So, if you read my last blog, you know that I have done a lot of striving in my life–a lot of trying to be…pretty, thin, funny…better. With such striving came a deep seated reliance on myself. I tried to control my life, taking control of my behavior–good or bad. I tried to be in control of who I was. If change needed to happen, in my mind, all it took was more effort to be something different. With this also came a reliance on myself to change my sinful nature. If I was being selfish, then I would try to be more servant-hearted. If I was being foolish, I would try to be wise, to gain more knowledge. If I was sad or depressed, I would push myself to be happy, even though it never lasted because it was not based in being content in Christ. If I was stuck in a sin, it was up to me to strive to be better, to stop sinning. Instead of trusting in Jesus to be my savior, I was trying to save myself…relying on my own actions, my own works instead of His ultimate ACTION, His death defying WORK. My heart is filled with sadness, looking back, not for reason of self pity, rather, it is because I realize so many other of my sisters and brothers are living in the same way.
For example, so often if we cannot feel God, we strive to do something different, feeling as if we have to be a certain way for God to move in our lives, to be made righteous. But being justified, being in right standing with God is not about us. How conceited we are to even think so…Its ALL about Jesus!
I’ve realized…there is self-righteousness driven by pride (belief of superiority) and self-righteousness driven by feelings of unworthiness, a need to earn love–performance based love.
The enemy continues to whisper lies,“If only you try harder, then…” That’s why Satan is called the ruler of darkness. His only power lies in keeping us in the dark, keeping us from knowing and seeing the LIGHT of the gospel. Jesus is the LIGHT of the world. He is the opener of eyes. We no longer need to live in darkness, because He is calling us into His light!!! But the truth is, many believers are still in the dark, because they have been blinded to the fullness of God’s love for us and what actually occurred when Jesus died on the cross. He was crucified in our place. Our sins were forgiven. Jesus died so that we could live!!! The consequence of sin is death (separation from God,) but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus! We have been set free from the law of sin and death!!! WE ARE NO LONGER SINNERS!!! WE ARE HEIRS!!!
We become His sons and daughters through faith. This promise rests on grace, because it depends on faith and not the law–the law that sentenced us to death because of our sins. Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. So our adherence to the law does not save us or put us in right standing with God, it is not through faith in or reliance on what we can do. We are justified through Jesus, by faith in and reliance on His WORK on the cross.
We have been raised with Christ into newness of life. Our old self has been crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing–stripped of its power over us (which was death). We are no longer its slave. We have been set free!!! Sin has no dominion over us, because we are not under its law any longer. We are now under grace (covered by it.) We now live in the new way of the Spirit and not the old way of the written code.
So when we are walking in self-righteousness, when we rely on our own righteousness, we are held by the bondage of our own judgements, we are still walking in the old law, walking the death march as slaves to sin. Self-righteousness steals our freedom (both types). But when we come to accept Jesus as our savior, being made righteous through HIM, we begin walking in freedom on the road of eternal life!!!
