Two months ago, while I was in Hong Kong, the world tennis championship was there. The tennis pavilion where the match was held could hold only five to six hundred spectators. Another eight hundred people could not get in and had to stand outside. The problem was not whether they had money or not, whether they were male or female, or whether they were masters or slaves. None of them could go in. Whether one was rich or poor, educated or illiterate, male or female, made no difference. The difference between them and those inside did not lie in their being rich or poor, male or female, educated or illiterate. The problem was that they could not get in.

In the same way, whether or not you are moral or whether or not you are gentle is not the question. The question is whether or not you can enter into glory. All those who cannot enter into glory are sinners and are disqualified before God. God has leveled everyone before Him. We have a plot of land in Jen-ru. Recently we needed to put some grass on it. To do that I had to hire some workers to level the ground. The question today is whether or not we can enter in. Regardless of whether or not you are moral, you cannot enter into glory. God has leveled everyone. Why has God leveled everyone? Galatians 3:22 tells us that "the Scripture has shut up all under sin in order that the promise out of faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe." God has shut up all under sin. Everyone has become a sinner, so that all who believe in Jesus Christ may receive the grace of God. God has leveled everyone so that He might bestow grace on everyone.

Romans 11:32 says, "For God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all." God has shut up all in disobedience. He has leveled them all. For what goal? The goal is that He might show mercy to all. Hence, before God achievements can have no place at all. Everyone stands on the same ground.

Romans 3:9 says, "What then? Are we better? Not at all! For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin." God's verdict is that both the Jews and the Gentiles are all under sin. There is absolutely no chance for achievements to have a place. In the portions of the Scriptures that we have just read, we see that all have been shut up in sin and disobedience in order that we may go to God to receive grace and mercy. What is God's grace? God's grace is His giving to man not according to what he deserves. God's grace does not give to man more than what he deserves or better than what he deserves. Grace is simply God giving to man what he should not have and does not deserve.