Not Earned, but Worthy

In Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, an Army platoon risks everything to rescue a single soldier after his brothers are killed in combat. The film’s tension increases as members of the search party lose their lives during the rescue mission, forcing the rest of the team to wonder if saving Private Ryan’s life was worth the risk of losing their own. A particularly moving moment toward the end of the movie has Tom Hanks’ character, Captain Miller, whisper to Private Ryan, “Earn this.”

We understand that Private Ryan must have lived a life which was impacted heavily by the sacrifice of his fellow soldiers. In his old age, he turns to his wife and asks her to “tell me I’m a good man.” You can sense the weight of that sacrifice shaping the rest of Ryan’s life.

There’s a similarity to the message that Paul gives in Philippians 1:27: “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” However, there is one crucial difference. There’s nothing for the Philippian church, or us by extension, to earn. Christ’s sacrifice for us paid for everything we need in full. There’s no extra gospel for us to earn.

Still, Paul’s exhortation remains. While there may not be anything for us to earn, our lives should increasingly reflect the gospel we claim to believe. Christ has already paid for our salvation in full, but now our lives should match the message of our Savior. The gospel isn’t something that improves our lives, it IS our life. And it should shape our entire ethos. This week, let’s live in a way that reflects our King and the kingdom we truly belong to.