What Do We Deserve?

“He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”

Psalm 103:10

One of the terms I hear so often in our culture is the expression that I “deserve” something. Whether it is break today (as the McDonald’s ads used to proclaim), a vacation, a chance at fame, happiness, a job, healthcare, a college education, or anything else in life, in most of these claims we do not deserve anything. We only “deserve” something if we have earned it!  However, some in our culture have come to believe that we deserve some of these things based on simply nothing more than our citizenship or existence.  We sometimes call this the “entitlement mentality,” a belief that we are somehow entitled to something that we did not have to work for or pay for ourselves.  The truth is that we only deserve something if we have worked for it or have earned it by our own efforts. 

In America today, it seems that the Puritan ethic of working hard is rapidly disappearing from our culture.  While there are still many Americans who continue to work hard for a living and do not expect anything from the government or others, we are seeing younger Americans who have this entitlement mentality and expect someone else, or the government, to provide for them.  They believe that they “deserve” certain things, like a free college education, free healthcare, a good job, a comfortable lifestyle, or a nice retirement without having to work for them or earn them.  Although the economy may be different today than it was when I was their age, the principle still remains that if people want certain things, they need to develop a skill, get a job, and then work hard to obtain them.

The Bible confirms this principle when it says in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 that “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”  In other words, we are to work (if we are able to) for what we want or need in life. The Bible does not condone laziness or sloth. The only exception are those people who are disabled or unable to work. In those cases, the Bible says that we, as followers of Christ, are to help those in need (Matthew 25:44-45). But it is also true that humans sometimes get things that they didn’t earn themselves. These are generally things like gifts, inheritances, or perhaps winning the lottery.

So, what exactly do we as humans deserve in this life? For those of us who are Americans, one of our founding documents, our Declaration of Independence, says that we have the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. In short, that means we have the right to live, the right to live as we choose, and the right to pursue our own vocations and education. The implication of this is that we have the freedom to make our own way in life, whatever that is, within the bounds of the law and our constitution. But that’s all we deserve – an opportunity to build our lives as we each desire!

Many other nations of the world provide this same freedom of opportunity, although there are some that do not, such as communist nations and dictatorships. But America is unique in that it was founded on this principle. Our freedoms have generated economic growth and better lives for all of our citizens more than any other nation in history! History has also shown us what happens when freedom of opportunity does not exist, such as in the former Soviet Union, North Korea, and Cuba. Everyone gets what they need to live, but its citizens are much worse off than those who live in nations that provide freedom of opportunity to determine their own way of earning a living.

But there is one thing that we as humans do deserve, no matter what nation we live in. All of us were born into sin and have a sinful nature (Romans 3:10, 3:23). We therefore deserve God’s punishment for our wickedness because He judges all humans for their words and actions in this life. As Ecclesiastes 12:14 says, “For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”.  And while many people don’t believe they are sinful and deserve punishment, they are only fooling themselves. As 1st John 1:9 says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Failure to heed God’s Word does not mean that we will escape His judgment and justice. God will judge all people when their earthly life ends (Matthew 12:36). Judgment Day is coming for all of us!

But there is good news! This coming Sunday is Easter Sunday, a day where Christians celebrate God giving us what we don’t deserve – forgiveness for our sins through the death and resurrection of His only Son Jesus Christ! Jesus already paid the penalty for our sins on the cross 2,000 years ago. God’s judgment fell on His only Son Jesus instead of us, so that “whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) This is God’s gift to us because we don’t deserve it! We did not, and cannot, earn God’s grace. We simply need to trust and believe that Jesus died for our sins to receive this wonderful gift. The Apostle Paul wrote about this to the church at Ephesus when he said, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) God’s grace is purely a gift given to us out of His immense love for us!

So, this weekend, let us remember what God has done for us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross to pay the penalty and judgment for our sins! Let us come before Him with grateful hearts and songs of praise on our lips to thank Him for giving us what we do not deserve – forgiveness of our sins and eternal life with Him and His Son Jesus! Let us daily live our lives for Him because of what He’s done for us and let us also share this good news with others with the time we have left on this earth!

To God alone be the glory! Amen!