I’ll Throw Myself on His Mercy!

 

In his book, Holiness by Grace, Bryan Chapell relates a version of an old tale about a man who died and came face to face with Gabriel at heaven’s gate.

“Here’s how this works,” the angel-gatekeeper began his explanation of entrance protocol. “You need 100 points to make it into heaven. So tell me all the good things you’ve ever done, and I’ll tell you what they are worth.”

“Okay,” the man said – and began with his biggest and best claim. “I was married to the same women for 50 years and never once cheated on her – not even in my heart!”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” said Gabriel. “Wonderful! That’s worth three points.”

“Only three points?” the man gulped incredulously. “Well, I attended church all my life. I was a deacon and, after a while, an elder in my church. And, by the way, I gave well beyond a tithe of my income – and countless hours of service.”

“Good, good,” said the angel. “All that’s certainly worth a point.”

“One point?” said the man – his eyes beginning to show a bit of panic. “How about this: I opened a shelter for homeless people in my city and fed needy people by the hundreds during the holidays.”

“Oh, fantastic, that’s good for two points,” offered Gabriel, not even looking up from his notepad.

“Two points!” cried the man in utter desperation. “Two points? At the rate I’m going, this is hopeless. The only chance I have of getting into heaven is by the sheer grace of God! I’ll have to throw myself on the mercy of his heavenly court.”

“Come right in!” said the angel who knew the heart of Father, Son, and Spirit.

Chapell’s story and my adaptation of it are purely apocryphal. There is no “point system” by which we will be graded at heaven’s gate. But the punch line of the story is precisely correct. The only hope any human has – even the best among us – is not in herself but in Christ. His love for us. His amazing grace.

The place where God expects for this message to be communicated about his heart and perfect will is the community of faith called the church. More than that, the church is the place where people who have received grace learn to give it now to others. Grace, you see, is not a personal gift to be received and relished in private moments. It is the free gift of God to his children and is to be passed along to all others who need the same redemptive, healing mercy in their lives.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).