Nothing to Prove

It can be hard to find the balance between faith and works sometimes.

Theoretically, I know what the truth is – that we are saved by faith alone, and nothing we do changes that. And that our works of obedience are meant to result from our faith, for the purpose of our sanctification. That God wants us to obey, and is pleased with us and rewards us when we do, but that He won’t stop loving us when we don’t.

But practically, it’s a little harder for me to grasp. It’s just so easy to shift from a mentality of I’m doing these things because I love God and want to obey Him, into a mentality of I’m doing these things because I won’t feel worthy of God’s love if I don’t.

All too often, especially after I’ve made a mistake or have become especially aware of my sinfulness, I feel like I have to keep my distance from God until I can “prove” my worthiness again, and then I can feel good enough to talk to Him, to seek His will, etc. And every time, I become aware of just how counterproductive that is. Distancing myself from the only one who empowers me to be holy has got to be the dumbest way to try to be holy out there – and yet here I am doing it all the time!

And I think part of the reason I struggle with that is because I know that sin grieves God, and I know that He’s just and doesn’t excuse it. I know that if we’re living in unrepentant sin, we’re separating ourselves from the good will that God has for us and are harming our relationship with Him. 

But, I think the key word there is unrepentant.

Yes, God is just to punish sin. But God’s justness is appeased in Jesus’ atoning death. And so while our sin grieves Him, and there often are consequences for it, He is truly faithful to forgive us when we ask. Micah 7:18 and Isaiah 30:18 say that He delights in unchanging love, and that He longs to be gracious to us.

While we remain unrepentant about our sin, we actively choose to put our own desires above God. And He won’t force us; He’ll let us have our way as long as we reject His will. But the minute we repent, giving our sin over to God and re-submitting ourselves to Him, He makes us clean and casts the guilt of our sin far away.

There have been times I’ve asked myself, Can it really be that easy? But it is! And that’s something to be thankful for.

Something I recently realized is that when I’m striving and trying so hard to be worthy of God’s love in my own effort, I’m actually robbing God of the gratitude that He’s due.

Imagine if you did something kind for someone, for no reason other than your love for them. And then, imagine they spent every day trying to prove how much they deserved what you did for them, instead of just being thankful for your kindness. Wouldn’t that take all the fun out of it? It would make what you did for them a transaction rather than a sweet act of love.

So, whenever I start to feel myself drift towards working to prove my worthiness, I’m going to intentionally shift instead to a mentality of gratefulness. Because when I’m full of gratitude for how much love and mercy I’ve been shown despite my unworthiness, I can then operate from a place of trust and rest, rather than striving. 

And everything I’ve said here can be true for you too! There is literally nothing we could possibly do to prove our worthiness, because we’re never going to be worthy of God’s love. But there’s also no need for us to prove our worthiness, because we’re already loved in full. We have nothing to prove – all we need to do is accept what’s being freely offered, and let God do His work in us.

Related Scripture

Isaiah 30:15, 18

“For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, ‘In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength’…Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; how blessed are all those who long for Him.”

Micah 7:18-19

“Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”

Ephesians 2:8-10

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” 

1 John 1:9 

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”