God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. [Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT)]
Many years ago, while my son and his pals were playing baseball in the field next to the Miller house, the ball ended up going through the Miller’s window! When my son returned home, he asked me to call Mrs. Miller and ask for the return of his ball. Once I knew how the ball came to be in her possession, I told him he had to pay for the broken window before getting back his ball. So, for the next few weeks, the boy worked extra chores to pay off his debt.
Some people think of good works like the chores my son did to redeem his baseball. They picture a heavenly bookkeeper with a holy ledger who deposits their good deeds in the credit column and their sins in the debit. Whenever they err, a withdrawal is made from the works side to pay for the sin. It seems like a good plan. After all, my son worked off his debt so why can’t we just work off our sin debt?
If God used a balance scale with good works placed on one tray and sins on the other, how would the weight of good works and sins be determined? Would putting a dollar into the red kettle at Christmas be the same as being a hospice volunteer? Would petty theft weigh the same as grand larceny or adultery as much as mass murder? How many sins would be paid off by a mission trip? What would you need to discharge the sins of deceiving a spouse, gossiping about a neighbor, taking unfair advantage of someone, misappropriating funds, or cheating on your taxes?
Salvation, however, cannot be earned nor is it for sale. That’s good news for me since I know my sins far outweigh my good works and there’s no way I could do enough to purchase my salvation. Moreover, we can’t stock up good turns, kindness, benevolence, generosity, and service to pay for future sins. Thinking our worth comes from our works undervalues God’s gift of grace because good works aren’t what save us from spiritual bankruptcy! Salvation comes from Jesus alone! He paid our sin debt in full with his blood when He died on the cross.
When my son told me about the mishap at the Millers, he insisted he wasn’t the one who hit the ball that broke their window. Claiming his innocence, he protested paying someone else’s debt. It may not have been fair but it was necessary. Someone had to pay the Millers for their busted window and no one else came forward.
As the sinless Lamb of God, Jesus was far more innocent of any wrongdoing than my son. Nevertheless, He paid both my debt and yours! The only one who was absolutely free of sin deliberately chose to take the full weight of God’s justice for sins He didn’t commit! Jesus paid a debt He didn’t owe because mankind owed a debt that couldn’t be paid! It wasn’t fair, but it was necessary.
The Gospel is good news of mercy to the undeserving. The symbol of the religion of Jesus is the cross, not the scales. [John Stott]
Devotions of the Heart 