Romans 10:6-7

Do not let your emotions betray you.  In verse 6, Paul warns us that we must not let our emotions trick us into believing we have to attract God’s attention.  Now in verse 7, he warns us of another way our emotions can betray us.  He writes, “Do not say in your heart … ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (That is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

Our emotions have such a powerful hold on us because our life experiences shaped them before we met the Lord.  Life taught us things like, “There is no free lunch.” “If you want it, you have to earn it.” “If you want to get ahead in life, you have to work for it.” The work ethic is part of the basic teachings of the Judeo-Christian traditions.  These traditions and values have been good for society, and when we ignore them, everyone suffers.  Yet they do not hold true in the context of spiritual salvation.

Our reconciliation to God is only possible by faith.  We cannot earn it by working for it.  Our pride tells us this is wrong.  Our reasoning agrees, because after all, nothing is free.  We are assuming our salvation is free because we have not earned it.  It is not free; Christ paid it all on the cross.  There is no way possible that we could have ever paid that price.  Only God could make our redemption possible.  For us to believe that and receive salvation requires us to admit our helplessness.  Admitting our helplessness requires us to overcome our pride.  If we let it, our pride will betray us.  We will refuse to admit our helplessness and continue relying upon our own efforts.  Attempting to earn or work for righteousness makes a mockery of Christ’s sacrifice.

The righteousness that is by faith does not require us to bring Christ up from the grave; his father has already resurrected him.  It requires us to ignore our pride, rest from our labors and believe in Christ.