Quotes about Merit

The gospel also is not a law book that contains many good teachings, as has been thought in the past. It doesn't tell us to do good works to become virtuous but announces God's grace to us, given freely and without our merit. It tells us how Christ stood as our representative. He paid for our sins and wiped them out so that we can become faithful and blessed through his work.

Thus Augustine says: "We know that we owe our existence to His goodness. We know that we are creatures because of the kindness of God, not because of merit. For it has pleased God that no one should glory except in the Lord.

These words are like so many thunderclaps of protest from heaven against every kind and type of self-merit.

For if "Free-will" cannot of itself will good, but wills good by grace alone, (for we are speaking of "Free-will" apart from grace and inquiring into the power which properly belongs to each) who does not see, that that good will, merit, and reward, belong to grace alone.

The only hope of success is the way of love as agape rather than eros. From this rival perspective, the secret of the search is not our "great ascent" but "the great descent" - of God toward us. Instead of the seeker finding love, love seeks out the seeker - not because the seeker is worthy of love but simply because love's nature is to love regardless of the worthiness or merit of the one loved.

If Abraham was indeed justified by works, he had something to boast about, but not before God.

This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Homeliness is almost as great a merit in a book as in a house, if the reader would abide there. It is next to beauty, and a very high art.

We must learn to help those who deserve it, not just those who need it. Life responds to deserve not need.

The merit of persons is to be no rule of our charity, but we are to do acts of kindness to those that least deserve it.

Nature gives you the face you have at twenty it is up to you to merit the face you have at fifty.

It is no small merit in God's eyes to bring up children well.