Found In Him

FOUND IN HIM

I saw a billboard yesterday that posed a familiar question. It asked, "Where will you spend eternity?"

It seems to me that a more relevant question would be, In whose righteousness will you spend eternity; Christ's, or one of your own making?

Millions are told week to week that they must get right, or get left, and be getting better and more holy as time goes by. They are told to keep the law and that they are the only Bible some people will ever read. They are told to let others see Jesus in you, even though the most religious people of His day never saw Jesus in Jesus.

Romans 10:2-4 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Religious fervor will indeed clean up the outside of the cup, but abstaining from every known sin will never produce a righteousness that meets God's just demands. When Peter quoted Leviticus 19:2, where He said, "Be ye holy; for I am holy" that is not an admonition to try harder to be better. That is a condition for acceptance and it is not one of degrees. Only absolute, eternal holiness will suffice and that perfect holiness is only found in an alien righteousness that neither you nor I could ever produce through the works of the flesh.

True holiness is found only in Christ Jesus and His sheep rest at peace with God, being clothed with His righteousness alone. They place no confidence in the fig leaf coverings of their own supposed law keeping, but in the eternal righteousness of Christ ALONE. They rest now and forever, clothed in the glorious righteousness of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Philippians 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.

Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Romans 4:6-8 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

Ephesians 1:4-6 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

- written by Kenny Dyess, via his Facebook page

 

John 10:14-16 1 am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Galatians 1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace.

(emphasis mine)