a pretty decent person and a patient and understanding God would never send someone like me to hell.”  Is that so?  God wants more than mere decency; God demands absolute perfection (Matthew 5:48).  Say, are you perfect?  No?  Neither am I, but for those who trust in the Lord Jesus as their Savior, His perfect righteousness is credited to us (II Corinthians 5:21; Romans 3:22).  By placing our faith in Jesus as Savior, we are made right before God.  Our sins are forgiven and we are adopted into God’s family. 

 

God demands absolute perfection, but the perfection He demands from us is credited to those of us who trust in Jesus as their Savior.  Rather than approaching God dressed in filthy rags of self-righteousness, we are clothed in a robe of our Lord Jesus’ perfection.  Those outfitted in dirty garments will not be admitted to heaven’s grand celebration.  To those who long for eternal joy, proper attire is an absolute must.