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RELIGIOUS, BUT NOT RIGHT WITH GOD? Religious, but not right with God? That may sound strange to you, but there are many religious people who don't really know God. They may be sincere, but sincerity is not enough; they need the truth of God's Word. Some people think that they are Christians automatically because they had Christian parents. Others presume that attending church or being baptized or sharing in Communion makes them Christians. These are all important Christian responsibilities, but if they have never trusted in Christ alone for forgiveness of sins and salvation, their efforts are hopeless. It's not a matter of trying The Bible--from beginning to end--teaches that to be right with God we need a sacrifice for our sins: "Without shedding of blood is no remission [of sins]" (Hebrews 9:22). God has provided salvation through His Son who "once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18). After making that ultimate sacrifice, three days later Christ came back to life...our debt having been fully paid! Trying to be religious without Jesus Christ as one's Savior can be like taking a drug that distorts a person's reasoning. It is a delusion to think that performing a religious duty can make us right with God. Even leading a respectable life can never erase our sins. We all need a Savior, just as God says in the Bible. It's all about God's gift The Bible teaches that salvation is God's gift which we don't deserve and can never earn. Jesus taught that salvation is through faith in him alone: "He that believeth on me hath everlasting life" (John 6:47). The apostle Peter declared, "Through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins" (Acts 10:43). The apostle Paul wrote of his Savior: "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Ephesians 1:7). The apostle John testifies, "As many as received him, to them gave he p