Grace characterizes all of Jesus’ ministry. It is not only clear in the Lord’s explicit teachings (in the words He said) but also implied by what He did.

One piece of evidence that salvation is by grace, not our good behavior, is the kind of people Jesus came for:

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him. While he was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Now when he heard this, he said, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:9-13).

What kind of people did Jesus seek out? The sick. The unrighteous. The sinners. The ones who don’t have a moral leg to stand on. In other words, these are the types of people who could only be saved based on mercy. Isn’t that the exact opposite of what most people expect? They don’t expect the sinners to be saved. They expect the worst sinners to go to hell and the strait-laced religious types to be bound for heaven.

Except, that’s not what Jesus does. He doesn’t eat with the very few morally worthy people. He specifically goes after the unworthy—the worst of the worst—and shows them mercy, just as He did to Paul:

But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life (1 Timothy 1:16 NIV, emphasis added).

God desires mercy and shows it to sinners like Paul. If you believe in Jesus, you will have eternal life. It doesn’t matter how bad you are, how many times you failed, or how often you returned to your old sins like a dog to vomit. Believe and receive. It’s that simple.

Is that unfair?

Absolutely!

But that’s the point! If we were discussing salvation under the law, concepts like “fair” and “not fair” would apply. But this isn’t the law—it’s the gospel! And the gospel is about mercy, not fairness.

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Send your questions or comments to shawn@freegrace.in.

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