Not Because of Me

We are taught that hard work pays off in athletics. The more reps you do in the gym, the stronger you become. The stronger you become, the more you increase your ability to perform well. If you keep performing well, you will likely receive more playing time.

This chain of events starts and ends with the work you put in. Ultimately, you are in control of your improvement due to the amount you work.

With this mindset, it’s hard to imagine how anything in life wouldn’t be able to be gained through an increase in the amount of good work you produce. That’s why it’s easy to develop a works-based approach to our faith. A works-based approach means that we believe the “better” Christian we are, the more God will love us, thus earning our salvation.

That’s the beauty of our faith. None of us can earn our salvation. All of us are sinful and deserve death (Romans 6:23). Only through the grace and mercy of God do we even have the chance of salvation. Even this chance at salvation doesn’t revolve around our good works but is centered around the belief in the one true work of Christ: His death and resurrection. The only action required to accept this gift of salvation is belief in His wonderful gift.

Good works matter, but don’t let yourself slip into thinking you gained access to Heaven through your works. Only through acceptance of Jesus as our Lord do we get to live forever with Him.