No One is Worthy
And That's the Point
There are seasons in the Christian life when our sin feels unusually loud. The conscience stings. Prayer feels hypocritical. Evangelism feels fraudulent. Bible reading feels almost invasive — as if we are handling holy things with dirty hands.
In those moments, a subtle lie slithers in:
“You shouldn’t preach. You shouldn’t pray. You shouldn’t speak of Christ. Look at you.”
That lie feels humble. It feels reverent. It even sounds spiritual. But it is not from the Spirit of God.
It is the ancient strategy of the accuser.
The Accuser’s Old Tactic
Scripture calls Satan “the accuser of our brothers” (Revelation 12:10). He does not usually tempt mature believers with outright atheism. He tempts them with paralysis.
He whispers:
“Clean yourself up first.”
“Get serious for a few weeks.”
“Fix that hidden sin.”
“Then you can come back to ministry.”
But here is the truth: you were never worthy to begin with.
The ground of your confidence was never your consistency.
It was Christ.
Isaiah Knew He Was Unclean
In Isaiah 6, when Isaiah sees the Lord high and lifted up, his response is not:
“Send me, I’m ready.”
It is:
“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips…”
Only after God atones for his guilt does Isaiah go.
Notice carefully: Isaiah did not clean himself up. God did the cleansing. Then God sent him.
The pattern holds.
Peter Knew He Was Sinful
In Luke 5, after the miraculous catch of fish, Peter falls at Jesus’ knees and says:
“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
Yet Jesus does not depart.
He commissions him.
“From now on you will be catching men.”
Peter’s awareness of sin did not disqualify him. It positioned him to depend entirely on grace.
Your Sin Is Real — But So Is Your Justification
As Reformed Baptists, we confess that justification is by faith alone in Christ alone. We affirm the imputed righteousness of Christ. We preach total depravity without flinching.
So why do we live as if ministry depends on our performance?
If your standing before God rises and falls with your current sanctification progress, then you have functionally denied justification by faith.
Yes, we must repent. Yes, we must mortify sin. Yes, secret sin cripples usefulness. But the presence of remaining corruption does not cancel the gospel you preach.
In fact, the gospel you preach is the only reason you can preach at all.
The Lie Sounds Like Humility
There is a counterfeit humility that says:
“I’m too sinful to pray.”
“I’m too inconsistent to evangelize.”
“I need to get serious before I teach my kids.”
That is not humility. That is unbelief disguised as reverence.
True humility says:
“I am unworthy — therefore I cling to Christ.”
The former withdraws from the means of grace.
The latter runs to them.
Satan would love nothing more than to convince serious Christians that their sin disqualifies them from the very remedies God has provided.
He tempts you to stay away from prayer because you need prayer.
He tempts you to avoid Scripture because you need Scripture.
He tempts you to silence your witness because you need to speak truth to your own soul.
The Gospel Is for the Dirty, Not the Polished
In Luke 18, the tax collector cries out, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” He goes home justified.
In Matthew 9, Jesus eats with sinners and says, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
He has not changed.
You do not graduate from needing mercy. You grow deeper into your awareness of it.
The mature Christian is not the one who sins least visibly.
He is the one who clings most desperately.
The Danger of Waiting to Feel Worthy
If you wait to feel worthy before you:
Share the gospel
Lead your family
Pray in public
Read your Bible with boldness
You will wait forever.
Sanctification is progressive. Indwelling sin remains. The flesh wages war. There will always be something to accuse you.
But the blood of Christ speaks a better word.
The Proper Response to Sin
When you see your sin clearly:
Confess it specifically.
Repent sincerely.
Trust Christ immediately.
Continue faithfully.
Do not wallow.
Do not withdraw.
Do not self-flagellate.
There is a kind of introspection that masquerades as seriousness but is actually pride — because it keeps the focus on you instead of Christ.
The gospel shifts the gaze.
Preach as a Pardoned Rebel
You are not a herald of your own righteousness.
You are a pardoned rebel announcing amnesty.
The power of the gospel does not lie in the moral perfection of the messenger, but in the finished work of Christ. The apostles were flawed men. The early church was messy. Yet the word of God increased.
If Satan cannot make you abandon orthodoxy, he will try to make you silent.
Do not be silent.
Final Word
No one is worthy.
Not you.
Not your pastor.
Not the bold evangelist.
Not the seasoned theologian.
The only worthy One is Christ.
And because He is worthy, you can pray.
Because He is worthy, you can preach.
Because He is worthy, you can open your Bible — even on days when your heart feels cold and your conscience tender.
The Christian life is not lived by proving your worth.
It is lived by trusting His.
Amen! Well worth reading again and again.