God never works randomly; everything He says and does will achieve His purposes. The death of Jesus was not, as some suppose, a divisive activity, forcing polarisation upon the world's religions. The Apostle Paul maintains it was a massive act to unite all the Jews and all the Gentiles (non-Jews), everywhere in the world. Jesus the man, was a descendent of Abraham, a Jew, and the Christ. Yet in Him, all the aspirations of world religion meet and are fulfilled. But Jesus did not just outline a philosophy or recommend a lifestyle; His death provided the only way in which sinful people could be reconciled to the holy God (Colossians 1:22).

Both Jew and Gentile, however pious they may have been about their religion or secularism, were equally unable to reach the heart of God because neither of them was 100% holy, righteous or sinless. Even though the Jews tried to keep the law, they failed as much as the Gentiles who were unconcerned about it. So, there was no moral difference between those who tried to keep the law (but failed) and those who did not even try (Romans 3:22). Many religious people still think that God gives them 'points for trying', but 'trying hard' is not what God is looking for. He wants 100% sinlessness; and that is only possible if all the sin is paid for and taken away: which is why only Jesus is able to reconcile both Jews and Gentiles to God (1 Corinthians 1:24).

The cross not only marks the end of our enmity against God, but should also mark the end of our struggles against other believers. There are no grades of Christian; ministers and their people are equal recipients of God's grace. Christian heritage believers are no better than those whose parents did not know Him. We are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

One of the first lessons for new Christians is to realise that they are no better than anybody else. Indeed, the early days of new faith often expose much more sin in their life than was previously thought to lurk behind the scenes. And yet the blood of Jesus Christ God's Son cleanses us from every sin – which is why we can have fellowship with each other (1 John 1:7). There is no room for any one-upmanship or 'holier-than-thou' attitude. Christ sets a level playing field for all, and it is important that we explain this to those who somehow think that salvation is beyond their reach - for reasons of past sin, background culture or failed religious efforts. Jesus wants them reconciled to God too and will use us to tell them (2 Corinthians 5:18).