As I wrapped up the series The Sound of Grace, with The Sound of Agony, I spoke of how Jesus’ death on the cross represents God’s fairness and righteousness by “declar[ing] sinners to be right in His sight when they believe in Jesus” (see Romans 3:25-26).

We can be thankful for all God has given us because He made the ultimate sacrifice by sending His Son to the cross to die for our sins. But even as followers of Jesus, we tend to put our faith in works instead of in God’s grace.

Sometimes we think that the only way we’ll be worthy of His love is if we live in perfect obedience. Earning God’s love is impossible. No matter how much we think we’re “following the rules,” or how many good works we do, we cannot pay for our sins by our works. We’re simply incapable of making the payment God requires for sin.

Let’s say you were an archer in a tournament where, to win, you had to shoot 12 arrows in the bullseye. What happens if you miss the target in the first shot, but make the other 11? Or if you get the first 10 but maybe miss the last two? In either case, you don’t have 12 arrows in the bullseye, so you lose.

To achieve the win, you’d have to shoot the arrows perfectly. That’s a picture of what Paul describes in Romans 3:23. In Romans 3:23, Paul reinforces this: “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” To sin is to miss the mark.

If we’ve all missed the mark, how can we have hope of a right relationship with God? Paul gives us the answer: “Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty of our sins.”

As you prepare for Easter this upcoming Sunday, take some time to reflect on what God has done to free us from earning his love. There’s nothing you could do to make God love you more or love you less. He loves you completely right where you are at.

What can you let go of this week to remember that you don’t have to earn God’s love?

In Christ,

Jeff