Why you have to distinguish the gospel from religion

I think this video is an incredibly practical point to make when speaking to a non-christian.  When I speak to people who do not yet believe I notice that when I say “believe in Jesus” or “trust Christ” they translate that to “be a better person”.  That’s why you must distinguish the gospel of salvation by faith alone from both irreligion and religion.  You aren’t saved by ending bad behavior and becoming a good person, going to church and reading the Bible.  You are saved AS a bad person who simply trusts in Christ’s free gift righteousness to you on the cross.  This is such an important point to make when many non-christians point of contact with Christians will be through the news media covering fundamentalist groups who use Jesus as a club to threaten people who they think are bad.  God doesn’t divide the world into good and bad people, he divides it up into bad people and Jesus. That truth is very powerful in explaining the gospel to someone who doesn’t yet understand.