Eric Heath - July 25, 2025
Two weeks ago at church, my oldest daughter Ellie read through the sermon Scripture before I preached. After the service, two people offered kind words of congratulations and encouragement to my daughter for her reading. The only issue? They were given to my middle daughter, Mia, who had been attending Higher Ground with the other middle school students, and was unsure why she was being praised for her reading ability.
Now, if you were one of the people who are now kicking yourself (and I’m pretty sure at least one of you reads this newsletter), don’t feel bad – we had a good laugh about it. Besides, nobody has mixed my kids’ names up more than I have. This is why we had another Name Tag Night last weekend!
There is, however, something profoundly Christian about receiving the credit for someone else’s work; indeed, it is the foundation of the gospel! 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us, of Christ, that “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” If the gospel message can fairly be distilled down to the three words “God saves sinners”, then the means by which He does this is by crediting those who believe Him with Christ’s righteousness.
When we disregard this reality, we end up in one of two places – either a smug (and entirely unearned) self-righteousness of one who boasts in their own ability to meet God’s standard, or a genuine despair that arises from the recognition that one can never meet that standard. Neither, however, is where the gospel leads. The standard was met by One and One alone – but the good news is that those who respond to the invitation and proclaim Him as Lord and Saviour get the credit for all that He said and did!
So, rather than striving or lamenting, let us live our lives in a grateful response to the One who has already accomplished it all! And should someone ever give us the credit for righteousness, let us be sure to point them to the One who truly deserves it – soli Deo gloria (to God alone belongs the glory)!
And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
– 1 Corinthians 1:30-31
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