What is the most important
thing you have ever learned?
The issues of eternity hang on
the great truth that salvation is received by grace
alone, through faith alone in the saving work of
Jesus Christ alone. God has provided His own
righteousness for sinful men and women. The
righteousness of God is all that God demands and
approves. This righteousness of God is ultimately
found in Christ alone because Christ met and
fulfilled in our place every requirement of the Law.
Christ has become our righteousness, and the
righteousness of all who believe on Him.
The righteousness of God has
been revealed in the person and work of Jesus
Christ, and God has made it available to us sinners.
The righteousness that we need comes from God, and
it is accounted to us by placing our faith in Jesus
Christ.
We need His righteousness in
order to be saved because we cannot live up to His
perfect standard. The perfect righteousness that God
requires is the righteousness of God revealed in
Jesus Christ, and it comes to us from God and is
received as a free gift. If God did not give us His
righteousness, as a gift there is no way we could
ever possibly be saved. It is His gift to those who
will humble themselves, confess their need and call
upon His name alone to be saved. No one can satisfy
God’s perfect standard by his self-righteousness.
Why is the righteousness that
Christ provides so important? No one will ever be
saved by good works because we are sinners and come
short of the glory of God. The Bible is very clear,
“by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified
in His sight; for through the Law comes the
knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). Why is it that no
person will be saved by goods works? The fact is
only Jesus Christ has kept the Law perfectly. The
rest of us fall short of the glory of God. Yes, the
apostle Paul wrote, “the doers of the Law will be
justified” (2:13), but the problem is no one has
ever perfectly kept the Law with the exception of
Jesus, therefore no one will be declared righteous
by the works of the Law. How many times do you have
to sin to be a sinner? Just once.
Have you ever judged someone
else for what they did, or for who they were? Have
you ever condemned someone because of his or her
attitudes or actions toward you? Then you condemned
yourself (Rom. 2:1).
We need God’s righteousness
that He provides because we are under God’s
condemnation and we deserve it (Rom. 1:18-3:20).
Every individual is accountable to a holy God who
will not tolerate sin. We are guilty of evil in
thought, word and deed.
This right relationship with
God comes to us “apart from the Law.” “No man can
justify himself before God by a perfect performance
of the Law’s demands” (3:20, Phillips). We are
morally corrupt and wicked in the heart.
There is no hope for me if the
blood of Jesus Christ does not wash away all of my
sins. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse the
heart of sin and its condemnation. Apart from the
saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross we are
under God’s wrath and are destined to spend eternity
in hell. “For the wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness
of people who suppress the truth by their
unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18 NET).
When you put your faith in
Jesus Christ God imparts His righteousness to you.
When God clothed Adam and Eve with the skins of
animals He no doubt explained to them this would one
day be the way in which He would clothe sinners who
believe on Christ Jesus with His righteousness. If
you have believed in Christ as your savior you have
been clothed with Christ’s righteousness (2 Cor.
5:21; Isa. 61:10).
“But now apart from the Law the
righteousness of God has been manifested . . . even
the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus
Christ for all who believe” (Rom. 3:21-22). No one,
Christian, Jew, Gentile, Muslim, Hindu, etc. can be
saved apart from a personal faith in Jesus Christ
(Acts 4:12; John 14::6).
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
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Unless otherwise noted "Scripture quotations taken from the NASB."
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE" © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/. All rights reserved.
Wil is a graduate of William Carey University, B. A.; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Th. M.; and Azusa Pacific University, M. A. He has pastored in Panama, Ecuador and the U. S, and served for over 20 years as missionary in Ecuador and Honduras. He had a daily expository Bible teaching ministry head in over 100 countries from 1972-2005. He continues to seek opportunities to be personally involved in world missions. Wil and his wife Ann have three grown daughters. He currently serves as a Baptist pastor and teaches seminary extension courses in Ecuador.
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