What's wrong with religion?
27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
What's wrong with effort?
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Religion is not Christianity.
You can have religion and not have Christ.
You can't have
CHRISTianity and not have Christ.
And the verse you posted.........these are good deeds done well.
Nothing wrong with doing good deeds.
The problem is, if you BELIEVE that by doing good deeds, God will accept you as His Own.
He will never.
Why? Because God only accepts what CHRIST did for you on The Cross, to then accept you on that basis, alone.
This is why Jesus told you that He is : THE Way..... John 14:6
So, a person can be religious but lost. They can be a fine person, a honorable person, a "do-gooder", and they die and go directly to hell.
Thousands did today, yesterday, and tomorrow.
Many of them were exceptional people, and also water baptized,.... yet they died and went to hell.
Why?
Because Salvation is not based on your behavior or water works.
Going to Heaven, is NOT based on your behavior, or water works.
Salvation is only based on Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross. And this Sacrifice, has to be applied to you by God's Holy Spirit, or you do not have it.
Jesus said...."you must be born again"........as that is the only way to become eternally <>
spiritually<> reconnected to God Himself....".
as God is "A" Spirit".