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Sunday, May 6, 2012

How Good People Lie

The Bible says that Abraham was righteous, but describes how he lied about his wife.  It says Moses was righteous, too, then relates that he killed a man and ran away.  Then it says that the Pharisees, who revered and followed God's law to the letter, were not righteous, but vile, stinking, empty tombs.  What?

No one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law--rather through the law we become conscious of sin...Righteousness from God comes through faith...--Romans 3:20-22

Over and over, God's Word tells us that only faith justifies, only faith saves.  But that is not enough for us.  We want to DO something.  And doing good is healthy and pleasing to God...until the doing takes on more importance than the believing. 

The tipping point comes when we equate doing good with being good, when we believe that our ability to follow the rules makes us right in God's eyes.  This is where the Pharisees went wrong, and so do we.

The Jews had their law, but we have ours, too.  Every time we say or hear "But he's a good person!" to justify salvation, we witness a lie.  No one who tries to follow good behavior into God's lap of forgiveness will reach his goal.  Neither Pharisaical law nor a pretty, shined up life lead to heaven.

God does not change.  He does not flinch.  He saved by faith then, and saves by faith now.  Moses and Abraham believed, and were made righteous.  We believe, and He does the same for us.

And because believing includes recognizing God's supremacy and perfection, faith leads to repentance, and all the pieces come together.  The very last--the last--is the doing. 

We can't change a faithless, but proper, life into a saved one any more than a broken vase can be made into a perfectly new one.  We can only present our broken pieces to the Lord of all by faith, and let Him do what we cannot.

12 comments:

  1. I still grapple with grace. Can it really be this good??? Yes! I love your words here. They speak to me in big ways.

    "But that is not enough for us. We want to DO something. And doing good is healthy and pleasing to God...until the doing takes on more importance than the believing."

    "The tipping point comes when we equate doing good with being good, when we believe that our ability to follow the rules makes us right in God's eyes."

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    1. We go over this again and again at our house...how much is our responsibility and how much does God's saving work and its transcendent grace cover? Still working on it...

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  2. This is true, Mrs. P. Often I feel bad when I have miserably failed, and feel so insecure of God's love, but then I remember that I am a vessel of mercy, living and walking under grace. I believe that while God delights in my obedience, He does the same when I accept my frailties and come to Him with contrite and faithful heart. That only He can save me.

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    1. Oh, Rina...you are so right. God's lesson in this season of my life is His love for me and what better example of that love is grace--unearned, undeserved, abundant, and everlasting?

      Always so good to hear from you!

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  3. This post spoke right to my heart. Coming out of a works based religion, I'm having a really hard time grasping God's grace, thank you for your wise words!

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    1. So glad you were blessed. And thanks for following.

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  4. we are neighbors at shanda’s...this has been a journey for me...freedom from performance base relationship to a love relationship...there is not comparison. great post...glad I stopped by...blessings~

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  5. You wrote a great post! So true! I love when you said, "Over and over, God's Word tells us that only faith justifies, only faith saves. But that is not enough for us. We want to DO something. And doing good is healthy and pleasing to God...until the doing takes on more importance than the believing."

    May I quote you? I haven't heard anyone say it better!

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    1. Of course you may. I would be honored...as long as we both remember to give God the glory for it all.
      Thanks for visiting.

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  6. So true. The picture makes a good illustration. We have a broken pot in our kitchen. When it arrived in the mail it was broken into many pieces. We tried to glue it back together, but there are pieces missing. We keep it as a reminder.
    Blessings,
    Charlotte

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    1. Very cool. I bet that's a conversation starter...

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  7. Only HE is the way to reach heaven... Living for Him, serving Him, seeking Him... nothing else can "save" me. Working, working, working or being, being, being are only OK if I have put my whole self in His hands.

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