I like analogies. I've learned that some people don't. But I like them. It's how I learn best. Since we've been trying to sell our house I've had time to come up with a few. It seems like selling a house for us is always a challenge--probably because we need every penny out of it we can get--probably because we never seem to stay anywhere long enough to build much equity. Therefore, throughout the "toughness" of marketing, and wondering and keeping clean and waiting, I have lots of time to consider and think and pray and wonder and wait. Here is the analogy that hit me pretty hard:
Salvation is a free gift. No way in the world can you earn it. Not one part. We are called to be perfect. No sin can be in heaven with God--He is holy. If any part of it depended on us....We. Would. Fail.
In preparing my house for potential buyers to see it, I want it to be perfect. I have the carpets cleaned. We paint. We repair. We replace. We arrange furniture to make the best impression. We buy art or decorations we never would have spent money on before. And then when we are notified that we have an actual person coming to see the house, we clean like crazy! We rearrange our life to make our house shine and sparkle and even smell good. We give up sleep. We do everything in our power to make our house what the buyer would want.
But. Every time. EVERY time. It is imperfect. The floor is crooked in some spots. The carpet is older than ideal. The light won't come on in the pantry. There are scratches on the hardwood. One of our windows has a tiny crack. Our dog has tried to destroy our yard and has done a fairly good job of it at times. I know that the buyers will notice these things eventually. And if they don't, the inspector will.
You see, I need God's grace to sell our house. I need Him to bring a buyer that will look past that and see the house through eyes that see it finished--repaired. And it causes me to wonder how one might think that we could possibly ever earn our salvation--if God says we must be perfect. We know we aren't. And if we miss something, we know the One who sees all. We will come up wanting.
The moment I think I have my house "perfect", I can count on a shelf falling off the wall, or a dresser with potted plants being tipped over, or the dog digging a new hole and tracking through the house. There is always something. I can count on yelling at my kids or being unforgiving, or thinking thoughts that are not pleasing to God. And the tongue! Who can tame that?? We will always struggle with sin as log as we are on this earth.
"For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." Isaiah 64:6
So what is a person to do who wants to be right with God? How can we ever have hope of being with Him in heaven? All of our efforts are in vain because our floors are crooked. Our very being is something we can't fix. We need to be made new.
"When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." 2 Corinthians 2:14
"for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." Romans 10:1
At this point Christ becomes our righteousness. We are perfect in Christ. In Christ alone.
"and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith," Philippians 3:9
And then we forever have this assurance. This assurance that we have a place in heaven. Our salvation does not depend on us. Our eternal life comes from God to his beloved children. He will not disappoint.
"For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge." 2 Corinthians 5:1-5
