How two brothers handled the same problem differently

Once upon a time there were two brothers. Both of them had their own businesses. Both of them were hard workers. And both of them were in deep financial trouble.

The economic recession had a horrendous impact on their companies. Neither of them had the ability anymore, to pay staff members or creditors. Finally the one brother came to a place where he had to make the most difficult decision of his life: He decided to file for bankruptcy.

Though the other brother’s situation did not look any better, he made the decision to keep on trying. He enrolled for a debt-counseling program, and his creditors gave him reprieve for a short period of time. He was still under immense pressure though. He pledged to pay a certain amount of money each month and he now had to work extra hard to pay-up and perform.

Our spiritual condition

Which one of the two brothers resembles you the most, when it comes to your relationship with the Lord? If you are anything like me, you would probably identify with the second brother.

Normally we are quite willing to declare ourselves “bankrupt” in the sight of the Lord, in order to get “saved”. We know there is nothing that we can do, that can earn our salvation. We have no problem declaring that we can only be saved through God’s grace.

But when it comes to daily living, our mindset of legalism tends to surface very quickly. Have you ever caught yourself thinking that God will not help you with a specific problem, because recently you weren’t that faithful in your prayer time?

In his book Transforming grace: Living confidently in God’s unfailing love, Jerry Bridges says: “Our expectation of God’s blessing depends on how well we feel we are living the Christian life”.

Yes, we put our faith in Christ and believe we will be saved through God’s grace – but we then immediately fall back into a “works relationship” with the Lord. We believe we are saved by grace, but need to live by performance.

“We recognize that even our best efforts cannot get us to heaven, but we do think they earn God’s blessings in our daily lives” ~ Jerry Bridges

The truth of the matter is, as humiliating as it might have been for the first brother to be declared bankrupt, there was a bright side: He was finally free! His debt no longer hung over his head. The second brother still had to work and toil to keep the creditors from harassing him. He was still under the pressure of performance. Each month he still struggled to make ends meet. In effect, nothing really changed for the second brother.[1]

The message of the New Testament is that we are not in a “debt-counseling” program anymore. Spiritually, we were declared “bankrupt” – totally bankrupt – and yet we are (in Christ) welcomed by God. This is called “grace”.

It is staggering to realize that you are not only saved by grace – but that you can live by grace. The Bible says: “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ.” (2 Cor 1:20 NIV). It is bewildering to think that you may rely on God’s favor – even though you did not do anything to earn it. The only reason the Lord is kind towards you, is Jesus. Your only merit is Christ.

Remember this the next time you pray. Do not approach the Lord on the grounds of what you did or did not do – but on the grounds of the finished work of Christ. It disempowers yourself – and empowers God’s grace.

[1] The metaphor of the two brothers is an adaptation from the analogy that Jerry Bridges used in his book. Bridges, J. 1991, (2008) Transforming Grace: Living Confidently in God’s Unfailing Love, Navpress