There's a big difference between the Christian faith and other religions around the world. Religions around the world demand works, deeds, suffering, self-denial and a list of other self-imposed works to gain forgiveness, heaven, acceptance with god. The Christian faith stands alone in this one way- to be a Christian...to be forgiven... accepted by God and bound for heaven you only have to do one thing, and to be honest it's not a "doing thing" at all....it's a "believing thing." Here's how simple it is- all that God requires is impossible for us to do. We can't do enough, we can't be good enough, we can't do enough good deeds to meet his approval so God took the task on himself and met his own requirements for us. All you have to do is trust in his provision for your sins and you have God's forgiveness, a relationship with him and a promise of eternity with him. God describes this amazingly easy transaction in this way, "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life." All the work of paying for our sins was done by Jesus Christ and it's faith in him alone, no works added, no works needed, that gives us forgiveness and peace with God. Why would anyone not want that? Why would anyone say "no" to this free offer? People reject it because it seems foolish to them, too easy....and it is. Some call this grace message of the cross "cheap grace", and it is...for us, but for God it cost him the death of his son on a Roman cross. God loves us so much that throughout history he invites us to come to him by faith in Christ alone for salvation....no deeds of our own needed, no personal suffering required, no penance demanded. It's completely free. It's grace....no, rather, it's amazing grace.
