His Righteousness
Ephesians 2:8–9
A major misconception about following Christ is that you have to do everything right to guarantee your salvation. This is a belief that you merely need to be a perfect rule follower. There’s some truth to that in regard to living a holy life but let’s put a pin in that for a moment and look back at Matthew 6:33.
“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…” Unlike human beings, God is perfect. Not as a hyperbole, in fact His perfection is beyond our comprehension and that’s why Jesus instructs us to look at His righteousness and not our own. In our own strength, all of us are flawed, but God is perfect so He came to us in flesh to be a sacrifice for all. Jesus was condemned to crucifixion for our sins, then He rose again anew and exalted. So when the Father looks at us, Jesus stands in front of us in all His perfection. All we need to do is believe that Jesus Christ died for you and I. Eternal life is guaranteed in believing in Jesus Christ (John 3:16).
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This is so because if God judged you by your own deeds, He would need to do so in your entirety, not just your good deeds. However good you think you might be, there will be flaws that present themselves. Your dark deceitful self-preserving thoughts, the things you did when you thought no one was watching, or the time your life might have been blatantly sinful. Our reflection passage makes it clear that our salvation is a result of grace which is a gift from God and not from anything we are doing.
Grace, according to the Word by Word study by Logos, is “receiving what we don’t deserve”. It is an extension of compassion that shouldn’t be afforded to us, yet the Lord is gracious. This directly points to God’s merciful and compassionate character. That even when we’ve broken every commandment, He still openly welcomes us into His courts. 1 John 1:9 displays God’s grace. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us from all unrighteousness”. He doesn’t ask us to build 10 orphanages to win His love back or to house every homeless person we meet to bring us salvation. His grace is enough for us. You would be living by the law if you wanted to justify yourself by what you did right and through that God would need to judge you fully. But because of Jesus, we are not bound by the law.
Does this mean we can do whatever we want since God is full of so much grace? Let’s look back at that pin from the beginning. You have the right to do anything, yes, God has granted us free will “but not everything is beneficial” (1 Corinthians 10:23). God’s grace is actually more reason to strive to live a holy life. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 tells us that it’s actually God’s will that we live holy lives, practicing self-control, avoiding what is unholy and not taking advantage of others. Ephesians 4:22 encourages us to turn away from the lives we lead prior to encountering Christ “and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness”.
We constantly speak about living in spirit and in truth but that cannot end at confessing sins or proclaiming that you believe Jesus died for you. “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth” (1 John 1:6).
It’s important to truly believe that Jesus has saved you from death. John 3:16 isn’t just a popular verse to say. It holds so much power because Jesus Himself promises us that our faith in God’s grace is the key to the kingdom. But it’s also important to remember that encountering Jesus needs to bring transformation in your life. Don’t sit around waiting for transformation to happen. You need to choose Jesus. Take the first steps. Confess and prayerfully let go of your former self.
