Article 18

“Those who presume to say that every person shall be saved by the rule of life, religion, or sect that he professes, provided he makes diligent efforts to live by that rule and the light of nature, must be regarded as accursed. For holy Scripture declares to us that it is only in the name of Jesus Christ that men must be saved.”

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Rules are an integral part of our lives. First our parents, then our schools and finally the state all lay down rules for us to follow. Religions, too, are characterized by a list of rules and regulations. Unfortunately, it is impossible to go through life without breaking any rules. Take the Ten Commandments, given to Moses by God to show the people of Israel how they should live once God had rescued them from Egypt.

At first glance, many of them seem easy enough to obey: “You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery.” Others, however, are more difficult to keep. Who of us can say that we have never misused the name of the Lord, or have never coveted anything that belongs to a neighbor?

When Jesus began to teach his disciples, he upped the stakes: “anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” And, “anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Suddenly it becomes clear that, however hard we try, none of us can keep God’s rules, none of us can live up to the standards he has set.

All this sounds terribly depressing. How can we ever be acceptable to God if he demands such impossibly high standards from us? The answer is found in the gospel – and it comes with a tremendous sense of relief! The Bible says we cannot reach God by our own merits or by following our own moral code or by careful observance of any religion. God reaches us in the sacrificial death of his Son Jesus Christ. We need only to put our faith in Jesus and our trust in the effectiveness of his death for us on the cross.

The 39 Articles put it very strongly: “Those who presume to say that every person shall be saved by the rule of life, religion, or sect that he professes, provided he makes diligent efforts to live by that rule… must be regarded as accursed. For holy Scripture declares to us that it is only in the name of Jesus Christ that men must be saved.” Our big problem is our sin – and Jesus’ death is its only cure.