Unworthy, not worthless

December 28, 2006

By Randy Mantik

As the story goes, two monks came to prayer one morning in the monastery chapel. The first monk approached the altar, kneeled and said, “I am nothing.” The other monk did the same, kneeling and saying, “I am nothing.” Following them was the custodian of the monastery, who’d come in for morning prayers. He too knelt and said, “I am nothing.” The one monk remarked to the other, “Look who thinks they’re nothing!”

Humorous, but it illustrates how deeply ingrained the deceptiveness of our heart is. Even in a moment of solemn, worshipful expression, our pride can sneak in and pervert it.

Pride is really based on a fear of rejection. The only way to deal with that fear is to turn and embrace the perfect love God offers to us. That is the love Paul describes throughout his writings, and what he so succinctly defines in this verse: “God made him [Christ] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV).

What wondrous love! In the face of it, all our hopes in ourselves are vanquished. Any ability we thought we might have to accomplish our own salvation is rendered completely useless. Then, up from the ashes of our despair, comes the knowledge that all we need is Jesus. He reaches out to us, lifting us from the pit of our own efforts onto the Solid Rock of His salvation. We are unworthy — but not worthless!

Too often we confuse those words. We hear we are “unworthy,” that nothing we can do on our own will merit eternal life. But, instead, we hear “worthless,” forgetting we are of such immeasurable value to God that He gave His Son for our salvation.

I’ve been there. In my confusion, I thought I had to be worthless in order for God to love me. I thought if I could just make a big enough doormat out of myself, I would finally be worthy of full salvation. What a horrible lie of Satan!

Christ has made me worthy. His grace, plus nothing of my own, equals salvation. I am unworthy of that grace, but I am not worthless! That is proven by Christ being willing to die for me and by God putting His own breath into my lungs! Because of that, I know I am of great worth to Him. What freedom came when I learned that truth.

Worthless? Never. Unworthy? Yes, but made worthy by God’s precious, immeasurable grace.

Randy Mantik is senior pastor of Crossroads Church of the Assemblies of God in Pembine, Wis.