As I was meditating on the things of God while driving a work truck I began to think about Paul the Apostle’s claim of being blameless according to the Law. “Concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” Phil 3:6B He was blameless when it came to keeping the Torah–the Law of Moses. That means he was free from fault or defect[Thayer]irreproachable,faultless, unblamable[Strong’s].
Think about the Law of Moses and how strict and unbending it is…Paul kept it all perfectly. So did Elisabeth and Zachariah the parents of John the Baptist. Luk 1:6 And they were bothrighteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
So did Miriam and Joseph the parents of Jesus..Luk 2:39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
So was Cornelius a just man who worshipped God Act 10:2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.
Yet all these righteous people though they were blameless and righteous before God were still in need of the Saviour. They were not born again. They were not saved from sin by their perfect obedience to the Law or by their continual fasting and prayer(see Anna in Luke 2:37) In fact Jesus had told the people listening to Him as He preached what we call the Beatitudes sermon “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Luk5:20 Then Jesus showed them that keeping the letter of the Law was not sufficient for God looks at the heart as well. A man may not commit adultery with his secretary but every day his eyes do. And women too are subject to the same temptation.
Straight away many will say who then can be saved!? It’s too hard!! Yes!! Exactly God’s point. There are not many righteous according to the Law who come to Jesus. Jesus said Mat 9:13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE MERCY AND NOT SACRIFICE.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Paul follows this up saying,
1Co26 “…not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
1Co 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,
1Co 1:29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.
1Co 1:30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 1Co 1:31 that, as it is written, “HE WHO GLORIES, LET HIM GLORY IN THE LORD.” “
You see there is a righteousness according to the Law….Which Paul says above in verse 26 is attained according to the flesh! And there is a righteousness freely received by faith in Christ Jesus. That righteousness is not according to our performance but His. Simply by being in Christ and believing that He is enough you are made the righteousness of God in Him. He became FOR US, Wisdom from God…(not wisdom according to the flesh)…Jesus becomes for us RIGHTEOUSNESS – right standing with Father–Jesus becomes FOR US–holiness or sanctification…you are set apart for God as a holy chosen vessel because you believe in Jesus and Jesus is in you. Done!! Period!!
That is why there is a war going on between churches that preach with an emphasis on law keeping, personal holiness and our responsibility to be holy versus churches that preach the finished work of Jesus Christ. Let me ask you….Can you be more holy than you already are?
No!! A thousand times NO!!
Paul counted all his self produced and self attained righteousness as POOP!! DUNG!!! RUBBISH!!! He gladly lost all that to find Jesus alone as His righteousness and holiness and wisdom. Oh and I forgot..Jesus became for us redemption as well. He became forgiveness of all debts…He became the One who sets you free continually from all sins..CONTINUALLY!! Jesus in you is FORGIVENESS. That means your sins are continually being cast into an empty tomb and forgotten forever.
Paul said I do not want to be found by God having my OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS which is derived from law keeping. He said this long after being born again. How does that work in every day life? It means Paul did not live with his eyes on his performance or on his flesh…he did not live looking at sin to keep it away ….he did not live every day trying to be perfect…NO!!!! What did he do?
He walked in a love relationship with Jesus Christ through the baptism in the Holy Ghost. He was enabled daily to see himself as God sees him…HOLY, RIGHTEOUS, WISE AND FORGIVEN. He practised seeing and speaking GOOD things in himself…GOD THINGS EVEN. He did not set his eyes on sin, but on Christ the perfect One who lives in him….and by seeing Him he was constantly being transformed into that same image…from glory to glory and faith to faith.
So take the pressure off yourself and breath. God shall complete the work He has begun in you…and along the way you are already holy and blameless before Him in love.
