Bragging About Accepting Jesus is Weird

by Jared Sparks January 21, 2016

My father-in-law is a pretty handy guy. He can make just about anything. We currently have several things in our possession that he has built for us. My wife's cutting table: He made it. My desk: He made it. Our cool bed frame: He made it. He does a really good job and we often get compliments about the pieces that he's made us. When the compliments come I love bragging on my father in law's abilities. I like telling people about how gifted he is and how he can make almost anything. I am really thankful for him and thing things he has made us.

Let's think about something together. Imagine you came over to our house or my office. During your visit, your eyes come upon one of the items he made. You say, "Wow, those are cool!" Naturally, I would tell you that my father-in-law built them. Since you like them, you would probably start talking about how gifted he is. What if, as you are bragging on my father-in-laws abilities you noticed me and my wife getting a little nervous. All of the sudden we blurt out "He is talented but we ACCEPTED THE GIFTS. We saw how great these gifts were and we accepted them!" Would you not think it strange that we would want to take credit for the gifts we received?  Sure you would. It would be weird.

Why then is it so easy for us to do this with the gift of salvation?

The Bible teaches that salvation is all of grace. God gets all the glory. Check this out:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
(Ephesians 2:1-10 ESV)

He gets all the glory! He even gives the faith to believe. Let us not rise up and cry "I accepted Him, praise me!"