Bible Ballistics: BBs #431 Depending On Who’s Goodness???
We hear the expression, “Depending on”… the weather..the circumstances…my schedule…’I will’… do whatever. There are a lot of things that we “depend’ on in life, and there are many things that people depend on for their own eternal destiny, but are you depending on the right One?
I saw something this morning referring to the Tower of Babel; people who were depending on their own abilities, and wisdom to do what they wanted rather than what they knew God had told them to do—it didn’t work out for them–and it won’t work out for you! No matter how “good” we think our way is; no matter how many organizations (including the church, which in reality is an organism—not an ‘organization’), clubs, or philanthropic entities one may serve; our attempts to create our own ‘goodness’ or ‘righteousness’ will never succeed. Only God’s righteousness can take anyone to heaven.
“For since the beginning of the world
men have not heard,
nor perceived by the ear,
neither hath the eye seen,
O God, beside thee,
what he hath prepared for him
that waiteth for him.
5 Thou meetest him that rejoiceth
and worketh righteousness,
those that remember thee in thy ways:
behold, thou art wroth;
for we have sinned……..
6 But we are all as an unclean thing,
and all our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags;
and we all do fade as a leaf;
and our iniquities,
like the wind,
have taken us away.” Portions of Isaiah 64:4-6
No matter how good we think we are God says that our efforts are “as filthy rags”! We have sinned—all of us—only God has the cure—salvation in the blood of Jesus!
“As it is written,
There is none righteous,
no,
not one:
11 There is none that understandeth,
there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way,
they are together become unprofitable;
there is none that doeth good,
no,
not one.” Romans 3:10-12
There is only ONE-WAY to be ‘good’/‘righteous’—and that Way is Jesus. Only the gift of God’s righteousness, that Jesus bought at Calvary, can give us a right relationship with God. All through the blood of Jesus Christ The Lord!
“Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature:
old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God,
who hath reconciled us to himself
by Jesus Christ….
God was in Christ,
reconciling the world
unto himself,
not imputing their trespasses
unto them….
be ye reconciled to God.
21 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.” Portions of 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
We can deceive ourselves into believing that we are good enough to get to heaven, or we can believe God and come to Him through Jesus—The One who died for unrighteous, ungodly sinners, us. And only when we see our own helplessness in sin, will we need a redeemer—Jesus Christ, the only hope of salvation!
“And hope maketh not ashamed;
because the love of God
is shed abroad in our hearts
by the Holy Ghost
which is given unto us.
6 For when we were yet without strength,
in due time
Christ died for the ungodly.” Romans 5:5-6
I’m so glad that HE did! How about you? Are you still trying to ‘be good enough’? Jesus stands ready to save! I join with Paul and invite you to the “good” news of Jesus.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17 Amen!
Bible Ballistics 