This Sunday at Southridge, we continued our Ink & Fire series with Part Seven: “Don’t Work to Earn the Free Gift.”
In Romans 4:1–12, Paul shows us a truth that can change everything:
Salvation isn’t a paycheck—it’s a promise.
You don’t earn it. You believe for it.
Because faith, not effort, is what justifies us before God.
Abraham didn’t get right with God by doing—he got right by trusting.
And that same righteousness that was credited to him… is available to us.
We live in a world that teaches us to hustle for worth and prove ourselves through performance.
But the Gospel flips that upside down.
You don’t work for this gift. You receive it.
Because the work isn’t yours—it’s Christ’s.
When we confuse the fruit of salvation (obedience) with the root of salvation (faith), we end up in a cycle of trying to earn what was always meant to be free.
David failed—and still found favor.
Abraham believed—and was blessed before he ever performed.
God justifies the ungodly. That means there’s hope for all of us.
Faith is what unlocks the promise.
And when you truly believe, obedience follows—not out of obligation, but out of love.
What if you stopped trying to earn what Jesus already finished?
What if you stopped working for approval, and started walking in freedom?
This week, rest in the truth: God has already counted you righteous.
Now live like it.
Watch the full message here.
