With God all things are possible

Jesus has just finished a conversation with a wealthy young man who walked away sad because he couldn't let go of his riches. The disciples watched the whole thing unfold, and when Jesus said it was nearly impossible for a rich person to enter God's kingdom, they were stunned. If someone with every advantage in life couldn't make it in, they wondered, then who could?

That's the question that gets to the heart of this passage: "Then who can be saved?"

Jesus didn't soften the answer, He looked at them and said plainly, "With man it is impossible." That's a hard word, but it's an honest one. No amount of wealth, good behavior, religious effort, or personal willpower can earn a place in God's kingdom. Salvation is simply beyond what any human being can do for themselves. Jesus didn't stop there, He added something that changes everything: "but not with God. For all things are possible with God".

This is the core of the gospel message, we cannot save ourselves, but God can save us. He doesn't just help us along the way, He does what we never could. He sent His Son to live the life we couldn't live, die the death we deserved, and rise again so that we could have new life through faith in Him. Salvation is entirely His work, given to us as a gift.

This truth should do two things in us. First, it should humble us, there is nothing we can bring to God that earns His favor. Second, it should fill us with hope, because if salvation depends on God and not on us, then no one is too far gone. No past is too dark, no heart is too hard.

Today, rest in this: what is impossible for you is not impossible for God.