Bob Cassell, Messenger
There has never been a time when humans have not tried to justify themselves before God. Humankind has tried their very best to produce a righteousness that will be acceptable to God. So many seem to think that if they do their best God will accept them because they are really trying. How do we gauge how much a person is required to accomplish in order to be acceptable and righteous before a holy and perfect God? When someone says I am doing the best I can, and I don’t think God will penalize me when I am doing my best and am really trying. When anyone attempts to justify self before God it becomes a human self-righteousness and is not acceptable because it is not a perfect God provided righteousness. Self-righteousness does not, and in fact cannot, save anyone, never has and never will.
During the ministry of the apostle Paul the Israelites were zealous to establish their own righteousness. These zealots even had “a zeal for God” (Romans 10:1-3) but they, lost in their zeal, were not members of God’s family or saved. These sincere zealots were very religious. They fasted and uttered long and repetitious prayers. They observed every single religious holiday and frequently worshipped in the temple. They memorized many scriptures, but the express reason they were not saved was that, through all their strivings, they were attempting to establish their own righteousness, and this was not and never will be acceptable to God. In essence they were blind and naked before God. They were very religious but were perfect examples of man by means of man’s effort seeking to gain the approbation or favor of God.
The Latin word for religion is religio and means man by man’s efforts seeking to gain the favor of God. The Greek word is triskelia and means external ceremonies, religious discipline, or worship. Seeking to gain the favor of God is certainly not a bad thing but it is simply not the means or essence of salvation… it is not how God saves a person.
Not much has changed since then as man is still feverously attempting to establish a righteousness that he believes should be acceptable to God. Some examples of this deluded behavior is… a blind attempt to follow the examples of Jesus and obey the Sermon on the Mount or the Ten commandments. (They try but always fail miserably)
These zealots do the best they can to live up to the ill-informed dictates of their own conscience. Some even join a church, become baptized, fast, utter many prayers, and participate in all manner of religious and philanthropic work. They seem to think their best should be accepted and no questions should be asked. Little do they realize that their best misses the mark by far because man’s best is totally imperfect.
These things in and of themselves may not be completely bad, but the performance of them can in no way add to the righteousness that is demanded by God in order to possess eternal life. Some have the mistaken belief that God keeps books on their lives and charges them with all evil deeds and credits every good deed to their account. They desperately hope the good will outweigh the bad, and if so, they should be accepted into heaven. This deceived notion is not God’s method to determine a person’s entrance into Heaven because He demands perfection from and through the person and from all deeds generated by that individual. It is not a question of a high batting average. It means striking successfully the first pitched ball every time one comes to the plate, every day of one’s life from beginning to the end.
Regarding self-righteousness Isaiah stated; … “all our righteousness are as filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6). Filthy rags here referred to the rags worn by lepers and were full of contaminating leprosy. As leprosy is typical of sin, the reference is correct … all of man’s self-righteousness is totally contaminated by sin. All that is done by him is accomplished in dependence upon self instead of upon God, and that is the essence of sin.
In some religious circles many think that because the law, especially the Ten Commandments, was given by God, the observance of it will give man a righteous standing before Him. This is impossible because God requires absolute obedience and total perfection. Man cannot and has never rendered this kind of impeccable obedience. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10. Because of this extremely high standard “… by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his (God’s) sight” (Romans 3:20, Gal. 2:16).
For over four thousand years man has proved himself incapable of being righteous before God. Both Jew and Gentile had proved to be under sin and guilty before a Holy and Righteous God who required perfect Justice and righteousness. There was none righteous to be found, no not one (Romans 3:9-10). By means of the law every mouth was stopped before God (Romans 3:19). God’s law demanded perfect righteousness by man, but man failed and consistently proved he was incapable of perfect behavior.
No one from Adam has lived a perfectly righteous life, i.e., the kind of life that will qualify them to live in the presence of God.
“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But the kind of righteousness that God demands of those who are to come into His presence He also provides. He (God) will Himself clothe with righteousness, as with a garment, all who will accept His righteousness as a free gift.
“My soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness” (Isa. 61:10).
None since Adam has been able to live a life of righteousness that is acceptable to God. When the Son of God came to the earth and became true humanity, He fulfilled every jot and tittle of God’s law. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matt 5:17,18).
The earthly life of Jesus was acceptable to God and cannot be questioned. No one could accuse him of any sin, and He clearly revealed a perfect righteousness that was acceptable to God.
Near the close of his life Jesus took three of His disciples with Him up into a high mountain and was transfigured before them. Moses appeared with Him as a representative of the law and Elias as one from the prophets. With these two witnesses, God spoke out of the cloud saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 17: 1-5). This was a clear declaration of God’s acceptance of the earthly life of Jesus. Here was One Who had not sinned and come short of the glory of God. He was altogether righteous and was witnessed as such by the law and by the prophets.
