Whose Righteousness are You Trusting In?

Suppose . . . YOU'RE IN DEEP FINANCIAL DEBT, with no apparent way of paying it off.   The bill collectors have sent you the last warning, and are threatening to take legal actions.   The situation looks bad, very bad, with no hope in sight . . . UNTIL!   Your rich uncle, with a very large credit limit, says, "Here take my credit card.   Pay off your debts."   So you go to each one of your bill collectors (with a letter from your uncle, giving you full authority to use his credit), and you pay off all your bills and live happily ever after. Now, let's consider what just took place.   Your uncle helped you out by, in essence, giving you his good credit rating.   You could say, he traded his good credit for your debt.   And whether you realize it or not, right now you're greatly in debt, and . . . Jesus Christ is willing to make a similar trade! To fully understand the kind of trade we're referring to, let's first consider how human nature tends to operate when it comes to getting into Heaven.   Most people naturally assume that to go to Heaven, they have to be a righteous person in God's eyes.   But, how righteous is righteous enough?   Well, Jesus, Himself, told us.   He said: "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness SHALL EXCEED THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, ye shall in NO CASE enter into the kingdom of heaven."   Matthew 5:20 Who are these Scribes and Pharisees?   I'm Glad you asked . . .

The Pharisees were viewed as the "most righteous" among the Jews.   They fasted twice a week, gave tithes of everything they received, and prayed three times a day.   They were the most zealous when it came to trying to follow the law.   Yet, Jesus said even their actions weren't righteous enough.   His point being, that NO ONE can be righteous enough to earn Heaven.   Everyone falls short of God's perfect holy standard.   In fact, when God looks down at our "righteous" efforts to earn Heaven, all He sees is our sin. "For ALL HAVE SINNED, and COME SHORT of the glory of God."   Romans 3:23 We are all sinners by nature.   Being righteous enough to merit Heaven doesn't come natural to us.   It's not even something we can accomplish.   Consequently, when it comes to meriting Heaven, God says: "As it is written, There is NONE RIGHTEOUS, no, NOT ONE."   Romans 3:10 Jesus' own Apostles, realizing the unattainable righteousness that God required, asked Christ, "WHO THEN CAN BE SAVED [go to Heaven]?" (Matthew 19:25)   To which Christ answered: "WITH MEN THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE; but with God all things are possible."   Matthew 19:26 "With God all things are possible."   God provided a solution to our hopeless dilemma.   And to understand what He did, refer back to our opening story. Remember, you were in deep financial debt.   For you, it was impossible to pay it, but not for your rich uncle.   He had the credit you needed to get out of debt.   More importantly he was willing to exchange his credit for your debt. Likewise, we owe God an enormous sin debt that keeps us from going to Heaven.   We need perfect righteousness.   Christ, on the other hand, "Who knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21), has all the righteousness anyone will ever need to get to Heaven.   But, would Christ be willing to trade us His righteousness for our sin?   Is He willing to pay for our sins, and put His righteousness on our account, so that whenever God looks at us He sees Christ's righteousness acting on our behalf? The answer is: YES!   If we ask Him!   The Bible says:

"For he hath MADE HIM TO BE SIN FOR US, who knew no sin; THAT WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM."   2 Cor. 5:21 Only Christ can make us righteous enough to get to Heaven.   He traded places with us.   That should have been every one of us on that cross.   Yet, He took the blame for our sin, paid our sin debt, suffered the punishment that we deserve, while at the same time offering us His own righteousness.    We can receive what He did on our behalf, by faith, by believing that He died for our sins, and by trusting in what has been done for us ALREADY.   This requires repentance on our part.   We have to change our minds, stop trusting in our own self-righteousness, and submit to Christ as our Lord and Saviour.    For example: The Bible says Abraham, as godly as he was, never trusted his own righteousness, but instead trusted God and his trust . . . "Was IMPUTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.   Now it was not written for HIS SAKE ALONE, that it was imputed to him; BUT FOR US ALSO, TO WHOM IT SHALL BE IMPUTED, IF WE BELIEVE ON HIM that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead."   Romans 4:22-24 The Apostle Paul, as good a Christian as he was, was NOT willing to trust his own righteousness either.   He said he wanted to: "Be found in him, NOT HAVING MINE OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS OF GOD BY FAITH."   Philippians 3:9 Christ is offering His righteousness--the only righteousness good enough to get you to Heaven--as a gift.   Simply admit that your own acts of righteousness are not good enough and that you are a lost, hell-deserving sinner in need of a Saviour.   You must REPENT AND TRUST Christ, and Him alone, to save you! "They which receive abundance of grace and of THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS shall reign in life BY ONE, JESUS CHRIST....by the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF ONE THE FREE GIFT CAME UPON ALL MEN unto justification of life."   Romans 5:17-18 So, whose righteousness are YOU trusting in?   Your own or Christ's?

IF you were to die today, are you 100% SURE you would go to Heaven?   The Bible says YOU CAN BE SURE (1 John 5:13). BUT FIRST, you must realize that what keeps you from going to Heaven are your sins, because: "...your iniquities [sins] have separated between you and your God," (Isaiah 59:2).   In fact, in God's eyes YOU ARE A SINNER: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Romans 3:23. SECONDLY, you must realize that there is NOTHING you can do to save yourself and earn Heaven: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."   (Eph. 2:8-9)   Baptism, good deeds, church membership, self-righteousness are all examples of good works that cannot save you, because: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he [Christ] saved us," Titus 3:5. THE ONLY WAY you can get saved is through Jesus Christ.   He said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."   (John 14:6)   THAT'S WHY: "...while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."   (Rom. 5:8-9) THEREFORE: You must REPENT (change your mind); admit that you are a Hell deserving sinner and can't save yourself, and call upon Christ, and Him alone, to save you.   "if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus [REPENT], and shalt believe in thine heart [TRUST] that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."   Romans 10:9 SEND THE LIGHT P.O. Box 815   Fargo, ND 58107

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