There is a reason so many people resist Christianity. It's because it's not something that you or I can contain in our feeble human minds because it is the only thing on this planet that is not contingent upon what you do or don't do. It's too easy. It's too easy to just believe and be saved, and receive forgiveness for ALL your sins (past, present, and future), be reconciled to God, and have the hope of eternal life without pain or suffering. Everything in our society today is built upon merit- whether or not you deserve something based on what you did or who you are. Christianity is not based upon who you are or what you've done, but COMPLETELY reliant on who God is and what HE has done for you. Some people feel they have done so many good things in their life that they don't think it's fair that those good works don't count for anything in Christianity, and that its equally available to all people, regardless of anything. Some feel that if there is nothing they can do to deserve it, than there must be a catch of some sort. But that's just not the case here. It is, however, a paradox. The difference in Christianity and every other religion in the world is that instead of being saved BY good works, we are saved UNTO good works. The reason behind why we are saved lies in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ- something we not only don't deserve, but also that we never could have done for ourselves. If we could do it on our own, why would we even need a higher being? Why would we have this yearning deep inside for something beyond this world? When we are saved, it transforms our hearts, minds, and perspectives on sin, grace and forgiveness.We come to a place where we don't need to do good works, but we want to in light of everything that has been given to us. In the Old Testament, God's people were required to make animal sacrifices for their sins, to mourn, wear sackcloth, and throw ashes. When the old covenant was broken and the new covenant was made in Jesus, all that went out the window. God does not want us to mourn, weep, or be shameful over our sin to the point of sorrow. That's why he sent his Son. Whether you are a Christian (which means you have accepted the free gift of forgiveness and salvation offered through Jesus Christ) or not (in which case all you have to do is accept the gift- it's that simple), HE ALREADY PAID FOR IT. Not that he doesn't want us to be sorry for our sin and turn from it, but he doesn't want us to waste our time wallowing in it when there is a lost and dying world out there waiting to hear about the love of God. When we spend excessive amounts of time weeping over our sins, begging for forgiveness, and telling God how sorry we are, it's like a child who has broken a window, his parents fix it for him without punishing him, but then the child continues to apologize for his wrongdoing, regardless of the fact that the parents are not mad. Now, that is a weak analogy I know, but the idea here is not that repentance, confession, and regret over sin is out of place, but that they shouldn't be on the forefront of a Christian's mind because those sins have already been wiped out by the blood of Christ. This is also not a license to sin. When you are truly saved and seeking God with all your heart, you will never use the grace of God as justification or an excuse to sin. In your heart, if you are in God's will, sin will be repulsive to you, and you won't want to participate in it because of how much it grieves the heart of the One who loves you more than you could ever know.
There are still some moments where I think I should "live a better life" or "do more good things" so that I don't have to feel so bad about this wonderful gift that has been given to me through God's Son. But that was not God's intention. He wants us to be grateful for the gift, and moved to action by the surpassing greatness of his grace...moved into action to reach others. That is the main reason we are here on this earth anyways. We're just supposed to BE- to bask in his love and let it encompass us, recognizing that we didn't earn or deserve it, to know that it was the most expensive gift ever, and to let the extravagance of that gift spur us on in our daily lives, as we strive to open others' eyes to the love and grace of God.
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