Unearned

• Why can’t you do anything to save yourself?

• Why are even “minor” sins, like lying or disobeying parents, punishable by death in God’s eyes?

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

Most of us are taught from an early age that effort earns reward. We get gold stars for bringing our Bibles to Sunday school. We win ribbons for creating science fair projects. We collect trophies for playing hard in sports. We earn merit badges for mastering scouting skills. We receive scholarships for good grades. We are paid money for doing our jobs.

Maybe that’s why some people seem to assume that they can earn favor with God. They think that if they can get him to like them for their goodness, they can make their own way to salvation. If they work hard enough, they can win God’s approval. So they get busy doing “good” things—volunteering at a soup kitchen, sponsoring a needy child, helping the homeless—to earn God’s favor. The problem is, when God looks at unbelievers, all he sees is sin. According to Isaiah 64:6, “righteous acts are like filthy rags” to God. Our impressive works mean nothing to him.

The bottom line is that we cannot do anything to earn salvation. None of us is good enough. We can only repent, humbly accept God’s gift and believe in his Son.

PRAYER
Dear God, thank you for your generosity. We have hope for the future, not because of anything we did, but because of what you did through your Son. We will praise you for it forever. Amen.