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[Note: Will the angels in heaven rejoice with the soon coming of the 1000th Interruption?]
The bad news about attempting to be righteous is that we can’t do it. The Apostle Paul writes . . .
None is righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10, ESV).
“None” would include all of us. We can’t be righteous.
In the Old Testament, the law was given, and if followed perfectly, a person would be righteous . . . but everyone failed. In the New Testament, God added the power of an indwelling Holy Spirit, and we still stumble.
Is there hope? Of course, because our righteousness is not found in our works but in Jesus.
We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are (Romans 3:22, NLT).
Righteousness by faith and not works separates Christianity from all of the other world’s religions. In all other religions, and even with our culture today, to be right, we have to think, believe, and do the right things.
If we don’t, then we are canceled.
But God sent Jesus, and His death and resurrection — not our works — canceled our sin!
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV).
This is good news. This is great news!
All the other world’s religions and even the right and the left ideologies of America promote our “acceptableness” according to their imposed standards of attitudes and actions.
Living up to religion and the beliefs of others is an impossible weight to bear.
The problem with works is that no one knows all the laws, no one can keep up with acceptable terminology, and thus we don’t know if we are okay. We walk on a tightrope, upright one moment and tumbling the next, as worldly beliefs shift so suddenly that what allowed us to stand one day causes social media to mock us the next.
Fortunately, even the insults and mockery of others when we fail have been dealt with by Jesus.
When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed (1 Peter 2:22-24, ESV).
Let’s summarize why we want to follow Jesus. He became sin for us, and we need to have faith in Him. Jesus nailed to the cross all sin and insults.
We would be stupid to live according to the whims, accusations, and works of this world. With Jesus, we can find freedom and experience Him transforming us into His likeness.
We see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord — who is the Spirit — makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image (2 Corinthians 3:18, NLT).
When we try righteousness this week, we only have to believe, see His glory, and ask for His strength.
Let Him transform us!