As children, we may have been told to put serious effort into everything we did. Usually that’s good advice, and adults no doubt meant well when they said it. However, when it comes to how to respond to what Jesus did for us on the cross, self-effort means absolutely nothing. The proper response is to set aside our hard work to deserve God’s favor, and simply believe.

Faith in what God did may seem overly simple, which is partly why so many people miss the mark in this area. Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected to give us hope; His death and resurrection made it possible for us to be in right-standing with God, if we believe. We will never be justified in God’s eyes by our works, but by our faith in Christ. Thinking that our righteousness came by our works frustrates the grace of God, and Christ would have died in vain if that were true.

Jesus has completed everything necessary for our salvation. There is nothing left for us to do except believe this. When people asked Him what works they could do to please God, Jesus explained that the only work required was to believe in the one God had sent. When we feel compelled to “do” something, we must remember that believing should come before doing.    

This is not to say that doing is not important—it is. We just need to distinguish between doing something to get God to move and doing something in response to what He already did. Our acts of faith are extremely important; they move us into a position to receive things that have already been made available to us, such as healing, peace, joy, and prosperity. It does no good to declare our faith without following up with works, because faith without works is dead.

Being content, believing in God’s love, and resisting worry and stress help us to receive His undeserved favor. His grace is sufficient for us. Resting in this knowledge is our proper response.

Prayer:

Lord, we no longer have to work hard to earn Your approval; You already approve of us when we believe in Your Son and what He did. We choose to respond to this by meditating on it and staying at peace. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Galatians 2:16, 21

John 6:28, 29, NLT

James 2:14, 26

2 Corinthians 12:9

For more on responding to God’s unearned, undeserved favor toward us, click on the link to find the five-message series, 10 Ways to Respond to Grace, in our eStore.