Christian Foundations

May 29, 2007

Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness! Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.

--Psalm 143:1-2

The last part of this passage is a powerful statement! Its meaning is clear: our attempts at goodness can never be enough to meet God’s holy and righteous standard. The Bible clearly states that we are an imperfect people who cannot stand before a holy God on our own merits.

So how do we become acceptable to God? By standing before Him clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, Who has covered us with His blood. Christ started and finished the work of salvation that we could never have even begun, let alone finished, ourselves.

So let me ask you a question today: Are you seeking to be religious or righteous? You see, our human effort and works don’t add up to anything in God’s sight. Being religious by itself isn’t enough because all religion can do is try to get us to clean up our act thinking that in doing so God will accept us.

We need to understand that what God desires is for us to be righteous, not religious. Which is why He sent His Son to die on the cross for you and me. Through Christ we have been made righteous in the eyes of God. We are fully accepted in Him.

So if you find yourself trying to please God by being religious, I encourage you to stop. Instead, embrace the truth that God made you righteous when you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior. Live in the power of that truth today…and every day!

WHEN YOU ACCEPTED THE GIFT OF SALVATON IN CHRIST, YOU WERE MADE RIGHTEOUS AND ACCEPTABLE TO GOD!