…so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2:16 ESV)
Success
No matter how hard I tried, I could not get the solder to melt and connect the two pieces of copper pipe. Newer technologies had not yet been invented, so heating the pipe sections, and melting the bit of solder to seal the two pieces were my only option. I tried everything I could think of. A unstoppable tiny trickle of water was leaking into one of the sections, and that water kept cooling the metal just enough to stop my efforts.
Finally, I called my father. And he had some practical advice that came from his wealth of experience. The final, successful solution involved some strips of wool, a few timely hammer blows, and three torches. Calling my father worked where depending on my own ability had failed.
While not a perfect analogy, this is similar to the gospel.
When we try to achieve the perfection required to meet the entrance requirements of heaven, we fail. Trying harder does not work. Trying again does not work. Trying another way does not work. We sin. And our sin stops us.
But we can call on Jesus. In fact, as Christians this is exactly what we have done.
Jesus does more than give us a trick to solder copper pipes.
He pulls us into heaven. Our faith in Him opens heaven’s door, previously shut tight against us. Our own efforts do not, have not, and will not work. Works do not work.
Success on the heaven path is only ours when we call out to Jesus, when we believe Him and believe in Him.
This makes us the most peculiar of all. Everyone else is still trying to make it on their own.
We are peculiar, faith saves.