“GRACIOUS”

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

Ephesians 2:8-9

If we do more good than bad, should God give us a pass and let us into heaven?

In yesterday’s blog, we mentioned that because God is holy, He wants His people to reflect His nature. Let me now give you my concluding message.

If God is love, why can’t He just ignore our sins?

Because God is holy, He will not ignore “small sins.” It would be unjust if He did so. Think of it this way:

You have been terrible at work. You’re always late; your work’s unsatisfactory. You ignore your company’s rules and regulations; you stress out your boss. Should you expect a promotion or raise soon? You don’t deserve a promotion or a raise; you deserve to get fired. But if you do receive a promotion or a raise, that is called grace—you don’t deserve it but it’s given to you out of the goodness of your employer.

That’s precisely the point of today’s passage, where the Apostle Paul explains God’s gracious choice to save people through their faith in Jesus Christ. He says that it is a gift—not a wage or the result of good deeds. For this reason, no one can take pride in their personal merit (if there ever is).

My friend, let me remind you that no amount of good work can ever make up for our transgressions against an eternally holy God. We can’t steal and then compensate for it by giving. We can’t lie and then make up for it by commending someone. It doesn’t work that way. Sin is a violation of God’s law and of one’s purpose. Since God is holy, sin must be dealt with accordingly.

You and I deserve to be punished for our every sin. But God is gracious; He saves us because He is good. Neither is it about doing more good than evil. In that regard, salvation is not about excellence. We are, first and foremost, fallen beings. Because of sin, we are separated from a holy, righteous God. Because of this sullied state, we have no capacity to produce anything acceptable to God. Therefore, forgiveness must come from outside of us; it should come from God Himself.

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by Vincent Bombardier on Unsplash