MEASURING YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS
For I say unto
you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of
the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of
heaven. (Matthew 5:20 KJV) Many folks when
asked if they are Christians, they reply that they are trying. Others say they
are Christians but are not living as they should. Still others say that they
hope so. These comments are not uncommon; multitudes of people, whether church
goers or not answer in a similar manner. Another question with similar answers
is, “when you die are you sure you will go to Heaven?”. You hear the answers,
“I hope so”; or “I’m trying”; or “I don‘t know.”
The
key to understanding the Scripture verse, above is the phrase, your
righteousness . People who try to be righteous by their own efforts
will never satisfy the wrath of God’s judgment for unforgiven sin. We hear from
teachers and preachers, and from Bible lesson books how we must try to correct
our sinful ways so that our lives will be pleasing to God and be a witness to
others. The evil idea that we can in any way correct our sins will lead us into
a program of self righteousness where we are constantly judging ourselves and
others around us according to man’s standards. The truth is that Jesus died for
our sin, and if we sin after we have been saved, we confess the sins and he is
faithful to forgive us of our sins, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1
John 1:9 KJV)
Many
in our churches today concede that they truly are sinners, but rather than
taking their sins to the Lord, they try to overcome them on their own with
advice and helps from friends and Pastors. The danger is that if the person is
not saved, his end will be a burning Hell. His condition is that of the tares,
appearing as one of those who say they are still sinners after they have been
saved, as described in Matthew 13: “The field is the world; the good
seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the
wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of
the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered
and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels,
and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which
do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing
and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew
13:38-43 KJV)
The righteous that will
“shine forth” are those who do not deny the righteousness of Christ in their
lives, as do those who say they are sinners regardless of their standing in
Christ. This is to deny the power of God as the Word of God teaches us: “This know also,
that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of
their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false
accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors,
heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a
form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For
of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women
laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able
to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:1-7 KJV)
Of course, it is not
expected that sinners will obey God’s Word, nor to be a witness of His love and
grace. So, God’s sons and daughters by saying they are sinners relieves them of
the requirements of the Body of Christ to “go into all the world and preach His
Gospel.” as well as other commandments. This is living in denial of Christ and
His atoning work, a most dangerous manner of life. “Whosoever
therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father
which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also
deny before my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33 KJV)
If Christ has not made
us righteous, He died in vain and there is no such thing as salvation, rebirth,
nor Heaver or Hell; there is no such thing as holiness, healing or justice.
But, the fact is, we are righteous in Him through faith in His shed blood, and
His righteousness is our breastplate. Wearing our own “righteousness” is like wearing a filthy rag.
We
will never know how many lost persons are in this condition because they have
been told that they are as good as the rest and that everyone is a sinner, and
as long as we try to do the best we can, no one can condemn us. They do not
understand that they are condemned already by God’s law they cannot keep, nor
could the Jews or any legalist for that matter, Saul of Tarsus included.
If
you confess to being a sinner, it is time for you to repent of your sins,
acknowledge God’s righteousness freely given by the faith of Christ, and
rejoice for your position in the Body, a lively stone fit for the building of
the New Jerusalem. Remember that God does not hear sinners and that He is
separate from sinners. So, learn that sin is the transgression of the law, and
that you are no longer under the Law, but under grace if you are truly born
again into the Kingdom and walking in the Spirit of God.
Know
that man’s measure of what is righteous falls far short of what God expects,
and that only the blood of Christ has the power to provide that measure of
righteousness. And it is your believing faith in that blood and the evidence of
a new life that you have that blessed assurance that your name is written in
the Lamb’s Book of Life.
11/17/2001