In our text for today, Jesus is saying, in essence, that you cannot accept a gift and also earn it. This is one of the big, mountainous questions that face us today. Can we ever earn or merit God's grace, whether it's in the realm of justification or sanctification? The answer to both is No. We can never earn or merit or work for God's grace. It is a gift. It is always a gift.
If we try to save ourselves, we are going to end up forsaking Jesus. This is shown in Matthew 26:51-56. It's the story of Peter and the other disciples. They were sure that they would die for Jesus. They loved Jesus. They had worked and traveled with Jesus for more than three years. But they thought they could take care of themselves. Instead of spending time in the Garden watching and praying, they simply buckled their swords a little tighter and went to sleep. They thought they were prepared for an emergency. But notice the commentary in The Desire of Ages on the sequence of events that night. It's found on page 697: "The disciples were terrified as they saw Jesus permit Himself to be taken and bound. They were offended that He should suffer this humiliation to Himself and them. They could not understand His conduct, and they blamed Him for submitting to the mob. In their indignation and fear, Peter proposed that they save themselves. Following this suggestion, 'they all forsook him, and fled.' "
Whether I'm trying to save myself in justification, trying to earn or merit my forgiveness, or trying to save myself by overcoming and obedience and victory in sanctification, in the end I'm going to forsake Jesus. If we try to weave ourselves into the picture, in whatever area of salvation, whether justification, sanctification, or glorification, then we are trying to save ourselves, and ultimately we'll follow the example of the disciples, who forsook Him. It is blasphemy for a man to try to be God or to try to save himself, no matter in what aspect of salvation. We can be saved only though Jesus, through accepting His merits and through continuing the faith relationship with Him.