Reflecting on Truth #29
Q: How can we be saved?
A: Only by faith in Jesus Christ and in his substitutionary atoning death on the cross; so even though we are guilty of having disobeyed God and are still inclined to all evil, nevertheless, God, without any merit of our own but only by pure grace, imputes to us the perfect righteousness of Christ when we repent and believe in him.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Why does this matter?
I used to think that how it worked was…
Before I trust in Jesus, I have a moral score of -100, deserving condemnation under God’s wrath.
And Jesus has a perfect score of +100, being perfect in God’s sight.
What Jesus did for me, at the cross, was to cancel out my negative, so that now we’re neutral at 0.
But no! The glorious truth of Jesus’ substitutionary atoning death on the cross is that Jesus took my -100 score and I received his +100 score! He bore the consequence of that -100 score. And in him, I have the +100 score that grants me the righteous right to eternal life. It was nothing of my own merit, not of my own doing - only by pure grace, through faith.
What does this mean for us?
This rebukes me when at any time I start to think I am any better/worse than a brother or sister in Christ. We all received the same grace that we all did not deserve.
It encourages me when my faith is weak. It is not the strength of my faith that saves me, but the object of my faith - Christ Jesus, my precious Saviour.
It keeps me from sinking under the weight of guilt and uncertainty of assurance when I fall into sin (which will keep happening till Christ comes again). I am still inclined to all evil BUT Christ’s perfect righteousness is mine. I am free to keep striving for holiness, and I am able to be 100% sure that when I die I will be with Jesus in paradise.
“...we don’t live life on trial, uncertain of what God’s verdict will be in the future. The verdict is in already - and it’s that we’re justified, righteous and free to come. When we trust in Jesus’ work on the cross, we are not merely pardoned; we are positively righteous. We are perfect in God’s sight. It’s a legal verdict upon us. It’s a permanent change of status. It’s 100% certainty that God accepts us.” - Perfect Sinners, Matt Fuller