“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 NLT
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.
Have you ever wondered 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, trying to earn God’s favor. Folks, the problem is, when God looks at unbelievers, all He sees is sin.
Isaiah said that we are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags to God. Our impressive works mean nothing to Him.
Here is the bottom line… 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, Jesus.
Remember we have hope for the future, not because of anything we did, but because of what God did through His Son.
The Scriptural Truth 