Three Ways to Relate to God

"People tend to think there are two ways to relate to God - to follow him and do his will or to reject him and do your own thing - but there are also two ways to reject God as Savior.  One is the way already mentioned: by rejecting God's law and living as you see fit.  The other, however, is by obeying God's Law, by being really righteous and really moral, so as to earn your own salvation.  It is not enough to simply think there are two ways to relate to God.  There are three: religion, irreligion, and the gospel.

In 'religion,' people may look to God as their helper, teacher, and example, but their moral performance is serving as their savior.  Both religious and irreligious people are avoiding God as Savior and Lord.  Both are seeking to keep control of their own lives by looking to something besides God as their salvation.  Religious legalism/moralism and secular/irreligious relativism are just different strategies of 'self-salvation.'"

           - Tim Keller, Gospel in Life: Grace Changes Everything, page 15