For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God- not the result of works, so that no one may boast.
As a consummate do-er, I must admit that it’s taken me quite a while to warm up to this idea. Faith, not works. What do you mean, it’s not all my good deeds that are counted in the great scorecard of life? I remember in college, getting a social work degree, believing that this was backwards. Of course it’s works. God loves people who care for others. You know, it’s that whole ‘love thy neighbor as thyself’ stuff.
It’s as if I thought there was a causal relationship – I love others and do good deeds, therefore God loves me. But I had it backwards. God loves me, therefore I love others and do good deeds. It’s when I feel especially loved and cherished, either by God or a loved one, that my heart swells and I want to love and serve. It is causal after all.
The problem with my old way of thinking is two fold. First, it’s transactional. A tit for a tat. God cannot care about keeping score about my works. The second problem is that if God’s saving mercy was dependent on my works, what about those days or seasons when I’m not my idealized selfless self? If it holds that God’s mercy comes because of my good deeds, is it withheld when my good deeds cease? That’s a frightening thought.
The more important thing about the concept of saved by faith not works is when I’m not feeling the love, not sharing the love. When I’m less than my idealized, giving self, I’m still loved by God, regardless of what I do.
This morning, I’m thinking about how God’s mercy is not transactional, but is absurdly generous and unconditional. I’m also thinking about the lovely blessing offered by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, which offers another way of thinking about this. I’m thankful for a moving and alive faith, that lets me grow and change my understanding of God.
God created you because God loved you. You do not therefore need to do anything to earn or deserve God’s love. You do not need to impress God so that God will love you. God already loves you and God will love you for ever and ever. There is nothing you can do that will make God love you less. There is nothing you can do to make God love you more. God’s love for you is infinite, perfect and eternal. ~Archbishop Desmond Tutu
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