The gospel confronts you with a mystery that human pride struggles to comprehend, that you are unworthy of God's love, but you are infinitely loved by God. You have done nothing to deserve His affection, and in fact your sin has given Him every reason to judge you. But God loves you, a rebel to His love.
This is what makes grace so amazing in fact shocking. God does not love you because He discovered something worthy in you. His love flows from the infinite goodness of His own heart. The gospel destroys both your pride. You cannot boast that you earned His love, and at the same time you don't need to loathe yourself because He loves you despite your sin.
You see this mystery in God's love for Israel: “It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you ... but it is because the LORD loves you” (Deuteronomy 7:7–8). God's love finds its ultimate expression on the cross. Jesus did not die for you because you were worthy of His sacrifice.
Jesus died because He is full of love and grace. Your unworthiness makes His grace amazing and should silence your boasting. The power of the gospel is not that you were worthy of such love, but that God loved you when you were not.
