You're Not Good Enough

  Something about mankind wants to work for that which we call our own. Of course humans can be lazy and just expect things to fall into our laps, but we generally enjoy being able to say, "I did that myself." That is probably why many people reject the gospel. It just does not make sense that we can receive salvation as a free gift. It even offends us. We do not want to accept the offer of salvation because we want to save ourselves.
  Manmade religions always involve works. If you work hard enough, love enough, endure enough, salvation is yours for the taking and on your own credit. Christianity is different because it offers no hope for earning your own salvation. There is probably no religion that offends ones pride more then Christianity. There is nothing for you to earn because you cannot earn anything on your own. Christianity is not a religion of works, it is a lifestyle of faith. Faith in the grace of God, faith in Christ sacrifice for one's atonement as the only means of salvation.
  Personally, I have done some good in this world, but I cannot put any hope in the good I have done because my sin tips the scales out of my favor. And yet, in all of my sin, Christ loved me. He did not love me because of any qualities of my own, but simply because He wanted to. He, the God of the universe, left His throne in heaven and became a man. He walked this earth as a human being. He bore all my sin and died the death I deserve to die. Then He rose from the grave and conquered death so that I too can live forever, made perfect by His grace alone. My salvation is completely independent of anything I have done. And that is the beauty of Christianity: it is not a religion of works.