Bragging Rights

I will fight for the weak and the oppressed. I will donate my riches to the poor. I will sacrifice my life for the people. I will build the cathedral of all cathedrals. I will devote myself to a lifetime of solitude and prayer. I will care for the sick, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit the prisoner, help the elderly.

Enough, Father? Have I earned my way to your heaven?

Forgive me, LORD. I am being facetious. You have taught me early on. While all of these things are noble and honorable, none of them earns me your approval to come home to heaven when I leave this life. As you said:

Ephesians 2:8 (NIV)
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith---and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God...”

It is by your mercy that we are saved from suffering forever the penalty of our sins. It is by the grace of your Son, Jesus Christ, whose passionate obedience to your plan of redemption snatched us from the gates of hell. My LORD and Savior allowed his body to be broken and hung bleeding on the cross. This was the sacrifice that satisfied your wrath and produced the gift that we only need to receive and trust in its effectiveness in getting us across from spiritual death to eternal life.

Some of us, Father, can’t believe that faith in your Son is all it takes. Some of us are sincerely moved by the gravity of our wickedness that we feel like we ought to do something to earn your favor. Some of us are simply so used to fending for ourselves.

That is not in your plan:

Ephesians 2:9[a] (NIV)
“---not by works,...”

We do not get saved by our own strength, nor by our own will, nor by our own wisdom.

Jesus Christ was the bruised and pierced sacrifice. All the glory in mankind’s salvation belong to him:

Ephesians 2:9[b] (NIV)
“...so that no one could boast.”

If we could have worked our way to salvation, we would have had bragging rights over it. Whether we do gloat over it or not is out of the question. We will have made Christ’s sacrifice unnecessary.

In the first place, we could not have even done it if we tried.

Be glorified, dear LORD! You alone deserve it.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name, I pray it, LORD. Amen.

Here is a Ten Commandments case update.