It is commonly said that a person “deserves” a second chance. Even Christians often speak like this, adopting the language of entitlement. The idea is unbiblical and misleading. To claim that a person deserves a second chance is to say that a second chance is owed to him. Deserving implies a debt, as though someone is under obligation to provide it. If you deserve a second chance, then who owes it to you, and on what basis? And what makes you think that you deserve even a first chance?
Nobody deserves a second chance, and nobody deserves a first chance. Sinners are creatures fallen into wickedness and corruption, entirely without merit before God. On the other hand, Christians are the righteousness of God, but this righteousness is a gift. All that we have, all that we are, and all that we will ever receive comes because of God’s grace alone, not because of any worth inherent within us. If we are to receive a single opportunity to follow him, let alone a lifetime of renewed chances, it will be through his grace alone, made available only through Jesus Christ. And then you will have many chances in Christ, not because you deserve them, but because God gives freely from his mercy.
The language of entitlement is a trap. If we grant second chances when they are deserved, then we should withhold mercy from everyone, because nobody truly qualifies. To act based on merit would mean to judge ourselves by a standard that none of us can meet. If we are to act based on a standard of entitlement, then we are all condemned, because no chance is owed to us. But if we operate by grace, then there is indeed hope. For it is grace that opens the door to a lifetime of new beginnings, to repentance and renewal in Christ. We must abandon this language of entitlement and instead speak the language of grace. We should say, “Let us give him another chance,” not because he deserves it, but because God has freely shown grace to us. And by that same grace, we are called to show mercy to others.
Take the words of Jesus when Peter asked, “How many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus replied, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.” Certainly, this is teaching us to learn from the way God forgives. He is saying that God himself forgives us not once, not twice, but repeatedly and endlessly, as long as we come to him in repentance and faith through Jesus Christ.
The language of entitlement falls far short of this. Even those who say a person deserves a second chance would not say he deserves a hundred, a thousand, or a hundred thousand chances. Sooner or later, they would say that this person deserves no more chances. But no one truly deserves even the first and second chances. Does anyone deserve ten chances from God, or a hundred, as though he has accumulated some moral or spiritual debt from him? Such a notion is absurd and blasphemous.
However, we need that many chances. And it is in Christ that we have a lifetime of opportunities, not because we deserve them, but because he wills it. God forgives and restores us many times over. He is like the father who waits for his prodigal son to return, not because the son has merited forgiveness, but because the father loves his son and delights to show mercy. God keeps us in Christ by his grace. He upholds us, granting us chance after chance to grow, to repent, to be healed, and to become more like him. Jesus Christ himself is our chance, our salvation, and our fellowship with God.
If you believe that you deserve a second chance, then you have misunderstood both your own condition and the mercy of God. Grace is a gift, not a payment or reward. A gift is not demanded as with a payment. It is received with gratitude and humility. To approach God with a sense of entitlement is to approach him with pride and self-righteousness, which he condemns. As the Bible says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” To the man who believes he is owed nothing, God grants everything. To the man who believes he deserves God’s gifts and opportunities, he receives only the judgment his arrogance warrants.
Sinners want to view grace as a right rather than a gift. We see this in the way people speak of deserving second chances, new beginnings, or better circumstances. But God, and most of the time even other people, owe them nothing. In fact, if we were to tally what is owed to them, we would be obligated to make their situation worse. Entitlement leads to bitterness and frustration, because it is based on a lie. The idea of “deserving” something from God or anyone else is a form of pride that blinds us to our true state. Scripture teaches that our righteousness is as filthy rags before a holy God. None of us can earn his favor, but he has offered it freely through Jesus. If we approach him on the basis of grace, he will provide far more than a second chance. He will give us salvation, along with countless opportunities to grow, to repent, to receive healing and prosperity, and to be conformed to the image of his Son.
In Christ, we have not only a second chance, but the promise of continual renewal and restoration. He is the good shepherd who does not abandon his sheep. He is the vine, and we are the branches. Apart from him, we can do nothing, but in him, we bear much fruit. As long as you walk with Christ, you shall never fall beyond recovery. Jesus is your chance. He is your opportunity to receive God’s unending grace and mercy. He promises that he will never leave you and never forsake you. In Christ, grace overflows. Through him, we have countless opportunities to start anew, not because we deserve any of these chances, but because God is good. As we come to understand this, we will also offer this same grace to others, not because they deserve it, but because we have been recipients of a grace beyond measure.