Why Truly Beggars

From our earliest years we have cried, "That's not fair!" There's something about our makeup as humans which yearns for justice. We want our turn, our share. We want other people to do right by us. We hate the thought of being passed over for recognition. We want what we deserve. We rarely stop to think, however, that what we deserve is hell. O yes, we have certainly earned it. Justice means that we must face God's wrath because of our sin.

The best news in all the world is that God has been merciful to sinners through Jesus Christ. God's wrath has been satisfied. Jesus became our subsitute, taking all the sin of all who would ever believe on Him, so that they can be brought back into a right relationship with God. We stand in awe before this God who is both just and merciful.

A word that sums up God's saving activity toward man for the sake of His own glory is grace. God has not only withheld from us what we truly deserve, but has lavished the riches of His grace on us who are in Christ.

Some people believe that since Christ has done so much for us we must somehow spend the rest of our lives paying Him back. This is impossible. Even as Christians we stand constantly in need of God's grace. When we have the desire to do right and follow Christ, we are experiencing a gift of grace from God. If we were using a balance sheet, we would only be going into deeper debt every day. So instead of paying God by our good works, we beg Him to give us a heart set on making much of Jesus Christ. And He does so, graciously.

We are justified by grace alone through faith alone by Christ alone on the authority of Scripture alone for the glory of God alone. Martin Luther recognized this relationship between man and God and the grace that defines it, and his last written words remind us that we are indeed Truly Beggars.

We are beggars, that is true.