Many people constantly live under the misconception that – when we stand before God on Judgment Day – he will weigh our good deeds against our bad deeds. God makes it clear: That’s not the case. This is pretty relieving, because it frees us from living underneath the incredible pressure of blindly wondering, “Have I been good enough?!”
A First Century skeptic-turned-Christian named Paul depicted himself as a man with an awful past, but he described God as a Heavenly Father of incredible grace. (“Grace” = an undeserved, unearned gift of love and forgiveness). What does that mean? How much of my past, present, and future will God’s grace actually cover? How do I receive this gift of grace? Can I trick God and abuse His grace?
Sounds like you’ve got some great questions. Let’s look at Romans 6-8 in the Bible and talk it out…