M
Mitspa
Guest
Music "from heaven" to my ears!:angel3To my fellow self-righteous Christians, if I can say that, here is an excellent passage from the Book of Daniel. If our faith were to be perfected right now, and we lived our lives perfectly before God without sin, our righteousness would not cover the price of admission into heaven. Daniel provides the reason why righteousness belongs to the Lord. This is why we need to be found in Him.
Daniel 9:7
New King James Version (NKJV)
7 O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You. (emphasis added)
Another passage in Matthew 3:15 tells us why Jesus was being baptized, to fulfill all righteousness. In effect, Jesus was not only our representative in His death on the cross, but also in His obedience in Life.
Matthew 3:15
New King James Version (NKJV)
15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.â€
The religious leaders of Jesus' day had the reputation of being very observant of the law, better than the rest of society. Would anyone today surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees?
Matthew 5:20
New King James Version (NKJV)
20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Only Jesus' righteousness surpassed that of the Pharisees and scribes.
So, we do need the righteousness of Jesus that will justify us before God, because when we present our righteousness before God, our unrighteousness comes along with it. I'm thinking a distinction needs to be made regarding the righteousness that justifies us before God, and our righteous deeds that are part of the sanctification process, the perfecting of our faith.
Romans 3:28
New King James Version (NKJV)
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
- Davies
Php 3:8
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Php 3:9
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Why is this so hard for some ?