Must we believe that we are worthy? After the Apostles came to Jesus to ask Him to increase their faith, He told them a parable which reflected the nature of faith. According to Him, faith wasn’t about an amount. Instead the smallest measure of faith is enough. Then Jesus taught them what was essential about faith—a correct understanding of their relationship with their Savior:
• Luke 17:10 “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”
Even the best of us are unworthy of anything good from our Savior:
• Romans 11:35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”
Consequently, Jesus will never owe us anything but punishment:
• Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
According to Jesus, even the tiniest sin can damn us eternally:
• Matthew 5:22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
Even if we gave our life for a righteous cause, this would not earn us a penny from our God who is perfectly righteous and will not tolerate any sin:
• 1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love [of God through faith], I gain nothing.
How else does this dismal and depressing reality function in our lives? It discourages pride and self-trust. But aren’t these good things? Shouldn’t we feel proud of ourselves and trust in ourselves? Not according to our God. Instead, we need to graduate from these to trust and glory in our God.
A woman of the street had braved her way into a luncheon of Pharisees where Jesus was also present. The forgiveness she had received gave her the courage to cry tears over His feet and to anoint them with precious oil. However, the Pharisees were appalled and concluded that Jesus wasn’t a prophet, because a prophet would never allow himself to be touched by such a woman. However, Jesus responded that because she had been forgiven much, she adored Him much:
• Luke 7:47 (NLT) “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.”
According to Jesus, love and adoration result from forgiveness, and forgiveness and gratefulness result from knowing that we are condemned sinners apart from the mercy of God.
Our needs draw us together, while pride and self-sufficiency drive us apart. More importantly, our needs draw us to God. Jesus told a parable about a self-satisfied Pharisee and a hated Roman collaborator who entered the Temple to pray:
• Luke 18:11–12 “The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’”
The self-righteous Pharisee had blinded himself to believe that he was worthy of God. However, the despised tax collector could no longer blind himself from his unworthiness:
• Luke 18:13–14 “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The Law in our heart and the Word humble us to connect us to our only hope—the forgiveness of God:
• Romans 3:19–20 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law [obedience] no human being will be justified [forgiven] in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
Consequently, we need the harsh and unforgiving teachings of the law. They show us our brokenness and have us bring our tears to Jesus:
• Galatians 3:22–24 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
From what had the law been guarding us? Belief in our own worthiness! Therefore, Jesus had to come to open our eyes:
• Psalm 146:7–8 …The LORD [Yahweh] sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind…
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