“FOR SINNERS”

“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

Is salvation about personal merit? Does God give us more attention if we speak the right words and do the right things? Do we become Christians because we imitate Christ?

In our previous blog, we learned that “good people” don’t go to heaven; repentant sinners do. Now, with our last point , let’s bring this series to a close.

Believing in Christ vs. Being like Christ

This is perhaps the biggest reason people doubt their salvation. They begin looking at their performance. They express frustration at how loving they have been, how faithfully they are in tithing, how consistently they pray, how often they evangelize, how regularly they study the Bible, and how often they attend church. If that is our measurement of salvation, then we’re in for a very stressful life.

Today’s verse shows Paul’s main point in his argument: that Christ died for sinners, not for “good people.” He creates a great incongruity between the value of Jesus’ life and the unworthiness of those for whom He died. How was Christ able to do this? Because of the love of God for sinners (John 3:16).

If we truly understand the lengths Jesus had to go to save us, we will do our very best to live as holy as we can. But our assurance of salvation does not rely on the promises we make to God, but on the promises He makes to us. We have assurance not because we move and talk like Jesus, but because we know that Jesus is the only way to heaven and that He died for us.

We are saved by grace and the same grace assures us that we belong to God—forever. 

While we are imperfect individuals who can (and do) disappoint God in many different ways, that doesn’t mean that God will disown us because of our feelings. That’s not grace. That’s not the God of the Bible. Let’s keep in mind that even while we were at our worst, God cared and Christ died for us.

Pursue the Savior today!