So, with all the religions in the world, are there really only two? Yes, that’s the bottom line, just two: DO (and) DONE. First of all, you have the “DO” religions. Their central message is “What you must ‘DO’ to gain the favor of God and to ‘earn’ entrance into Heaven.” In “DO” religions, sinful man is separated from God by his sins and must DO something to be restored to God. They believe that God is expecting everyone to make up for their wrongs by DOING good things and attempt to compensate or atone for their failures by doing ‘good deeds’ or ‘religious things’ for God. The essence of all “DO” religion message is simply this, “DO.” They say this, “Do the right stuff, don’t do the wrong stuff, and somehow maybe ‘your good’ will outweigh ‘your bad’ and ‘maybe, just maybe,’ God will grant you acceptance into Heaven, but you can never know this for sure until you die.” The substance and central message of all “DO” religions are identical – “God is upset with you, so you’d better start doing good things to make Him happy!” Simply put, you must work your way to God, you must perform their list of do’s and don’ts, DO God’s demands, try to appease God’s anger, and earn God’s forgiveness, and do your best.” But, this is nothing but religious bondage that holds the sinner hostage to fear, and he is bound by a religious system that tries to convince him the system can restore him to God and ‘maybe’ give them eternal life, if he plays his cards right.
Every one of the “DO” religions has a different list of “Dos” and Don’ts.” Some of their lists are short and some of them are long. The lists are as endless as the imagination of men. Every day new “DO” religions are popping up with their new lists, such as “be good, be nice, and try to outweigh your bad works by your good works.” In ‘DO’ religions, God is a taskmaster and we humans are the slave labor. The saddest thing about religious systems is they offer only despair and bondage. They leave the human heart feeling ultimately rejected by God and forever wondering “Have I done enough?” These “DO” systems fill the heart with nagging doubts and apprehensions about death. What if I missed something? What if I haven’t believed right? What if I haven’t lived up to God’s demands? What if I’m doing the wrong list? Have I been good enough? How good is good enough? These ‘DO’ religions only enslave people by guilt, shame, and fear; but they can do nothing to remove the inner fears and longings of the heart and soul, or heal their troubled conscience.
Very few people understand this truth, but to accept ‘any’ of the “DO” religions, you must basically throw away the central teaching of the Holy Bible! See Titus 3:5 (You cannot gain God’s favor by doing good works.) Read Romans 3:20 (You cannot justify yourself in God’s sight by doing good deeds.) Study Romans 4:5 (God only justifies bad people; there is no hope for good people.) Learn Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8-9 (God’s favor cannot be earned.) Are you stuck in a “DO” religion? Are you trapped in a religious system of performance thinking you’re headed in the right direction? Are you trying your best to earn your way to God? Friend, are you stuck on DOING? If so, you’re missing the root message of the Bible. If you trust a works-based system of religion, you’re missing the boat and God’s true way of coming to Him. What do you say to this question: What are you trusting? DO (or) DONE? Do you just have a religion or a true heart relationship with God and His Precious Son?
Does doing a “DO” religion’s list gain you any ‘brownie points’ with God? If you do them, will God approve of you, accept you, forgive you, or love you more? The “DO” religion says, “Yes…so long as you are doing our list, and giving your attendance and money to us. Only then, you may have eternal life, but no one can know for sure till they die.” This is risky business when your immortal is at stake. “DO” religions keep you working, wondering, guilty, and guessing in order to keep you coming back to them. God says in the Bible over and over again, “You cannot earn your way to me. You cannot DO anything to gain my favor or earn my salvation.” See Isa 64:6. Even our ‘best’ behavior is worthless in the sight of God. The conclusion of the matter is this: “DO” doesn’t cut it with God. Doing good works will never gain favor with a holy God. Why? God isn’t as concerned with how you ‘behave’ as He is with who you ‘are.’ He isn’t impressed with your religion; He wants a relationship with you. You must born into His family. Jesus said, “Ye must be born again.” You need a new nature from God; your ‘sin nature’ that you born with is corrupt and will damn you, and you can only be changed by God’s power, not your own. You need a miracle to happen in your soul. Religion can’t do this for you.
