A Kingdom of Mercy NOT Merit

Kyle Kauffman // August 4 2024

We cannot save ourselves or prove ourselves worthy of God’s Kingdom. It’s only when we realize how unworthy we are that we are then prepared to receive God’s Kingdom as a gift. We are prone to think we can save ourselves because we believe our sin is not that bad and that we are actually pretty good. This is only heightened as we look around and compare ourselves to other people. It’s easy for us to start to think God loves us and will save us because we are better at keeping “the rules” then others. But God’s Kingdom is full of people who are “really big sinners,” because only “really big sinners” know how much they need mercy. Meanwhile there are a lot of “really good people” who never enter God’s Kingdom because their “goodness” keeps them from knowing how much they need mercy.

Luke 18:9-14