The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
~Psalm 51:17
Growing up Catholic, my theological view was all about the “do”—boxes to check to stay on God’s good side. Weekly Mass, regular visits to the priest for confession (where a few Hail Mary and Our Father repetitions would do the trick of absolution), and no meat of Fridays during Lent. As I got older (and wilder), washing away my sinful behavior also included negotiating and bartering with God to forgive or protect me from my dumb decisions. Like a pig in the mud, I’d get filthy, needing to scrub, scour, and bleach my way back to an “acceptable” level of cleanliness before God.
But God unveiled my eyes to the truth of His salvation: In Jesus, it is “done”—no checklists or bargaining to do more good than bad or exhausting “earning” of His acceptance. By grace through faith, we are forgiven and made free. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). For me, this meant immediate deliverance (freedom from) a few sinful enslavements—Praise God. It also infused me with the desire to joyfully serve (“do”) in response to the love, forgiveness, grace, mercy given me. Not to earn God’s favor, but because I already had it.
If, however, you’ve been following Jesus for a while, you may have noticed a subtle shift—whether in your own life or in the lives of Christian brothers and sisters around you. Serving God, doing good, even giving can slip back into a “have to” instead of a “get to”. We may start doing good to prove something to God—or to others around us. If we say “no” one Sunday to a serve request, we’re wracked with guilt…or we sign up regularly for a visible role at church to be sure others see us working hard for Jesus. See, our enemy, Satan, is tricky and loves to twist what’s good and hiss lies in our ears. He’s the father of lies, the accuser, the god of this world. And because you and I belong to God, Satan is always trying to trip us up and taint what’s pure. He can’t steal us, but he can sure steal from us! He hisses, “Oh, look at what you did last weekend—you’d better serve at every service on Sunday to make up for it!” Or “You sure watch some worldly shows—and you call yourself a Christian? Better make up for that!” Or “You’d better join a Bible study group, so you’re doing more than just Sunday.” He wants us to forget that grace is a gift, not a payment.
So, friend, let’s always remind ourselves—and each other of the truth: In God’s economy, service does not cleanse us. The Lord alone creates a clean heart, washing us as white as snow. We cannot do—we can’t scrub, bleach, wash…no sacrifice, no negotiation, no bargaining, no service. Just our broken spirit—“a broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17) and His mercy (Matthew 9:13). Once we come clean with the Lord through repentance (admitting our sin and turning from it), He cleans us. We serve Him in grateful response and for His glory.
Lord, thank You for washing me, making me righteous in Your sight—not by my own cleansing work, but by Your finished work on the Cross. May I boldly share this Good News with others…that they don’t have to “do” because “it is done.”
encouraged by grace 