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“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesian 2:8-9

Many (most) of you all reading this probably grew up doing some type of competitive sport or activity—maybe dance, track, tennis, or swimming. For me, it was soccer. I started playing in third grade. Soon I was in a high-level travel league (once the “Boys Club” become “Youth Club”), and the months and years through high school were filled with plenty of blood, sweat, and tears. But there was always that motivational carrot, right? The trophy or medal—the ultimate reward for hard work and dedication.

Over the past 10-15 years, things have shifted in our culture. Gone are the hardcore competitions at youth levels. “First place” has been “re-placed” by “participation awards.” When my two boys played various sports as kids, some leagues didn’t even keep score. Everyone who plays gets a trophy.

But when everyone wins, it’s not a reward anymore…it’s a gift. The prize is no longer earned. It’s given freely, regardless of effort.

Whatever your perspective on this aspect of kids’ sports (and you probably land on one side of the debate or the other), it actually serves as a wonderful analogy for the saving grace of Jesus Christ. See, every world religion—as well as many “Christian” denominations—believe that salvation is to be earned as a reward. If you work hard enough, doing more good than bad stuff, then the “trophy” of heaven is yours!

It’s true that God is Holy and cannot tolerate anything but perfection in His presence. And since we’re all sinners and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), hard work and great effort are indeed necessary to bridge that chasm between our unrighteousness and His righteousness—the Justice of God demands it. A price of blood, sweat, and tears must be paid for the ultimate Prize of heaven.

But, friend, it’s already been paid, the work has been done. God, in His kindness toward us, made a way of reconciliation with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:4-9). Salvation is a gift—not a reward! We do not (cannot) earn it, no matter how hard we work. We can never do enough to be Holy enough to stand in God’s presence. But we don’t have to! By His tears, sweat, and Blood, Jesus accomplished what we could not, covering our every sin (past, present, and future) with His righteousness. All we have to do is participate!

If you’ve been tirelessly working to justify yourself to our Holy God, you can rest now. Accept the gift of salvation through grace (getting what we don’t deserve) by faith alone. Just acknowledge your sin, turn away from it, and surrender to Jesus…and the prize of heaven is yours.

“Lord, thank You for the great gift of salvation—that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8), paying the price we could never pay for the riches of heaven.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life