By Faith Alone

Romans 1:16-17

You may be a kind, gentle person—and even naturally benevolent. But unless you admit your need for Christ, you won’t receive His gift of salvation and will miss out on eternity with Him.

Salvation is God’s invitation to a relationship where we “abide in Him and He in us” (1 John 4:13). Understandably, if we’re to participate this way in union with the pure and holy God, sin has no place.

The dilemma, as Romans tells us, is that all people are sinners (Rom. 3:23) and the penalty for sin is death (Rom. 6:23). But God’s solution was to provide a bridge between mankind and Himself by sending His perfect Son to die in our place. We can’t work or reason our way into eternal life. Acknowledging our need for a Savior and accepting Christ’s death as payment for our sins is all that God requires for entering into a relationship with Him. Faith is the only way to heaven (John 14:6).

Perhaps you’re thinking, I want only what I deserve. But no one deserves grace, and nobody can earn salvation. The heavenly Father wants to give them both to His children, undeserving though we are. The truly wise people of this world are those who have accepted the truth and bent their spirit—and their knees—before the Lord.

Bible in One Year: Psalms 19-22