Life is sort of like math class.

How so?

Let’s assume I’m in school and have to take a math test.

There’s an equation at the top of the page I’m handed, and blank space underneath for me to write out my solution to the equation.

But I don’t solve the equation.

Instead, in the first third of the blank space I write a funny, rhyming poem about math class. Next, I draw a bunch of smiling numerals with little arms and legs and depict them as dancing together. In the last third of the page I write a short essay about the benefits of studying math.

I hand in my test to the teacher, and await the results.

The next day, the teacher tells me, “Lori, the poem you wrote had me in stitches. Your drawing of the dancing numbers was delightful, too. And I’d love to incorporate some of the insights in your essay into one of my lessons.”

“That’s great!” I’d say. “So what mark did I get?”

“Zero,” the teacher would respond.

“But why?” I’d ask. “I thought you loved what I wrote.”

“I did: the things you filled the page with were all good and creative and helpful. But they don’t count towards your mark. You failed to do the one thing required of you, which was to solve the equation.”

Is the teacher being fair? Yes.

Is there one thing that God requires of us?

There is. Scripture tells us what we need to do:

“Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.’ ” (John 6:28-29)

That’s the one rule we must follow. Believe in the One He has sent.

And who is that? Jesus Christ.

It’s the only thing God requires. If we don’t do that, nothing else matters. None of the other works we do, no matter how good, count for anything if we haven’t taken the crucial step of believing in Christ’s atoning sacrifice for our sins.

I’m not sure who first wrote this line, but I love it: “God doesn’t grade on a curve; He grades on the Cross.”

Filling our life with good works is admirable. But performing good works without taking the required step of believing in Christ is sort of like solving the wrong equation.

Your list of good works might help you win the “Humanitarian of the Year” award. But they don’t count toward your entry into Heaven. Nowhere in God’s Word does it tell us that we can perform good works in lieu of believing in Jesus and still be welcomed into His Presence.

But don’t believers perform good works?

Yes, they do. But their works are evidence of their salvation, not a prerequisite of it. They perform their good works out of gratitude for what Christ has done for them, and out of love for others. They know that their good works don’t save them: their faith in Christ does.

Have you taken the step of trusting in Christ’s work on the Cross to receive forgiveness of your sins?

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

It’s simple to score 100% on this test: God’s Word has already provided the solution to the equation.

Frankly, it’s an “easy A.”

Want to go to Heaven?

Do the math!

© 2024 Lori J. Cartmell. All rights reserved.