We Cannot Earn God's Forgiveness

How often do we go through life trying to earn God's acceptance, his love, his forgiveness? We all know that we fall short, that our lives don't measure up to God's standards so we do one of two things:

1. GIVE UP - we know we don't measure up to God's standards, its just too hard, I've done something that God would never allow and so we give up on him and decide to live life for ourselves and if there is a hell at the end of life - we'll pay for it then. Wow - this sounds so much like buying things on credit - we buy what we want now but since we cannot afford it we put it on a credit card - only to pay for it later.
   
   
2. CREATE - we create our own rules for our lives and start to justify our behavior by these rules. Here is what we might say "I'm a pretty good person", "I've never killed anyone", "I go to church", "I help people in need", "I donate to ____ charity". Basically we become God to ourselves, create our own rules, and set ourselves right with God through them.

What does God Say?
Romans chapter 4 has great news for everyone! God, knowing that we cannot earn his forgiveness, paid for us freely, as a gift, without any obligation on our part - he purchased our wickedness, our hatred, and our evil so we can be close to him and he does not charge us for this payment - we don't owe him for it!

For those of us who CREATE our own rules - think about this: If we create rules we are "working" to please God. Romans tells us if you work - you get wages - but wages are owed so God would be paying us what he owes us. That is not how it is with God - forget working it off - it won't get you near to God.

Romans 4:5 - The person who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.

Its believing God did what he said he would that he paid the debit for us!