The Greatest Thought

The Spirit has been driving a single thought into my mind over and over and over again. Why? Because I’m deeply flawed with sin. I’ve expressed this thought in sermons, but I still can’t stop thinking about it. So, I thought (ha-ha) I’d put words on paper and share it with you again. Despite the repetition, this thought never gets old. It’s radical yet essential.

Here it is: nothing that I have ever done (not my faith, preaching, repentance, or prayer life) earns me anything of lasting value and credit, but rather that Christ through His life, death, burial, and resurrection has earned for me the total sufficiency of what I’ve always needed. Even at my “best,” I add nothing to what Christ has earned for me. My need is whole, and His righteousness is total. My beloved seminary, DTS, puts it like this. Read these words slowly.

Our redemption has been accomplished solely by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ who was made to be sin and was made a curse for us, dying in our place; and that no repentance, no feeling, no faith, no good resolutions, no sincere efforts, no submission to the rules and regulations of any church, nor all the churches that have existed since the days of the apostles can add in the very least degree to the value of the blood or to the merit of the finished work wrought for us by [Christ].

We are so easily tricked of our own “goodness” or our “contribution” to salvation, but that’s a fool’s errand. As this statement from DTS’ doctrinal statement makes clear: salvation is all about Christ—always has been, always will be. Nothing can add to His value and worth. So, dwell on this truth today: Christ has done it all for you.

Pastor Chance Sumner