I recently asked somebody, “If you were to die today would you go to heaven?” He said, “I don’t know.” When I asked him why he was uncertain, he said, “I’m not sure if I’ve been good enough.” His statement exposed the root of his confusion—works-based salvation. Sadly, he’s trying to measure up to God through human effort. That’s religion, not the gospel. Religion is man, by man’s efforts, trying to earn God’s approval. The gospel, in contrast, is God doing all the work, with man simply receiving what He has accomplished through Christ. Religion puts the burden on the sinner. The gospel places the focus on the Savior. Hell is full of religious people—those who trusted in their good works, their morality, or their church involvement to get them into heaven. But heaven is full of unworthy people who understood that salvation is a free gift, received by faith alone in Christ alone (John 3:16; Rom 6:23; Eph 2:8-9). God doesn’t ask us to work for eternal life—He calls us to believe in the One who did all the work. The issue is not what we do for God, but what He has done for us through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus (1 Cor 15:3-4).