Friday, May 27

Friday

The LORD commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today.  And if we are careful to obey all this law before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.  - Deuteronomy 6:24-25

This passage is both wonderfully encouraging and incredibly discouraging at the same time.  On the one hand, God tells us that if we keep His commands we will be blessed and righteous in God’s sight, that is wonderful!  On the other hand, which of us can keep God’s perfect law? 

In order to understand the significance of this, we have to understand what the term righteousness means.  To be righteous means to be in “right relationship with” God.  We are righteous (in a right relationship with) when we keep God’s commands.  We are unrighteous when we break any of God’s laws.  This really shouldn’t surprise us all that much, because it is how we view most of the relationships in our lives.  If a friend is faithful and honest and we would say that our relationship is strong (right).  If that friend lies to us, betrays our trust, or wounds us in some way, we would say that our relationship is broken (not right).  Many of us are willing to forgive some offenses because we know that we aren’t perfect either.  However, we are not talking about imperfect human relationships, we are talking about being in a right relationship with the One who is perfect and holy, the One who created the universe, and us as well.  I think it makes sense that God might have a different standard of righteousness than we do, don’t you? 

One of the best places in the Bible to understand what righteousness is and how we can have it is in the book of Romans.

For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.  – Romans 2:13

Houston, we have a problem!  We cannot meet the righteous requirements of God’s law because are sinful.  We might be able to keep some His commands some of the time, but God does not grade us on the curve. 

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.  – Romans 3:20

The law of God points out our inability to keep it.  We are all spiritual lawbreakers, and therefore unrighteous (not in a right relationship) before God.  In the OT the people of God did their best to keep the commands of God, but they were continually dependant on the priests and sacrificial system to atone for their law-breaking ways.

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  – Romans 3:21

This is amazing!  We cannot be in a right relationship with God because we cannot keep His perfect law.  But this verse tells us that God has made known righteousness apart from the law, and apparently all of the laws in the OT are pointing to a different kind of righteousness!

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  – Romans 3:22-24

Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.  – Romans 10:4

Now this is Good News!  We cannot become righteous on our own.  So God sent His Son to live a perfect life and to die a perfect death in order that we might be made right before God.  In other words, Jesus, the Righteous One, takes on our unrighteousness on the cross, and He transfers His righteousness to us!

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  – 2 Corinthians 5:21

Lord Jesus, we praise you, our righteousness!


Jeff Frazier