THE QUEST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS
Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer

All around us, things change — styles change, politicians change, TV programs change. But there are some things that never change, things that affect your eternal destiny and mine.

What is life’s most important question?

Is it whether the West will suffer an economic collapse? Or whether we will face the grim specter of worldwide anarchy? No, the most important question is a personal one. It is: “How can a man be accepted by God?”

We are all conscious of failure. We have a vague feeling that all is not well between ourselves and God; there is an “unbridgeable gap,” and when compared to God, we fall intolerably short. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount said, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:20). The Pharisees were pretty righteous. The question is: How can we become better than they.?

Because God’s standards are so high, we are often tempted to lower those standards and tell ourselves that He is satisfied with almost anything. Many people “do their own thing” and say that it’s good enough for God.

Others try to elevate God’s standards to please Him by selecting some good works that they think will get His attention. The Pharisees, often fasted and kept laws meticulously, hoping to gain God’s approval. But Jesus said that we have to become better than they. Does that mean that we have to work harder to become righteous? No, He is reminding us that we cannot in ourselves attain the righteousness that God accepts.

The simple fact is that God rejects human righteousness. Of course it is better to be a moral person than an immoral one; but even though you may be moral, without Christ you have no acceptance before God. This is because human goodness is external; you can change your actions but you can’t change your heart. Human goodness also glorifies man. It draws attention to our ability to change, and we compliment ourselves for the good things we have done. Most important, human righteousness is inferior to God’s righteousness. Thus the Pharisees could not become just before God, and neither can we in our own efforts. Yet we need a righteousness that exceeds all human righteousness.

The Law represents God’s standard of righteousness, and Christ said that He did not come to abolish the Law. He didn’t lower it or discard it; no, He came to fulfill it.

What did Christ mean when He said that He came to fulfill the Law? He fulfilled it by keeping the Law in every detail. He lived an obedient life; He fulfilled the Law both in its spirit and in its letter. He fulfilled it so perfectly that He challenged people to find a single flaw in His life.

But He also fulfilled the Law through His death. At the cross, He exhausted the curse of sin. He absorbed the curse; for as the Bible says, “Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree.” In Old Testament times if you killed someone, you were punished by being stoned to death. Welt Christ took that guilt upon Himself. He also accepted God’s punishment that came because of adultery and all the sins that we commit in thought, word, and deed.

Christ is the “end of the Law,” that is, He fulfilled its requirements on our behalf. He canceled the claims of the Law against us. That means that those who trust Him are free toward God.

The Law was never given as a means of salvation. Paul called it a “schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.” It was given to make us see how far short we fall of God’s standard.

The Pharisees were attempting to do the impossible and their attempt was a bitter failure. They tried to establish their own righteousness, but of course it wasn’t sufficient. That’s why Christ said that unless your righteousness exceeded that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you could not enter the kingdom of Heaven.

When we stop trying to establish our own righteousness and place confidence in Christ, we then are declared righteous by God. Our sins have been charged to Christ’s account. All believers are on an equal basis because we have credited to us the same quality of righteousness — the righteousness which God accepts.

Yes, we are needy and Jesus Christ is our only key to living a righteous life. Through faith in Him, our acceptance is secure and the righteousness of the Law is now fulfilled in us through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

But let me give you a word of warning. If you do not trust Christ, you stand before God in your own righteousness, and that spells judgment and condemnation. In fact, without the righteousness of Christ, you must bear the full weight and penalty for your sins. It’s because you are on your own — just like the Pharisees who thought they could meet God’s requirements by their own discipline and good behavior.

Many years ago, a father and his daughter were walking through the grass on the Canadian prairie. In the distance they saw a prairie fire. Eventually, they realized it would engulf them. The father knew there was only one way of escape — they would quickly begin a fire right where they were and bum a large patch of grass. When the huge fire drew near, they would stand on the section that had already been burned.

When the fire actually did approach them, the girl was terrified by the raging flames. But her father assured her, ‘The flames can’t get to us. We are standing where the fire has already been!”

Those who take shelter in the cross of Christ are standing where the fire of God’s judgment has already been. They are standing upon the perfect work of Christ, the work that absolves us from our sins and credits to us God’s perfect righteousness.

Yes, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you won’t enter into the kingdom of heaven. But the way to receive that righteousness is to accept it as a gift from the hands of Christ, a gift that is to be received by faith.

The righteousness of Christ isn’t just a theoretical concept. It’s the only way you and I will ever get to heaven.

Maybe you have never considered this kind of concept. Maybe you have never heard that Christ died so that you and I could have eternal life. If so, let me extend to you an invitation that is 2,000 years old, yet as fresh as this moment in time. Jesus spoke with a word picture. He said, “BehoId I stand at the door and knock If anyone hears My voice, and opens the door, I will come in, and dine with him, and he with Me.”

You can open your heart’s door this very moment.

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