“[The promise] is not only for those who live under the law of Moses but for anyone who lives with faith like that of Abraham.” Romans 4:16 (NCV)

God doesn’t play favorites, regardless of your status or your sin. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a religious person or a formerly religious person or if you have any religious background at all.

Romans 4:16 says, “[The promise] is not only for those who live under the law of Moses but for anyone who lives with faith like that of Abraham” (NCV). Who are these people who live under the law of Moses? The Jewish people. They were given the ways of God before anyone else.

Have you ever thought about why the Jews were called God’s chosen people? Does God love them more than he loves the rest of us? No. They were chosen for a purpose, and part of that purpose was to spread the message that there is one true God. They were kind of like the missionaries to the rest of us.

Now God has taken that task and given it to the church, which includes everybody who puts their faith in Christ, regardless of their background. God says his salvation is available to anybody who opens up their heart in faith: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13 NIV). There are no quotas in heaven. It doesn’t say only really good people will be saved if they call on the name of the Lord or really religious people or really smart people. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

The sad thing is that even though many people know that God offers his gift of grace, they still try to work their way into heaven. They think that something in their lives makes them good enough so they don’t need to receive God’s gift of salvation through Christ.

You may have done some really amazing things in life, but if you think they’re going to get you into heaven, forget it. The only way any of us gets in is by receiving God’s gift of grace, which is available to every person.