By: Joel Ramirez
It is common thinking in today’s society that you don’t get anything in life without earning it. If you want a big house and nice cars, you have to work hard and earn those things. There are many who are materially rich who will tell you they deserve the things they have because they earned them. This thinking also frustrates the perspective one might have of someone not getting what they have earned or vice versa receiving that which they have not earned. The Cambridge dictionary defines the word earn as “to receive money as payment for work that you do, or to get something that you deserve because of your abilities or actions”. This poses a huge stumbling block for someone who wants to go to heaven but does not understand the full plan of salvation. “There is no way I can earn my salvation! I am no saint!” It also confuses people and falsely gives them cause to say that God is not a just God if He would not allow people who are “good people” into heaven. “They earned it by being good!” I recently attended a funeral of a sister in Christ and a family member of the deceased, who is outside of the church, gave a speech about how she had earned her place in heaven because of the faithful life she led even unto death. But that simply is not true. What everyone has earned is death. Romans 6:23 clearly states “For the wages of sin is death” and this is what every single one of us has earned because we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). There is no work, deed, or action that we can do to overcome that judgment. “So then is it hopeless and we are all doomed?” “How can anyone be saved? Is heaven just a made-up place to make us all painfully aware of the fact that none of us deserve any happiness in an afterlife?” “Then why wouldn’t I take every opportunity to enjoy every aspect of my life here on earth because I am doomed anyway?” These are just a few of the responses I have heard from people who don’t grasp the beauty of God’s plan. Paul wrote the divinely inspired letter of Romans to people who had similar questions and a mindset of “you get what you earn”, struggling with the concept that salvation was free. Paul begins the letter by pointing out that righteousness is from God, that God is righteous, and that the righteous man shall live by faith, (Romans 1:17). This is a reference to the book of Habakkuk, which incidentally comes from a Hebrew root meaning “to clasp” or “to embrace”. The book of Habakkuk is written as a conversation between God and the prophet, and in the second chapter of Habakkuk God tells the prophet to warn the people that Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith,(Habakkuk 2:4). God continues to list the actions of the people that will bring about their destruction, from deeds of drunkenness to worshiping idols, and ends with But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him, (Habakkuk 2:20). Habakkuk responds with a prayer saying LORD, I have heard the report about you and I fear. O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years, In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy, (Habakkuk 3:2) All of this is important to remember as Paul continues in the book of Romans to explain how righteousness is imputed and how man can be sanctified not by our works but by our faith. But how can I, a sinful person, be justified by faith? Is it enough to have faith that I will be saved? Paul continues to explain in Romans that the Law that was given to the Jews was not given for them to boast in because they continually broke the Law, and thus condemned themselves. They too, looked at an outward appearance and deeds (such as circumcision) to show that they earned righteousness. Paul is quick to point out that For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision is that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God, (Romans 2:28-29) Chapter 3 of Romans concludes that if the Jews are not saved by the Law and they were God’s chosen people, that because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20) then none of us can earn our salvation through deeds. So, Paul answers the question by saying that we are being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed. (Romans 3:24-25) Paul points out that death came into the world by one man, Adam, and that by one man the gift of God, the mercy that Habakkuk prayed for, abound to the many. For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ, (Romans 5:17) This is why God sent His Son, Jesus, One who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf (2 Corinthians 5:21) to die upon the cross. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him, (John 3:16-17) “So all we have to do is believe in Jesus to be saved?” Let us add more context to those verses. John 14:23-24, Jesus says If anyone loves me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. We now see that if we believe in Christ and have faith in Him, we demonstrate that faith by our actions. We start by being dead to sin. This is where repentance and baptism factor into the equation. You begin by turning away from sin (repentance) and the man of sin must be put to death. For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live, (Romans 8:13) Paul asks the of reader of the letter Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life, (Romans 6:3-4) Now we begin to see the bigger picture and realize that it is not a deed or a matter of earning a place in heaven but accepting God’s righteous plan and accepting that it is our faith in that plan which is demonstrated by our obedience that secures our heavenly future. Israel showed us that you cannot earn righteousness through works. It is only by faith and Paul says my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes, (Romans 10:1-4). It is impossible to earn a place in heaven, but Christ is freely giving a place for everyone who believes and obeys. Once you accept this and act out of faith there is a lifetime of storing up treasure in heaven. Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present yourself a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (Romans 12:1)