How can I ever be good enough, or obedient enough, to earn my way into heaven? Can I get there by living a good life? Can I earn my way in by my ability to obey or follow the law? The answer is no.
Why then does the law exist? This seems like an unfair or meaningless rubric if it doesn’t count. Romans 3:6 “If God were not entirely fair, how would He be qualified to judge the world?” God is fair. Entirely. He is holy and good. Righteous. The author of life is the only one fit to judge the world. Romans 3:19-20 explains to us why the law exists. “Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.”
If I don’t recognize the sin within myself, I cannot recognize my need to be saved from it. Sin reveals my need for a Savior.
If following the law is intended to help me see where I have gone astray and been disobedient, how then can I earn my way into heaven? You can’t. I can’t. The only way we can be made right with God comes not from obedience to the laws, but through a relationship with God’s Redeeming Son. “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.” (Romans 3:22)
No matter who we are: Jew or Gentile – salvation comes from placing our faith in Jesus. No matter what sin I have committed – salvation comes from placing our faith in Jesus. Rich or poor, slave or free, man or woman, adult or child – everyone who believes – salvation comes from placing our faith in Jesus.
Jesus paid the penalty for sin. Not just for the sins of some, rather, Jesus paid the price for the sins of mankind – once and for all. When we believe, we are now debt free. Our record of sin has been wiped clean. Our “acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.” (Romans 3:27b)
Friend, there is nothing we can do to earn our way into heaven. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more than He already does. His love for you existed before you took your first breath. His desire for you to love Him back has always been present. We get to make the choice to be in a relationship with Him, or reject Him. While we get to choose, only one choice holds the freedom from sins and the promise of eternal life.
“When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners… Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin.” (Romans 4:4-5, 7-8)
You and I have been given the gift. Forgiveness. Salvation. Eternity with Jesus. It’s not something we earn. It’s a gift.
Blessings!