Can't Save Ourselves

It is a well-known fact that we cannot save ourselves. We know that we could not purge ourselves of sin and so Jesus had to die on the cross in our place. We know this in our heads but we have a hard time keeping hold of this fundamental truth.

         We start out by grace, knowing how far we fall short. But having been cleansed of our filthy garments, we get along in the faith, only to find that we are too weak or too immature or too tired to sustain faithful obedience over a lifetime. We may despair. We may wonder if God’s Spirit is here. We may wonder if the work of Jesus really was sufficient to save us from our sins. They die so hard.

         But what was true then is still true now. You cannot save yourself and it is about time you stopped trying. The answer to your wretched state is Jesus Christ, crucified. The answer to your imperfect maturity is Jesus Christ, crucified. When you turn to Him in confession and repentance, you realize that trying to save yourself, in any way that you try to do so, is as dumb as not seeing that Jesus paid for all of your sins. He paid for your wicked deeds and He paid for your perfectionistic disappoints.

Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.