Excuses for not becoming a Christian are terrible. I have heard my share, but one of the worst ones has to be "I am not worthy." Some people actually believe that they are so bad that God would never forgive them of their sins. A friend of mine once told me, "God will not forgive the things that I have done." This statement was heartbreaking because it expressed a distorted view of God. Who are we to put a limit upon God's ability and willingness to forgive? Such a view made God a respecter of persons, and left this person in a hopeless situation. "I am not worthy," if sincerely believed, is a deception of the worst kind.
In a sense, none of us is worthy of salvation. None of us have earned the right to be saved. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). However, salvation is a gift, not a wage (Romans 6:23). It is a gift of God's grace, not a compensation based upon my merit. A gift is not offered because it has been earned. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
However, there is also a sense in which we are worthy of salvation. The fact that God has offered salvation to us shows that He believes that we are worthy to receive it. Think about that. Shouldn't we let God decide if we are worthy or not?
The only people who are not worthy of salvation are those who refuse the Lord's invitation to be saved. In The Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1-14), the king (God) summoned those who had been invited to the feast (the Jews). They made light of the feast and refused to attend. The king became furious at this insult and destroyed them. Then he said, "The wedding is ready but those who were invited were not worthy" (v. 8). Why were they unworthy? Because they refused to come. The only way one can be unworthy of salvation is to continue to refuse the Lord's invitation to be saved.
In Acts chapter two, Peter told the Jews that they had killed the Son of God. They had murdered their own Messiah. "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ" (v. 36). Some of them believed what Peter said. They believed that Jesus was the Son of God, and knew that they had put Him to death. In desperation they asked Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (v. 37). Peter did not tell them that there was nothing that they could do. He did not tell them that they had been so bad that God would never forgive them of their sins. He told them to, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (v. 38).
Think about this - if the men who killed the Son of God could be saved, then you and I can be saved. No one has done anything worse than killing the innocent Son of God. If God was willing to forgive these men for killing His Son, then we can know that He is willing to forgive us of anything that we have done.
"Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:18-19).