When we properly understand the message of the gospel, we will know how utterly helpless we are that it will drive us to our knees in utter desperation.

The gospel message is and has always been that God did everything to save us. And when it says everything, it means everything! It’s not that God offered us the good news and then waited to see if we would choose to receive it. If we chose it ourselves, that means we had at least an ounce of goodness in us to at least to choose the good – We may not have had enough strength to actually do good but at least we had a desire to choose good. But what if we didn’t even have that? If our desire to do good itself came from God, then what can we claim for ourselves?

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” Romans 5:10

It wasn’t when we attempted to be good that Jesus saw our effort and died for us, but while we had no desire whatsoever to turn to God that Jesus died for us!

In other words, our salvation is entirely up to God. We had no part in it whatsoever. Even “our” choosing to receive Him came from God. And do you realize what the implication of this truth is? That we cannot do anything to become godly now that we are saved. Our sanctification process also depends entirely on God.

What do we do to become godly then? Nothing? No! Pray! Since only God can cleanse us from sin, we must pray that God will continue to do the work that He started in us. Pray that God will take away the desire for the world and the things of the world. Unless God works, we will never become godly. It was never up to us to save us and it’s not up to us to sanctify us either. God saved us and God has to cleanse us as well. We are at best passive agents in this.

Be constantly praying for God to change you.

PH