Our righteousness is in Him, and our hope depends… upon the fullness of grace and love in Him, and upon His obedience unto death. —John Newton
The best things in life are free.
That’s great news to everyone who understands God’s grace and walks in His Spirit. But what about those folks who are in Christ, but still living under the Law? That usually lands Christians into one of two categories:
The self-righteous—those who think they must make themselves righteous in their own strength.
The not-righteous-enough—those who, even though they are righteous in Christ, mistakenly think and feel they are unrighteous as they carry guilt and feel condemned.
Yeah, there’s probably an element of one of these in each one of us, isn’t there? Daily, we must remind ourselves of the new way God makes for both the self-righteous and the not-righteous-enough:
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:21-24)
Which way will you choose to see your righteousness today? Through the lens of the law leading to self-righteousness or shame, or faith in what Christ did on the cross?
Lamb of God, who takes away my sin, use my sense of self-righteousness and un-righteousness as a teacher today. Use it to lead me to Your grace as the pure, free source of righteousness. By faith, and not my works, I celebrate what You have made me in You: Righteous! I trust in You to live through me today in a way that makes this truth a practical reality. Amen.