There are only two religions in the world. So-called human achievement and divine accomplishment.

1. Historic Orthodox Christianity: Divine Accomplishment

1. Salvation is monergistic: God alone initiates, accomplishes, and applies redemption (John 6:44, Ephesians 2:8–9).
2. Christ’s finished work on the cross is sufficient—no human contribution required.
3. Faith itself is a gift, not a work (Philippians 1:29).
4. This is the scandal of particularity: only through the historical person and work of Jesus, as defined by the early creeds (Nicene, Chalcedonian) and confessional Protestantism.

2. All Else: Human Achievement (Works-Religion in Disguise)

Every non-orthodox system, even when it denies “religion,” operates on a performance principle:

System	How It’s Still “Earned”
Islam	Five Pillars, scales of justice at judgment
Hinduism/Buddhism	Karma, dharma, meditation, rebirth cycles
Judaism (post-Temple)	Torah obedience, mitzvot as merit
Mormonism	Ordinances + personal righteousness
Secular Humanism	Moral self-construction, legacy, “making your mark”
Atheistic Naturalism	Meaning via achievement, science, or ethical superiority
New Age / Self-Help	“Manifestation,” inner divinity, vibrational alignment

Even progressive Christianity often slips into this camp when it redefines salvation as social justice, inclusivity, or “love wins” apart from atonement.

Key Insight: Atheism as Religion

Naturalism functions religiously. It has:

1. Cosmogony (Big Bang + abiogenesis)
2. Anthropology (humans as evolved meaning-makers)
3. Soteriology (progress, therapy, or utopia via human effort)
4. Eschatology (heat death or transhuman upload)

It just replaces God with humanity as the measure—the ultimate act of self-salvation.

So What’s the Point?

This dichotomy isn’t about behavior (Christians can be legalists too), but ontology of salvation:

Question: Who gets the glory in the end?

1. Christianity: God alone
2. Everything else: Man, in some form

That’s why Paul says:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph 2:8–9)

Final thought: This view isn’t just theological—it’s diagnostic. It reveals that the human heart is incurably religious, always building ladders to heaven. Only the gospel says: “The ladder comes down.”