Accepting Your Unacceptability

I hear a lot of people talking about their lack of assurance these days. That is a good thing. It is time to seek the Lord till He may be found. But let’s face it, religion has confused the issue
What I hear is a lot of people feeling like their faith or their repentance is not good enough. They are unsure as to whether what they have experienced qualified them for salvation and they are unsure if they are truly converted. They are not sure if their faith measures up to what God demands. They are not sure if their repentance was enough.
Do you see what is happening here?
You are looking at yourself? You are looking inward to see if there is enough value in your efforts, or your performance, or the degree of your faith for God to accept. You have got it completely wrong. You are making it too hard.
Christ did not lovingly endure damnation so that you could believe enough or repent enough to be accepted before God. He suffered because you are absolutely unacceptable. You are trying to be acceptable instead of repenting of who you are and trusting Christ to save you. And at the bottom of it all is pride.
It is pride that is causing you to look at yourself and see if you are sufficient enough to qualify. That is why you don’t feel like you are saved, because you are trying to be good enough in your belief and your repentance for God to save you. You are looking at yourself and trying to feel that you have made yourself acceptable enough in your own belief and repentance for God to say, oh OK, now you have done well enough and I will save you.
You are drowning and you will not cry out for God to save you. You don’t want to admit that you are drowning because there is still a bit of self-effort there. For one reason or another, you won’t totally give up on yourself. You still have a bit of strength left so you are going to keep trying as hard as you can until you really “feel” acceptable. That is not the way of salvation.
The way of salvation is to look to the shore to the Savior and cry out that you are lost, drowning, on your way to hell, with no ability, no strength and completely unacceptable.
Christ came to save the lost. Repent of your pride. Quit looking to yourself. Cry out to God to save you. Quit looking inward to see if you measure up. You don’t. Nothing of you, your belief, your repentance, your performance, your feelings of uncleanness, your love, nothing is good enough. It is enough that Christ died. He arose from the dead, and you need to look to Him alone. Don’t even try to feel as if you are desperate enough. That is simply more pride. Repent and believe. He is a mighty Rescuer. He is mighty to save! Will you believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for your sins? Will you repent of your pride and come to Him? You say, I can't! I am not able! I am drowning! I am lost! I am unacceptable! I have no more pride! Ah.............Cry to Him! He is mighty to save!