Absolutely not!
There are millions of people on this earth who have never seen the serious nature of sin. They are in the dark about the Judge’s ruling. They have no idea that they will end up in Hell for crimes that they consider trivial. They know that they have to face God after death, but they think that their religious works will buy their way out of any trouble in which they may find themselves. And as long as they trivialize their sin, they will deceive themselves into thinking that they can work their way into heaven by their religious works. It is as futile as a man who tried to row against the river. He was in a boat caught in fast-moving water, heading for a massive waterfall with jagged rocks 150 feet below. A passerby saw him rowing against the current, but his efforts were futile. Minute by minute he was drawn closer and closer to the roaring falls. The passerby ran to his car, grabbed a rope from the boot and threw it to the boat. When it fell across the bow, he shouted, “Grab the rope. I will pull you to the shore!” He couldn’t believe his eyes, for the man in the boat took no notice. He just kept on rowing frantically against the current, until he disappeared over the edge of the falls to his death.
God is our only hope!
God Himself has thrown us a rope in Jesus Christ. He is the only One who can save us from death and hell. But we must let go of our own efforts to save ourselves and take hold of the rope. The moment we cease our own religious “rowing” and have faith in Jesus, we find peace with God. The Bible says, “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” (Bible, Ephesians 2:8-9).
Illustration
Let me give you another illustration to show that religion can never save you. Imagine that one day you go swimming and jump into deep water. You find yourself in trouble. Drowning! You are dying, but you cannot save yourself because you do not know how to swim. You are hopeless and helpless. You shout for help. Someone approaches and yells, ‘Pull yourself together and save yourself! Come on mate, do it yourself!’ What a terrible thing to say to a drowning man! A second person arrives on the scene and actually jumps into the water. He starts swimming. He says, ‘Look at me. Learn how to swim and do the same. Then you will save yourself’. How ridiculous! There is no time for you to learn. In fact, a drowning man is absolutely incapable of learning anything. Now a third person approaches. He dives into the pool, grabs you and drags you out of the water. You might resist Him, but out of compassion he saves you from death. Now, which one of these three people would you thank the most? Surely the third one.
Religion is like the first two people. By nature we are drowning in our sin. We are in a mess because of our separation from God. Religion tells us, ‘Save yourself. Do this and that. Don’t do this or that and you will be saved.’ Some religious leaders are seen as examples. Their followers are told that if they imitate their lifestyle, they will be saved. It is like the second person who jumps into the water.
So religion cannot save us. We are hopeless. The Bible says that we are incapable of saving ourselves. That is why we need someone to jump into the water of our life and get hold of us and save us from our sin. This is exactly what God has done. He has provided a way for sinners to be brought back to Him. God says to us, ‘I know your situation. I know that you are separated from Me. I know that your life is in a mess. I know that you cannot save yourself. And I know that giving you laws and commandments will not save you because you can’t and don’t do them. You are incapable of fulfilling them. But, I will come to where you are and get you out of the tyranny of your sin.’ So God came to this world in the Person of Jesus Christ. “Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God,” (Bible, 1Peter 3:18). When Jesus died on the cross, He died as our perfect human substitute. He took the punishment that we deserve for our sin. He bridged the insurmountable chasm that separates us from God. But how could one man be the substitute for so many people? Since Jesus is also the divine Son of God, His sacrifice was enough to cover the sins of all those who believe in Him. To sin against the infinite God is to sin infinitely and therefore to deserve infinite punishment. Left to ourselves we are lost. Only Jesus, the infinite Son of God, was able to take that infinite punishment in our place.
It is unwise to reject God’s saving plan. What do you think of the drowning man who refused to be saved?
When someone allows Jesus to save them (by trusting in His death and resurrection), Jesus forgives their sin and grants them a place in Paradise. He will dismiss the case against them.