When the entire world stood guilty before God, and it had been demonstrated that no one could be justified by good works, then God, in the person of His Son living on this earth as a man, revealed a righteousness acceptable to Himself. This righteousness is now offered unto all as a gift and it is clothed, as a garment upon all that believe.
“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness” (Isa. 61:10).
This is the message of Salvation as written by the Apostle Paul, in the book of Romans.
“Now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith in Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:21-24).
The word of God is abundantly clear in declaring that no one can earn this perfect righteousness by anything whatsoever that might be done or achieved. The bible states, His righteousness is credited to the account of all that believe in Jesus Christ, only because their faith embraces and is deposited in His person.
Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28).
“But to him that worketh not, but believes on Him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5).
Other references can be read in Gal. 2:16, 3:8, 24. The fourth chapter of Romans declares justification freely by the grace of God. (Please read)
“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24).
Justification is only possible through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:24). It is because He (Jesus) was set forth as a propitiation for sin, that God can righteously forgive the unbeliever and reckon unto him Christ’s perfect righteousness.
And He (Jesus) is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).
When God imputed all human sin to Jesus Christ, He became so thoroughly identified with them that He was actually made sin and died as a sinner. The counter to this inscrutably dark side is, when God counts righteousness to the believer, he becomes so thoroughly identified with Christ’s righteousness that he actually becomes the righteousness that is required by God and lives forever.
“He who knew no sin (God) was made to be sin on our behalf; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
Only a God ordained, and God provided righteousness will admit humankind into His eternal presence. No weak human produced righteousness will be accepted. It is only because God counts the righteousness of Christ to the believer that anyone can gain entrance into heaven and live forever.
Many will be surprised to find there is no St. Peter at the gate of heaven asking those seeking entrance about what and how much good they have done to enter into this eternal paradise. The righteousness of God, which is only in Christ, is humanity’s only means of entering into heaven. Only the one who has received this exclusive way is certain to enter because nothing can ever be charged against such a believer.
“Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifies (Romans 8:33).
The good news is, justification is the imputation of the righteousness of Christ to the one who believes on Him. It is counting to him the merits of Christ. The imputed righteousness of Christ gives to the believer a perfectly righteous standing before God which is as perfect as the perfection that is in Jesus Christ and is separate from any merit from a frail and needy human being. Justification is demanded by God’s holiness, and thank God it is provided by His amazing grace and love!
The Holiness of God is comprised of His righteousness and justice. His Justice must be satisfied and His righteousness must agree that the provision to satisfy His justice is acceptable.
A beautiful illustration of justification is recorded in Genesis 3:21 where God atoned for Adam and Eve by means of an innocent sacrifice. Both had sinned, and stood naked before God, and under his judgment. By slaying innocent animals, God prepared coats of skins and put them on Adam and Eve. By means of the covering from these garments they were made acceptable to God. Notice, God made the coats. Adam and Eve did not assist in any way. It was God alone who clothed them. They did not even put the coats on. They neither gave nor offered God anything for the coats. The provision of the coats required the death of an innocent third party.
These coats were provided only after Adam had named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living. By doing so Adam (who at this time) was under the judgment of death demonstrated his faith in God’s promise that the woman’s seed (Jesus) would destroy the head, or power, of the serpent, which is Satan (Gen.3:15, 20).
In this merciful intercessory work of God all of the elements of justification in salvation are demonstrated. God prepared a garment of righteousness and with it He clothes all who believe in Jesus Christ as the exclusive One who delivers from sin. Man can give nothing in return for this garment, nor can he put it on himself. God’s provision of righteousness is made possible only by the death of an innocent, sinless, third person, even Jesus Christ, our perfect righteousness.
In order to enter Heaven, any Human being must possess the perfect righteousness that God’s righteousness requires him to require, and nothing but the perfect imputed righteousness of Christ will be accepted. To offer anything to his completed and perfect, finished work is blasphemous.
To all who read and open their hearts to consider the only means of entering heaven, I suggest very personally to you that today is your best opportunity as God’s word sounds a clear warning … Behold, Now is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2).
This bible information is not complicated, but it is a matter that will forever determine where you will be 10,000 years from now. What can you do to escape the consequences of your delay, neglect, and unbelief? There is a simple and real alternative… “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). You have been warned yes in this moment in time, you can believe in the only savior Jesus Christ. The crowd said “crucify Him!” What will you say, when he says come to me and I will give you eternal life. To believe on Christ is to possess eternal life but to reject him is to be eternally condemned. “He that believes on the Son has everlasting life; and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).
