Nothing and everything. If you don’t understand both of these aspects of grace, you don’t understand grace. As sinful people, we can do nothing to meet God’s standards, avoid God’s wrath, deserve God’s blessing, earn God’s forgiveness, or enter God’s heaven. But God did everything by sending Jesus to forgive us, free us and favor us so we can enjoy a rich and restored relationship with Him forever. We don’t buy from, bargain with or bribe God for what He does for us; we receive it freely by faith. This is the reality of grace: God doesn’t help those who help themselves. He helps those who cannot help themselves.
