In trying to understand the love and mercy of God, one of the things I grapple with is the concept of salvation. That we are saved. Me, you, people that would surprise us.

He has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time. 2 Timothy 1:9.

Not because of anything we have done…One of the things I am asking God to help me understand…truly grasp…is that there is nothing I can do by my actions to be saved. If I can’t be saved by being good does that also mean that “others” can’t be unsaved by bad things they do?

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10.

The reason I asked if God throws us away is because I think that’s what we are so ready to do with others. Whenever people begin to grapple with evil they inevitably bring up Hitler or other equally awfully despots. People we can’t imagine God saving. People we would gladly throw away. Does God?

It’s so easy to look down on “others” and feel better about ourselves. We feel we “deserve” to be saved because of how we are. “They” don’t deserve to be saved because of how they are.

All of this is the result of my pondering the depth of God’s love. As I was looking through my Bible in the back under Sin, was a reference to Zechariah 3:9…and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day. Can you imagine? It isn’t by my good works that sin will be removed from me or anyone else. If I can’t remove sin and save myself, can I trust the One who will? Can you?

Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord. Psalm 117:1-2. One of the shortest Psalms…this is the whole Psalm and yet it says so much.

I freely admit I don’t truly grasp the love of God. He loves the worst of us. He loves the best of us. In the end, worst or best, we are all the same. Will we ever stop thinking of “others” as bad and “us” as good? We can’t obtain salvation in anything we do or in wishing bad on “others”.

I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. 1 Corinthians 15:50-52.

We can’t save ourselves. We are flesh and blood, perishable, imperfect. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. verse 57. The Lord Almighty says he will remove the sin of this land in a single day. The sin. The sin that so easily entraps us. The sin of hate, of evil that lives in mens hearts. If we’re honest, we’ll admit that sin lives in our hearts.

He sent out his word and healed them, he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. Psalm 107:20-21. God healed. God rescued. It’s all Him. Is there, then, nothing we need to do? Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy. verse 22. Jesus who gave everything that we can be saved tells us to Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37-39.

That kind of love will never throw us away.