Imagine spending your whole life trying to measure up,

accumulating righteousness by the inch, good deeds by the yard,

and hoping you've done enough to earn a spot in heaven.

Now, picture God throwing away the tape measure. Today on Insight for

Living, Chuck Swindall uses a simple measuring tape to shatter our performance-based view of salvation.

Whether you've got one foot of righteousness or four feet of religious works, the shocking

truth is God's grace doesn't measure your performance in inches and yards.

Chuck titled today's message, Unwrapping the Gift of Grace.

Through God's eyes, through his lenses, if you will, as he looks at humanity, he evaluates that all are

sinful. None deserve or can ever earn their way into the holy, absolutely pristine, pure presence of God. Verse 21. Now apart from the law, the righteousness

of God has been displayed, rendered here manifested, the righteousness of God has been displayed

being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the

righteousness of God through faith. Notice three things about this. It has nothing to do with

the law, this righteousness. It says it's apart from the law. Second, it is not new. It was witnessed. It was

declared. It was written by the law and the prophets. They knew of this righteousness and it is all

a part of God's redemptive plan that began all the way back at Adam.

It's nothing new.

Third, it's not from within ourselves.

It is based on our faith in Jesus Christ.

As a matter of fact, when we turn to ourselves, verse 23, tells it all,

all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Have you ever worked hard enough to be as righteous as God is? You can't. Ever sacrificed enough to really earn your way into heaven like the sacrifice of Jesus? You can't. You talk to any religion and ask the crucial question,

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