September 25, 2024

Passage Read: Romans 10-11
Meditation Verses: 10:3-5

Thought

There is God's righteousness and there is righteousness through the Law. Most Israelites didn't understand God's righteousness and thought the only way to righteousness was by obeying the Law, which Moses affirms as a way to live. But the Law was really designed to point us to something else, to the righteousness of God and our need for mercy. But some, perhaps many, thought they could actually keep everything written in the Law perfectly. They didn't understand that every sacrifice was a plea to God for forgiveness and cleansing, that the righteousness they really needed resided with God. When Christ came, that righteousness was fulfilled and offered freely to any who turned to Him for salvation. Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness. With Christ, a righteousness is gifted to the one who believes, so that he need not try to establish his own righteousness through perfect obedience to the Law, which he's already failed at.

Application

The Law is helpful for me to understand what God considers good and right, and how He wants me to live as one who has been made righteous. But I must never shift my trust from Christ to my ability to obey the Law, even if I could keep every command perfectly. I cannot even attempt to attain to that without the transforming work of the Spirit, which was given me when I received the righteousness of God through Christ. The Law is still a guide, an instructor in godly behavior, but it is not the source of my righteousness, but one that helps me learn what the righteousness of God looks like so I know how to live out His righteousness. Jesus makes me righteous, and all Scripture teaches me what His righteousness looks like so that I can walk in accordance with what has been gifted to me.