Salvation Unmerited

"Today's Devotion" For June 22, 2006

Read: Titus 3:3-8; Ephesians 2:1-10

SALVATION UNMERITED

"But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy He saved us..." (Titus 3:4, 5)

Perhaps the most important thing God ever tells us about our salvation in Jesus is that it is a gift of His grace, mercy, and love. He both tells and shows us throughout Scripture that it's impossible for us to merit salvation by our works, our good looks, or our stellar personalities - or anything else we can do or be for that matter. This is also something we need to be reminded about on a regular basis. We are simply incapable, according to our human nature, of truly understanding (on our own) that there's nothing we can do, think, or say that can earn our salvation - the forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God in heaven.

It's not too difficult for us to understand the reality of our confusion concerning receiving God's forgiveness and the hope of eternal life. Our daily existence is fraught with the need to succeed, accomplish, gain, and obtain. Our whole mindset is that we human beings can do just about anything we put our minds to and we can and must earn our own way. We hold to the axiom that nothing worthwhile is ever "free." In order to achieve higher position, greater pay, and more responsibility, we understand that we must work for it. No one is just going to hand us these things. We have to work for them. Our competitive nature thrives on the whole idea of merit - people try out for sports teams (ex. soccer, basketball, football, wrestling, baseball) and try not to get "cut." If someone is good enough, they'll play on those teams. If not, they go home and try something else.

The gift of heaven and God's forgiveness is a special gift from God. The suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus fulfilled God's promises of a Savior from Sin and the hope of heaven. It was a once and for all time event that put the perfect, holy, and sinless Son of God on the Cross to pay the price we should pay, but can't. God's gift of His grace, mercy, and love in Jesus brings us His salvation - the forgiveness of sins and eternity with God, totally unmerited by any human being. Our salvation is unmerited by us, but fully merited by Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection. What a marvelous gift of God - a gift that saves us from the burden and bondage of Sin.

There's nothing I can do to save myself. There is nothing you can do to save yourself. Our salvation is God's doing - paid for with the blood of the Lamb, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our salvation is, by God's grace, a salvation that unmerited, yet freely given - so great is our Father's love. We are moved by that same grace and love to reach out with the power of God's Word, to live in our baptismal grace, and let the Holy Spirit work in our hearts and lives so that we can be absolutely certain by faith that our salvation is "Salvation Unmerited."

Prayer: Father, thank You for Your generous gift of the forgiveness of sins in Christ Jesus. I don't deserve any of Your blessings, yet You continue to shower them upon me in abundance. Forgive me for too often taking Your love for granted. Forgive me for too often forgetting the terrible price Jesus paid on the Cross that I might be saved. Strengthen my faith so that I may continue to share Your peace and Your blessings, particularly "salvation unmerited," and touch others with Your love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.
*************************

--Pastor Boeck

Copyright @2006 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.