GOD
REQUIRES PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS
"And
whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish
his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be
accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.” -- Leviticus 22:21
How good does a
person have to be to get to heaven? Basically good? Sincerely good? Outwardly
good? No. He has to be perfectly good, as good as God himself. That which man
looks upon as and calls his "personal righteousness" is of absolutely
no value in the sight of God (Isa. 64:6).
Man's definition
of righteousness depends entirely upon his definition and understanding of God.
The problem is, most have never seen God in his glorious holiness. Once a
sinner sees God in his holiness, he will cease forever to speak of his own
goodness, personal holiness and self-righteousness. With Isaiah, he will cry, "Woe is me! I am undone” (Isa.
6:1-6). With Job, he will say, "I
have heard, of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
Wherefore I abhor myself” (Job 42:5-6). "Behold,
I am vile” (Job 40:4). Who can stand in the presence of the holy Lord God?
No Mere Man
No son of Adam
can ever stand in the presence of God, because we are all cursed (Gal. 3:10).
God is so infinitely holy that he charges the angels with folly, so holy that
the heavens are not clean in his sight, so holy that when he found sin upon his
own dear Son he forsook him and killed him! Are we better than the angels? Are
we purer than the heavens? Dare we imagine that God will accept us, with our
polluted works, when he killed his own Son for sin?
Christ Alone
Only one who is
himself equal to God can stand in the presence of God and please him (Psa.
24:3-5; Matt. 17:5). That righteousness which God requires, only God can give.
Yet, it must be the work of a man, or it is of no value to men. Blessed be God!
There is a Man who is himself God, who has magnified the law and made it
honorable. He has brought in an everlasting righteousness by his perfect
obedience to the law as a man, even the; very righteousness of God. He has
satisfied the law's justice, by dying under its curse. And he lives forever to
give righteousness and eternal life to sinners. That Man-God is Jesus Christ
the Lord.
Faith Alone
The righteousness of God in
Christ can be had only by faith in him. Faith does not make sinners righteous.
Christ brought in everlasting righteousness by his obedience to God as the
sinners’ Substitute. But faith fetches righteousness to the believing sinner.
Trust Christ, and the righteousness of God is yours in him.
Grace Baptist Church of Danville - Grace For
Today Radio Message #774
2734 Old Stanford Road -
Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438
Donald S. Fortner, Pastor -Telephone 606-236-8235 - Email grace@mis.net