4When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, 5because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." 6So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
9When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." 10Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
There are two perspectives we can have regarding our worthiness before the Eternal Son of God and His Kingdom, only 1 perspective is right.
You can have a man centered perspective, or, A God Centered Perspective.
This sovereignty of man perspective basis ones worthiness on your own merits before Christ. The Jewish leader had that perspective of the Roman Centurion, they based his worthiness before Christ, on the fact that he was good to the Jewish nation, helped them have their Synagogue built and used his resources to have that built.
However, the Centurion's perspective was a God Centered perspective. He saw himself through the Sovereignty of God's eyes. He was unworthy before Christ. He did not basis his merits on himself to have Jesus come to Him, for he know he was not worthy to have Jesus even come under his roof! Even though he was instrumental in building the Synagogue.
Such a perspective sees our unworthiness before the Eternal Son of God. The Centurion relied on Christ mercy to make him worthy. He relied on Christ to have mercy on him, he was not relying on himself or his merits or reputation before the elders of Israel.
Our Worthiness is based on Four aspects of Jesus' Redemptive Life:
1. We are only righteous through Christ's Righteousness to Enter God's Kingdom-- Apart from Christ's righteousness; we are not worthy or made righteous in and of ourselves
2. We are only cleansed only through the Blood of Christ, through His Death on the cross--Apart from the blood of Jesus; we are not cleansed and forgiven.
3. Only through the Resurrection of Jesus are and do we receive Justification and Eternal life--apart from Jesus' resurrection; there is no hope for eternal life or justification.
4. Only through the Holy Spirit, are we made Born again of new life in Christ--apart from the Holy Spirit's work of regenerating us with new life in Christ, a new self being made in the image and likeness of Christ--apart from the Holy Spirit's Work of regeneration and quickening;we are still dead in our sins; nor are we able; nor can we regenerate or quicken our souls to new life in and of ourselves.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast Ephesians 2:8-9
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