Should We Try to Pay God Back for His Grace to Us?

Have you ever felt guilt rise up inside as you hear someone say a phrase like this: "God has done so much for you; what will you do for him?" This seems to imply that we are in debt to God, and we need to do something about it. But, should we try to pay God back for his grace to us?

Have you ever felt guilt rise up inside as you hear someone say a phrase like this: "God has done so much for you; what will you do for him?"

Many years ago, my life was completely transformed when I truly began to understand the gospel. But, I quickly felt like I needed to do so much for God to pay him back. I needed to work hard to serve, give, and live in such a way where I could pay him back, but it felt like it still wouldn't be enough. I was exhausted like a person living under the weight of impossible amounts of credit card debt. Is this really good news? Should we try to pay God back?

John Piper writes, "[W]e must not be content that our people are doing good things. We must labor to see that they do good things from God-exalting motives--lest they find in the end that their sacrifices were for nothing."[1] In other words, we must be concerned not only with good works, but our motives behind the good works. And trying to pay God back is a bad motive.

Piper calls this the "debtor's ethic." You're in debt. The debt needs to be paid to God. Even if it is acknowledged that believers cannot pay God back for his incredible gift of grace, it still seems like we must work really hard to try our best to pay it back.

Piper continues: "The debtor's ethic has a deadly appeal to immature Christians. It comes packaged as a gratitude ethic and says things like: 'God has done so much for you; now what will you do for Him?' 'He gave you His life; now how much will you give to Him?'"[2] Ouch. How many times have you heard that in church?

However, even if we are motivated by gratitude for God's grace, we should not even imply that we are trying to pay God back. Why? Not only is it impossible, but attempting to pay God back negates God's wonderful gift of grace.

Moreover, even the good works we do are because of his grace. Paul writes, "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work" (2 Cor. 9:8 ESV). Thus, Piper says: "Good deeds do not pay back grace; they borrow more grace."[3] Or, in other words, we need God's grace to forgive our sins and to help us in our good works!

Therefore, there is a way of serving God that "belittles and dishonors Him."[4] Over and over again in Scripture we see God serving people rather than the other way around (compared to the false gods who required people to work for them). Luke writes, "The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything" (Acts 17:24-25 ESV; emphasis added).

"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything" (Acts 17:24-25 ESV; emphasis added).

This is an important point: God is not like the false gods who work people into the ground to serve themselves. Miraculously, he serves us! Even better, as Acts 17 shows, he has no needs. He is so powerful, sufficient, and capable that he does not have a single need that we could provide for him. And, yet, with this power (which is beyond our comprehension), he pursues us with grace--even at the expense of his own suffering and death on a cross. What an incredible God!

Piper gives a medical illustration: "Patients do not serve their physicians. They trust them for good prescriptions."[5] Listen to Jesus, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:31-32 ESV). God is your doctor; you are the sick patient in need of his help.

Similarly, Paul reminds as that people don't work for gifts,

4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness . . .

Romans 4:4-5 ESV

So, Piper concludes that the "only right way to serve God is in a way that reserves for Him all the glory."[6] It is God's grace in you that helps you serve him (1 Cor. 15:10).

Remember, the point of the gospel is God's grace. It brings him great glory. You should not attempt to pay him back. You cannot pay him back. God wants you to humbly, gratefully receive his gift, and then respond by loving him and loving other people.

End Notes:

[1] John Piper, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2002), 34.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid., 38.

[4] Ibid., 40.

[5] Ibid., 41.

[6] Ibid., 44.