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The Amish Voice 6
his righteousness
, then he can offer the righteous-
ness of Christ to God. He can come to God in the
righteousness of Christ.
God always accepts the righteousness of His Son, Jesus
Christ. For any man who truly trusts the righteousness of
Christ—who truly gives Christ all he is and has—God accepts
that man’s trust as righteousness. The man is not righteous, but
God takes his trust in Christ and accepts it as righteousness.
3. Note still another fact: a man who
believes God for right-
eousness
approaches God entirely differently than the man
who approaches God in his own self- righteousness.
a. The man who approaches God in his own righteousness...
presents his self-righteousness to God
by himself
.
depends upon his own righteousness.
trust his own righteousness.
believes in his own righteousness.
declares that he has the strength and power to take
himself righteous and acceptable to God.
b. The man who approaches God in the righteousness of Jesus
Christ...
presents his love and trust in the righteousness of
Jesus Christ as his righteousness. (God could never
turn down a person who loved and trust- ed His Son
with all his heart.
rejects dependence upon himself and depends upon
the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
gives up trusting his own righteousness and trusts
the righteousness of Christ.
no longer believes in his own righteousness, but
believes in Christ for righteousness.
declares that he does not have the power to make
himself righteous and acceptable to God; he trusts the
power of God to make him righteous and acceptable.
Note what this is saying: a man either believes he has the
power to save himself and to keep himself from dying or else
he believes that God has the power to save him. A man either
trusts his own power for salvation and life or else he trusts
God’s power. If he believes that he has the power to save
himself, then he works to make himself righteous and to live
forever. If he believes that God alone has the power to save
him, then he trusts God for righteousness and life.
In conclusion, no one is ever justified by works or by law.
We may try to secure righteousness by works and law, but it
is always self-righteousness, and self- righteousness always
ends up with self: in the grave—dead, having passed the way of
all flesh—short of God’s glory and perfection and disqualified
from ever living with God. Self-righteousness is never acceptable
to God; works and law can never justify a man and make him per-
fect.
However, we can secure righteousness by faith. We can trust
God as a child trusts his father. We can trust that God loves us
enough to count our love and trust for His Son as righteousness.
FAITH IN CHRIST IS GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS, THE
ONLY RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT MAKES A PERSON
ACCEPTABLE TO GOD
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteous-
ness to every one that believeth” (Ro.10:4).
4. Note one other fact: righteousness by works honors and makes
man supreme and preeminent, the center and core of life.
Righteousness by faith honors God and makes God supreme
and preeminent, the center and core of life. God is the One to
be obeyed out of a heart of love, adoration, and appreciation for
what He has done (Ro.2:29).
4. A BELIEVER IS NOT MISLED BY CHRIST (vv.17-18).
The question is, “Could Christ be making us sinners by our trusting
that we are justified by faith in Him alone?” Some argued that Paul
was making Christ a minister of sin. Their reasoning went like this:
when men turned away from the law to trust Christ for righteousness,
Christ caused them to sin, for Christ made it easy for them to trans-
gress the law. They said that Christ tore down the law, for He led men
away from the law. He removed the restraints and barriers of the law;
therefore, men became transgressors by rejecting the law.
Paul simply says two things about this argument. First, God
forbid! Second, the man who tries to keep the law makes himself a
sinner, for it is the law that condemns him (Ga.3:19).
The believer, of course, rejects the righteousness which
comes by law, for the law gives him no righteousness. It only shows
him where his failures are. The law condemns his conscience and
makes him feel miserable and broken. However, the law has its place
in the plan of God just as much as faith does. Very simply, when a
man sees what God has done for him, he is driven to please God. The
believer sees Christ bearing the guilt and punishment for his crimes
(sins) and then bows in love and adoration and arises to work in ap-
preciation for such amazing love. The believer tries to be good, not to
earn or to win righteousness but to serve God out of appreciation for
salvation. He does not try to put God in debt for salvation, but he
thanks God for righteousness. He sees that he owes God whatever
service he can perform. The genuine believer has come to know
above all others that love is a much stronger force than fear. He fol-
lows Christ—does all he can to live like Christ—because he loves
QUESTIONS:
1. How many perfect men have lived in this world? How many
have tried to be perfect but failed? Would you consider yourself
to be in this category? Have you struggled to be righteous
enough to please God and earn your salvation by yourself?
2. Why are faith and works incompatible?
3. What would cause a man to believe that he could save himself?