How do you know if you’ve done enough?

Thanks for participating.

I see your problem, and you are right. This is confusing. Neither the line, "God helps those who help themselves" nor the line, "Let go and let God" are from the Bible. When people use non-biblical catchy phrases, passing them out as though they are the legitimate Word of God, confusion is the result.

So let's forget these two lines and approach the other part of your question, "How do you know if you've done enough?" I am not sure I fully understand your question, i.e. done enough for what? If you mean done enough to be right (righteous) before God, then the answer is that you never will and never can do enough to achieve this. The good news is that you don't have to. Jesus Christ "did enough" for you.

We are righteous before God because of what Jesus Christ did, not because of what we do. We merely accept him, confessing him as lord and believing God raised him from the dead, and that’s enough for salvation and righteousness before God (Romans 10:9 and 10).

Righteousness before God is a gift, paid for by Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17). Gifts are not earned. Are there also good works that we are called to do? Yes, of course, but they are not what earns our standing before our heavenly Father. We do them because we love our heavenly Father and want to do his will and treat others with the kind of love we have been shown.

For a full discussion on the gift of righteousness, please see our series titled, "The Gift of Righteousness".

Great question.

Thanks. Bless, Ken Brown