Song Spotlight: All Sufficient Merit

by Makayla Guzman

One of my biggest hobbies is researching serial killers, according to my TikTok algorithm. Spoiler alert - in reality, I have ZERO interest in the subject. Yet my feed recently has been filled with true crime and cold cases and statistics that tell me there are likely 25-50 active serial killers in the US right now. Hard pass, no thanks, hate that so much.

Despite having less than no interest in this topic, I have learned a few fun facts about these dangerous men and women as I scroll through my fyp. The most fascinating one to me is that many of them were incredibly charismatic. They were charming and attractive to their victims…right up until their true nature was revealed. Their real poison was the fact that most people didn’t know they were in serious trouble until it was too late.

The worst danger is the kind that looks so appealing that you seek it out. It doesn’t even have to hunt you down; it simply lures you in with the promise of something good, only to reveal something deadly underneath. This is the age-old pattern of sin and evil that continues today. We see it everywhere, but it is particularly rampant in the lies flaunted by the world.

One of the world’s most dangerous lies is that people are inherently good. This lie follows the same pattern of a serial killer – it is attractive at face value and draws you in. To see the best in people and believe that everyone has the potential to be good inside them sounds like a great mentality. However, the problem with this message is that the Bible tells us people are sinful by nature (Rom. 3:23, Ps. 51:5, Jer. 17:9). Meaning, the default setting of every human heart from the time we are born is evil. And not just a little bit evil - our sin is so ugly and so horrid that it demands death as a payment, because every sinful act is against a holy God. 

To believe the lie that people are inherently good is to ingest the poison that our sin is not that big of a deal and that we can save ourselves. This lie tells us that we don’t deserve to be punished, because at our core we are good. This lie tells us that we can definitely be good enough to get into heaven, because our good works outweigh our bad. It is all poison. And it will kill you.

But boy, do I have good news for you. There is an antidote.

The only cure for this lie is the belief that Jesus is the only one who is righteous and therefore the only one who is able to pay the price that sin demands. This beautiful truth is explained in one of our favorite worship songs, All Sufficient Merit. 

Let’s break it down.

What is merit? Fun fact: this word actually does not show up in the original language of the Bible. When it appears in several of our modern English versions, it is usually translated from a Greek word that refers to a person’s actions, or “works” (2 Timothy 1:9 AMP, Romans 3:27 AMP).  The dictionary defines merit as “the quality of being particularly good or worthy, especially so as to deserve praise or reward.” However, when we talk about the merit of Jesus, we are speaking specifically about his perfect record of righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). His merit is not merely the absence of sin in him, rather it is his innate holiness and goodness.

So why does this song describe his merit as “all sufficient”? It is said this way to be a contrast between what is lacking (our works) and what is enough (his righteousness). Even the sum of every single good deed in our entire lives is not enough to earn the status of righteous, let alone to pay the price for our sin. But Christ “saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5) 

This song talks about the effects of the all sufficient merit of Jesus by describing his sacrifice in two ways: 1) it is enough; 2) it is complete. As you read through the lyrics below, see if you can identify where those two ideas play out!

Verse one establishes the need of the sinner and our inability to save ourselves. (1 Cor. 1:30, Eph. 1:7, Jn. 8:12)

All sufficient merit shining like the sun
A fortune I inherit by no work I have done
My righteousness I forfeit at my Savior’s cross
Where all sufficient merit did what I could not

Verse two and the chorus explain the sacrifice of Christ, rooted in his all-sufficient merit. (Phil. 2:5-8, Rom. 5:6-10, Jn. 19:30, Col. 2:14)

In love He condescended, eternal now in time
A life without a blemish, the Maker made to die
The law could never save us, our lawlessness had won
Until the pure and spotless Lamb had finally come

It is done it is finished, no more debt I owe
Paid in full, all sufficient merit now my own

Verse three and four express the response of a forgiven sinner and the effects of Christ’s merit. (Mark 8:34-38, Isa. 1:18, 1 Jn. 4:8. Matt. 25:23)

I lay down my garments, any empty boasts
Good works now all corrupted by the sinful host
I'm dressed in my Lord Jesus, a crimson robe made white
No more fear of judgment, His righteousness is mine

All sufficient merit, firm in life and death
The joy of my salvation shall be my final breath
When I stand accepted before the throne of God
I'll gaze upon my Jesus and thank Him for the cross

REFLECTION

• What does it look like in our lives when we believe the lie that “people are inherently good”? How does this affect our relationship with the Lord, the church, the world, and ourselves?

• Do you tend to struggle with believing your sin is no big deal, or the opposite end of the spectrum of believing your sin is too big to forgive? 

• Choose one of the Bible verses mentioned above that stood out to you, and write it down on a notecard. Put it somewhere you will see it consistently, and commit to memorizing it this week.