Nothing

For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

There is a story about a former NBA basketball player Rodney Hundley.  Hundley roomed for a while with Elgin Baylor, one of the greatest scorers in the history on the NBA.  One night, Baylor set a league record by scoring seventy-one points in a game.  In that same game Hundley scored 2 points.  As they got into a taxi for a ride back to their hotel after the game, Hundley put an arm around Elgin and noted triumphantly, “What a night we had, buddy!  73 points between us!”

The way a lot of people see salvation is similar to that story.  The fact that we have nothing to give God but our sin is thinking that is contrary to what most people in the world think.  They’ll claim that God certainly has done most of the work – but we still contribute a little bit to our salvation, at least 2 points worth.  But the fact remains – we have nothing and we contribute nothing to our salvation.  It is a wonderful gift of God given only through His love and grace. 

The same is true for each and every one of us.  God has given us all that we need – and more.  God promises to give us what we need for this body and life – but He has also given us so much more.  This world of sin and everything that goes with it will fade away.  But because of God’s love and His desire to give us everything – He gave us eternal life through our Lord and Savior.

We take comfort in what God has done for us out of His perfect love.  We also take comfort in the fact that we do not have to earn God’s love – for while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!  God’s perfect love was shown most clearly in this: God gave us His Son, the Lamb of God, to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  He did this because without the cross of Christ, we would have nothing to put our hope in.

Nothing in my hand I bring; Simply to the cross I cling.

Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless, look to Thee for grace;

Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Savior, or I die.

LSB 761