Are You Trying to Pay God Back?

Have you ever been in this scenario? You’re out with family or friends, and someone generously picks up the tab for everyone.

For many of us, this is a difficult gift to receive. We politely protest, or we offer to at least pay the tip.

If those don’t work, we make sure to return the favor later.

And sometimes, it’s actually expected that we return the favor.

But God doesn’t work like that.

God’s Free Gift: A Debt Paid

God has also paid the tab for us, but this time on a much bigger scale.

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭ESV

We actually had a debt to pay before God generously intervened. There’s so much that could be said about it, but in short, something had to be done about our sin.

God is all about justice, and it wouldn’t be just to let us all get away with our sins. And he knew we couldn’t bear the consequences ourselves. There was no way for us to pay the debt.

So he paid it for us through the death of his only Son, Jesus.

And it is a completely free gift for us to receive.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭23‬ ‭ESV

Because of our sin, we didn’t deserve eternal life with God. But through Jesus, we have the opportunity to receive it without having to pay God back.

But Are We Trying to Pay Him Back?

For many of us, though, it’s hard to receive this gift without feeling like we need to perform to make up for it.

Similar to the dinner scenario earlier, we feel like we need to do something to return the favor.

What if I’m not doing enough good works? Will God still love me?

What if I fall back into bad habits? Do I still have eternal life?

Those are the kinds of questions that naturally come up when our confidence shifts from what Jesus has done to what we are doing.

Maybe you’re like me, and there are times when you feel like you’re not doing enough. Like you have to perform better to be a "good" Christian.

There Isn’t Anything Left to Pay

However, when we think like this, we’re actually not putting our faith in Jesus. We’re putting our faith in our ability to perform.

The debt is already paid. It’s done. Nothing is left. Trying to pay more is actually a sign that we’re not trusting Jesus to have done enough for us.

But he really did.

There’s no need to keep paying toward a bill that no longer exists.

What Should We Do Instead?

Jesus tells us to abide in him.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” ‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Of course, God wants us to live lives that bear good fruit through good works, but that’s not the starting point.

I love how Matt Chandler describes it.

...hopefully you’ve begun to clearly see how the Christian life isn’t first about what you do for Jesus; it’s about staying connected to Jesus. In John 15, Jesus doesn’t say, “Produce much fruit,” but “Abide in me.” He’s not calling us to hustle harder; He’s inviting us to remain rooted. The branches do not strain to bear fruit; they simply stay attached to the Vine. That connection is the source of all transformation. Any version of discipleship that skips abiding will eventually collapse under the weight of performance. The reason the work of formation is so deep is because it starts internally, not externally.

Before God changes your behavior, He wants to change your heart. He’s not building a resume; He’s forming a person. He gets into your desires, your wounds, your attachments - into the places no one else sees. That’s why real growth feels slow: It’s happening beneath the surface before it’s visible above it. But when Christ is formed in you, the fruit will come naturally in time.

It’s easy to settle for a Jesus who’s just around us - at church, in community, in our rhythms. But the gospel goes deeper than that: “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). He’s not just your example; He’s your indwelling life. The Spirit of God actually takes up residence in you, shaping your thoughts, healing your affections, and transforming your instincts. This isn’t self-improvement; it’s resurrection from the inside out. And the more you abide, the more you become. — Matt Chandler, Becoming Like Jesus (Thomas Nelson, 2026), p. 192.

God didn’t save us to anxiously move through life trying to perform and meet expectations. He saved us to have a relationship with him that is so filled with his love that we can be free.

Free from the weight of performance. Free from the weight of wondering if we are good enough. Free from trying to maintain the image of being a good person.

No, God wants us to abide in him and experience his love so deeply that we are filled up to deeply love others.

So if you’re wondering whether you’re doing enough, rest. Reset. And turn to God by abiding in him.