One True Boast

 5/17/15                        Israel                         about 25

We know from Ephesians 2:8 that we are saved through faith in Jesus, not good works, so what about people like a man named Israel whom I talked with on the street, who says he believes in Jesus, yet trusts in his good works to save him on when He stands before God on Judgment Day?  As we talked it became apparent that, while he does acknowledge his own sin and he does believe in Jesus, he thinks of his belief in Jesus as just one of the many good things he has done to earn forgiveness from God.  His belief in Jesus is right up there with church attendance, prayer, Bible reading, and being a responsible parent – all good things, but still, his faith in Jesus is nothing compared with his faith in his own good works.  Ephesians 2:9 says we are saved “not by works, so that no one can boast.”  There is no place in heaven for those who would glory in their own goodness.  If we are to boast, we can only boast in God, who deserves all glory and honor.  Romans 5:11 says that we “boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”  Let’s make sure that our faith is in the Jesus who alone is the way to salvation, not an imagined version of Jesus who is only an addition to our list of self-righteous good deeds.