Not Because of Works Done by Us

Good morning, Immanuel. We are not as secure as our strongest grip on Jesus, but we are as secure as His sovereign grip on us.

Jul 02, 2024

“…he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy…” (Titus 3:5a).

white sailboat on ocean — Photo by Bruce Warrington on Unsplash

We are saved, not by works done by us, but according to God’s own mercy. The “outside-of-me-ness” of the gospel is a glorious aspect of its message. Any “gospel” that locates our confidence within ourselves or our abilities destabilizes everything. But the good news is that salvation is of the Lord. We are not as secure as our strongest grip on Jesus; rather, we are as secure as His sovereign grip on us. Praise God! I’m helped by this illustration from the Scottish churchman and poet Horatius Bonar, who compares faith to “letting go” and dropping into the safety of stronger arms than our own:

The vessel was pretty high out of the water, and there was no ladder, either of rope or iron, at his side for the poor lad to descend by, so as to reach the boat which lay below.
The lad looked over and saw his position. There was the boat, and here was the slowly sinking vessel. He heard shouts to him from below; he saw some five or six stout men waiting to catch him; but he could not make up his mind to quit his hold.
He saw the swell of the sea, as it heaved the boat up and down; he observed, too, the distance between himself and his deliverers below; and his heart failed him. What if he should miss the boat, and drop into the sea, instead of the stretched-out arms underneath? He clung to the rope with all his might, and made as though he would go back into the vessel. But the shouts came up again, “Let go the rope!” He dared not go back, and he was afraid to let himself drop. So he clung to the rope as if it were his only safety. Again the shouts were heard, “Let go!” His answer was, “I can’t let go.”
At last, as the danger increased, the loud but kindly voices from below overcame his fear and distrust. He did “let go;” and without an effort dropped into the strong arms which were waiting to receive him. He was safe; and as he realised his safety, he could not help smiling at his own folly in refusing to let go, and in saying, as his reason for not letting go, that he could not.

May we rest continually in the strong arms of Christ!

Source: Bonar, Horatius. How Shall I Go to God? And Other Readings. London: The Religious Tract Society, 1881.