How the Gospel is

Different Than Religion

Every Other Religion vs. The Gospel

Every other religion says you have to work for moral righteousness.

Hinduism: work off your karmic debt.

Buddhism: escape suffering and achieve nirvana.
Islam: live a life submitted to Gods laws or youll go to hell.

They believe we have to struggle and work our whole lives to

become morally righteous.
Religious Pride

Religious pride is a kind of sin called: self-righteousness.

Where we think of ourselves as morally superior to others
around us.
It becomes a competition that is all about us and our
own strengths and weaknesses.
Life destroying: leads to arrogance, fear,
discouragement and self-focused pity.
Jesus came to save us from this kind of pride too.
The Gospel:
Christs Righteousness for Our Sin

Jesus came to earth (the incarnation) and lived a perfectly moral

life (fulfilling the requirements of Gods Law) and then died on the
cross (taking all of Gods judgement for our sin).
He took all of our sins (past, present and future) and he gives to us
his perfect moral righteousness. So that now when we stand before
God, he sees us as holy, perfect and beloved.
Now our identities are in Christ.
We are new creations. We are made new. Our old sinful selves
have been crucified with Christ.
Theological Term: Justification
 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are
a new creation. The old sinful self is gone,
the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17
God made him who had no sin to be
sin for us, so that in him we might
become the righteousness of God 2
Corinthians 5:21
Genuine Salvation

Based on accepting what Jesus Christ has done for us

on the cross.
Grounded in relationship with God through the Holy
Spirit and the genuine love of God.
Life transforming: leads to genuine thankfulness and
love for God, humility and profound joy as opposed to
religious pride.
It gives us the freedom to love ourselves and other
people.
When We Are Struggling

When we feel like Im just not good at this, or Im not a good

Christian, or I dont know how to do this.
Gods message to us is: I love you, I took care of it, keep following
Me.
We get to joyfully say thank you, get back up and keep pursuing
the holy, moral and righteous path hes laid out for us.
You never have to give up, because its not a competition. Jesus
completed the mission of salvation. We get to walk in the freeness
and the newness of the life hes given us.
 For God so loved the world that he gave his one
and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall
not perish but have eternal life John 3:16
For God did not send his Son into the world to
condemn the world, but that through him, the
world might be saved John 3:17