This past Friday night, prior to attending the annual Tenebrae service at my church, I found a quiet place in which I could make preparations for the evening. During that time I found occasion for repentance and confession as I pondered those things I had done and those things I had left undone during that day. As I was confessing I was aware of an inward desire to commend myself to God as mostly righteous save for the few things I was confessing. In other words even in the midst of my confession and repentance my hope was not in what Luther called an “Alien Righteousness” but rather some righteousness within me that would make me acceptable to God.
Have I come so far in the gospel that I still believe that what makes me right before God is something in myself? Have I made no progress whatsoever? The sum of the gospel is that we rely on a completely “Alien Righteousness” to make us commendable to God.
When will I cease from my sinful tendency toward self-justification? When will I realize “it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me”? When will I cease trusting in my own works and lean fully on a righteousness purchased for me by the most precious blood of the Saviour?
Praise be to God for His glorious matchless grace justly justifying us and giving to us a righteousness not of our own making. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin so that we might be the righteousness of God.
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