Although there are many religions in the world, with a great
number of differences between them, there is one point at which almost all of
them agree: They all claim that man must earn his salvation by good works of
some kind — whether this is by performing deeds of charity, observing rituals or cultivating certain attitudes and thoughts. As a result, followers of these
beliefs can never be confident that they have done enough to please their god
or gods. They can only say, “I think so”, or “I hope so”.
Arrogant Christians?
The believer in Christ, however, does not say “I think” or “I hope”. He is able
to say “I know”. Those who follow other beliefs are often taken aback, and
offended, by this confidence. How could anyone be so arrogant as to be sure
that they have pleased God? But the Christian is someone who has realized that
there is a difference between God’s plan of salvation and the way humanity tries
to make for itself.