Today in America we find about one in ten Christians who claim they are going to heaven because they have kept the ten commandments. This is a surprising statistic given the fact that under the new covenant, we know that it is our belief in Jesus Christ that gains us eternal life. Romans 3:20 says that no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law. So you may say "how could self proclaiming Christians believe this?"
It’s because human nature finds works more satisfying than faith. It is easier to point to our good works, however biased that view may be, and prop it up as sufficient for eternal life. It also demonstrates that nothing has changed since Paul told the Galatians they were frustrating grace by going back to legalism.
We received grace, not because we deserved it, but because God gifted it to us. The moment we look to our own works as something good enough to gain acceptance before God, we are frustrating God’s grace and undermining our faith in Jesus. He is the only one on whom we can rely for eternal life.
It’s because human nature finds works more satisfying than faith. It is easier to point to our good works, however biased that view may be, and prop it up as sufficient for eternal life. It also demonstrates that nothing has changed since Paul told the Galatians they were frustrating grace by going back to legalism.
We received grace, not because we deserved it, but because God gifted it to us. The moment we look to our own works as something good enough to gain acceptance before God, we are frustrating God’s grace and undermining our faith in Jesus. He is the only one on whom we can rely for eternal life.
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