"So why, when we constantly offend Him and are so unlovable and unloving, does God persist in loving us? In my childhood, doing something offensive resulted in punishment, not love. Whether we admit it or not, every one of us has offended God at some point. Jesus affirmed this when He said, "No one is good-except God alone" (Luke 18:19). So why does God still love us, despite us? I do not have an answer to this question. But Ido know that if God's mercy didn't exist, there would be no hope. No matter how good we tried to be, we would be punished because of our sins. Many people look at their lives and weigh their sins against their good deeds. But Isaiah 64:6 says, "All our righteous acts are like filthy rags." Our good deeds can never outweigh our sins."The literal interpretation of "filthy rags" in this verse is "menstrual garments" (think used tampons ... and if you're disgusted by that idea, you get Isaiah's point). It's hard toimagine something more disgusting that we could brag about or put on display. But compared to God's perfect holiness, that's how our good deeds appear. God's mercy is a free, yet costly, gift. It cannot be earned. Our righteous acts, just like menstrual garments, certainly don't help us deserve it. The wages of sin will always be death. But because of God's mercy, sin is paid for through the death of Jesus Christ, instead of the death of you and me."
Francis Chan. Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God (Kindle Locations 386-394). Kindle Edition.

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