Nothing you have done has ever mattered, not one word, or deed, not one action you have performed for the entirety of your life has ever been of any value, it is the one thing you have never done that would have ever been of any value.
I have said these words to individuals, not as an opening statement of course, but when a decision needed to be made as to whether I was to continue witnessing to them or if I was throwing pearls before swine, (Matt. 7:6) these words and others similar to them were spoken. Needless to say, they have not been received well, but they are the truth, and the truth is rarely received well. It matters not if you have cared for the infirmed your entire life, if you have devoted your life to the cause of others, lived only for the sake of the welfare of your fellow man, denying yourself continually for the benefit of others, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” (Eph. 2:8) No work, no good deed, no matter how great it is, how touching to the heart, not one is good enough to gain entry into the kingdom of heaven. Works have never saved anyone.
It is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks set before the children of God, to help the lost to come to this realization that no word or deed for the entirety of their lives has been of any value towards their salvation, and not only them, but all religious organizations and even in the churches today. Works are a natural part of us, they are in essence a part of our nature, to perform gives value, and when that performance is for the benefit of others, it is seen as having value, as if a reward has been earned, and what we earn we feel we deserve a reward for.
The most kind, gracious, caring man, the most reverent towards others, loving, devoted woman on this planet that does not know Jesus Christ as Lord will go to hell for all eternity. Incomprehensible to the natural man, easily understood by the spiritually minded, by the born-again believer. For anyone to exclaim that any work they did, even if it was continued for the entirety of their lives, can be compared, to be counted as equal, to what Christ did on the cross is beyond ludicrous, it is blasphemous. It denies the perfect sacrifice, it holds in low esteem the precious blood that was shed for all mankind on the cross, it says the Holy One was not enough.
This is why it does not bother me in the least to say these words to them, for they are arrogant, prideful individuals who are placing their deeds as valuable as what was done for us by the Lord. It is shameful to even begin to contemplate that He who regards no man (Rom. 2:11) would look upon the works of any of His creation as comparable to what His Son did for all. The need to be needed, the desire to be noticed, all lead to pride in this area, all lead to the statement of “I will.” It is the main reason, the root cause of this rebellion against the Most High, it always has been.
Many believers have fallen into this trap also though, they want to glorify the Lord, but they also want five percent or so of that glory for themselves. They will inform others of how the Lord is using them, what works they have been performing, not all of the limelight, but maybe just a small part of it they seek for themselves. We are to be prepared to give an account to all who ask us of our faith, (1 Peter 3:15) but what is it that you have received that did not come from God. (1 Cor. 4:7) We have absolutely nothing to boast of, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5) But “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Phil. 4:13) It makes absolutely no difference whatsoever we do, what we say, the works we do, if they are not done for the glory of God, if they do not lift up the name of Jesus Christ, they are useless, and they will be burned, they are wood, hay, and stubble. There is nothing that anyone who has ever lived can do that will equal what was done on the cross that day.
