Life can get sooo complicated, and religion is no exception. According to David Barrett, a religious researcher, there are nineteen major religions in the world today and 10,000 religious beliefs that have sprung out of them. Over 270 of those religions have at least 500,000 followers each. What a mess!

Every religion has their own formula for spirituality, and they tend to be very complicated. Mankind has a history of creating incredibly elaborated rules and regulations for how we can find peace and eternal life. Take Scientology for an example. It teaches that we can be delivered from sin if we find an “auditor” who will work on our “engrams” that will bring about a state of “clear” so we can progress up the “bridge to freedom.” What in the world does that mean?

The recent interest in the ancient Gnostic teachings provides another example. Writers like Dan Brown of The DaVinci Code have glorified several so-called gospels, like the Gospel of Thomas. Have you ever read any of these? Let me give you an excerpt: “When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and outer like the inner and the upper like the lower, and when you make male and female into a single one, so that the male will not be male nor the female be female, when you make eyes in place of an eye, a hand in place of a hand, a foot in place of a foot, an image in place of an image, then you will enter the kingdom.”  Say what?

Here are some obvious questions we should ask about all of this complicated religious stuff. Are they all right? Are they all wrong? Are some right and some wrong? Who knows? One common solution is to try to pick the best from all of the religions and follow that. Since there are so many religions, how is that even possible? Who could ever thoroughly study all 10,000 religions? If someone actually did do that, how could they be sure that they arrived at what was best or know if they chose what was actually right?

Contrast the average religion with the simple teaching we find in the Bible about how to have our sins forgiven. The Bible makes it clear that no amount of effort on our part can make us fit for heaven (Romans 8:6-8). The solution is plain. God came to earth (John 1:1, 14) and voluntarily paid the penalty for our sin (I Corinthians 15:3-4).

Receiving the solution can even be understood by a child: “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

The Bible even invites us to have eternal life with just one word: “Come.” Notice: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost” (Revelation 22:17).

Life is complicated enough. I’m so glad that gaining God’s forgiveness isn’t hard to understand. All we have to do is repent of our sin (hate what God hates) and trust in Christ “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (2 Timothy 1:9).

The Bible never requires any religious ceremonies or a list of good works that we have to complete in order to have forgiveness—because there is nothing we can do to satisfy a holy God. After all, if being good was required, how could we ever know when we had done enough good works or if we had performed all of the right ceremonies?

Have you come to Christ? Maybe it sounds too simple, or maybe you have other unanswered questions. I am willing to try and answer your questions, and I promise to keep it simple. Come to www.BethelChapelChurch.com, or email me at the address next to my picture and share your thoughts.

The Rev. Jonathan Edwards reminded us that, “You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.” It could not be simpler.