Paying for sin

You are such a dedicated worker. I admire your commitment.

 “Thank you sir, you see I have to work very hard and help as many as possible. I hope it helps make up for my sins”. 

Is that it? Working hard isn’t going to be enough; the payment for sin is death.

“But God expects me to do good things, and by doing good I show God my commitment to Him. I depend on trying my best to obey the law”. Don’t do that.

 “Why?” 

Have you always kept all of the commandments without breaking any?

 “No one has ever achieved that.” 

So it won’t save you. Those who depend on obeying the Law live under a curse. For the scripture says, "Whoever does not always obey everything that is written in the book of the Law is under God's curse!" Gal 3:10(GNB).  Doing good works is fine, but because we have all sinned it cannot be enough. Just one sin is enough to condemn you to hell.

 “But I was taught that when I die God would add up my good deeds and subtract my bad deeds; if the good where more I would go to heaven.” God never really intended salvation to come through our efforts. It comes through grace. Yet we know that a person is put right with God only through faith in Jesus Christ, never by doing what the Law requires. We, too, have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be put right with God through our faith in Christ, and not by doing what the Law requires. For no one is put right with God by doing what the Law requires. Gal 2:16(GNB) 

 “Is doing good now bad?”

No, never. But do not rely on doing good to save you. For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it. Eph 2:8, 9(GNB)  

 “This is strange. I don’t understand. How can I be put right with God then? Why Jesus? Is it possible to be saved just like that?”

God offered Him, so that by His blood He should become the means by which people's sins are forgiven through their faith in Him. God did this in order to demonstrate that he is righteous. In this way God shows that He Himself is righteous and that He puts right everyone who believes in Jesus. Rom 3:25(GNB).  As the songwriter says, “I owed a debt I couldn’t pay; and it was mounting every day, but Jesus paid it all for me!” This is God’s way: follow it.

APPEARED IN THE CHURCH BULLETIN IN WEEK 20, 2009