Human achievement is a remarkable thing. We have already been to the moon and back. Computers make typing this devotion a breeze. And things that were once thought as only science fiction are now reality. But as amazing as these human accomplishments are our basic human nature has not changed one bit over the last 2,000 years. As a result mankind still desires to be loved, still is searching for meaning, and instinctively knows that there is a higher purpose and a divine dimension to life.
And it is this last point, the divine dimension, that has caused man to basically create the myriad of different religions that exist today in his quest to answer the three big questions of life: Where did we come from? Why are we here? And where do we go when we die? Sadly, all of these different religions, since they are man-made, fall short on giving us answers that truly satisfy us.
My friends only Christianity paints a truthful picture of reality. All other world religions, state that man is inherently good, can find favor with God through doing good works, and is able to fix all the problems of the world through more programs and better education. Christianity states that man is sinful and in need of a total transformation to fix our problems and earn favor with God.
Pastor John MacArthur provides insight on this whole issue when he states: “There are basically only two kinds of religion in the world: those based on human achievement and those based on divine accomplishment. One says you can earn your way to heaven; the other says you must trust in Jesus Christ alone.”1
For you see while human achievement can accomplish a lot, when it comes to overcoming man’s sinfulness it is powerless. For our sin nature is who we are and unless there is divine intervention from the God of the universe, Jesus Christ, we have no hope for not only overcoming this sin nature, but for re-establishing our relationship with the one true God, that our sins have separated us from. But praise God that the limits of human achievement have been overcome by divine intervention. And as a result when a sinner puts his trust in Jesus Christ he can re-establish his relationship with the one true God, and by reading God’s revelation about Himself and mankind, the holy Bible, find the answers to life’s three big questions.
Human achievement can only accomplish so much but when we place our trust in God’s divine accomplishment there is no end to the possibilities of what we can accomplish with the Lord’s help. And maybe that is why Satan loves religion because it focuses so much on human achievement which is hopelessly incapable of knowing the one true God – Jesus Christ. Thankfully the divine accomplishments of God can be experienced through Jesus and allow us to enter into the continuous joy of the Lord!