TODAY’S VERSE:

Genesis 3:14-15  So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

As we continue our study on Christianity vs Religion (the religion of the Bible vs the religion of the world), we have learned what the Bible teaches us about our salvation through Jesus Christ. God, the Son, became a man and bore the judgement for our sins so that we might enter into an eternal relationship with Him. It is by means of God’s grace that we are saved from sin and from an eternity cast out of His presence. Last month we described how the religions of the world tell people that they must earn and then work to keep their salvation. How do we know that this is a lie?

John 19:28-30 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

When Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, said, “It is finished,” He was announcing that His work on the cross for mankind’s salvation was completed. Our salvation is a gift, from beginning to end. We don’t have the power to save or keep ourselves saved. Our job, then, is to respond to God’s grace and receive His saving faith so that we may become part of His eternal family. This, as the Bible teaches us, is the only true Gospel and Christianity is the only true religion

You may be asking yourself, “Where does the religion of the world come from, then, and why is its ‘gospel’ so different from what the Bible teaches?” The answer is Satan. He is the enemy of Jesus Christ and of His creation. So, he created the false religions of the world with their false gospel to oppose God’s salvation plan for us. The Bible tells us that Satan is a liar…

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

He lies to the world about all of the wonderful things the Lord has done, especially how He saved us and keeps us saved from sin and condemnation. Satan tried to prevent Jesus Christ from going to the cross and he tries to prevent people from receiving and believing the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Satan has been deceiving mankind since the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). The only way to protect yourself from his deception is to devote your life to God; pray, read your Bible, and obey His commands. Thank you, Lord, for all you have done and are still doing to save and protect us!