Doing Enough To Earn God’s Favor…

Christianity is different from all other religions in many ways. But this is the major difference. All religions are “works based”. That means they require action based on the hope of “doing enough” to “earn” God’s favor. Christianity only requires one work, “to believe in Jesus”. The only action required is faith. All other religions require work to be done in hope of salvation, while Christianity grants salvation based on faith in Jesus, not on works. All the work done in Christianity is because salvation is already granted, and thus, done out of gratitude towards God, not obligation for a chance to be saved. That’s huge. It changes our perspective from trying to meet an obligation in hope of receiving God’s favor to receiving God’s favor and granting us hope to serve out of gratitude to Him. Jesus tells us this in today’s passage. Faith, believing in Jesus, is what saves us. And no matter what people say, it’s God’s way of leveling the playing field, making us all equal. It doesn’t require works in order to gain eternal life. Works are evidence of an already saved life. Believing is hard, but it’s personal, incomparable, and not “works based”. Once you understand God’s Grace, His free gift, trying to be “religious” loses its appeal to your pride. God has it figured out. It’s our job to accept or reject His gift.

28 They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the One He has sent.” John 6:28-29

40 For it is My Father’s will that all who see His Son and believe in Him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:40