“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
When contemplating our relationship with God, one might think that being a virtuous individual is the key to gaining His favor. However, the truth is that both the virtuous and the wicked are alienated from God. This may appear paradoxical, but the fact remains that righteousness can actually hinder our experience of God's love.
You see, many people endeavor to be their own saviors by avoiding sin, presuming that they are justifying themselves. However, this is not the message of the gospel. It is not about moralism or relativism, but about acknowledging that we all woefully fall short and require a Savior.
Jesus Himself warned us not to rely on our own morality, stating, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains" (John 9:41). We cannot earn God's acceptance based on our own righteousness. While God loves what is good, He also loves the truth, and the truth is that we have all failed to meet His holy standard.
In reality, in light of God's holiness, even the most virtuous of us would become undone. This is why it is so critical to acknowledge our need for a Savior. We were made to enjoy and glorify God, but our disobedience against Him has left us in bondage to sin and incapable of assisting ourselves.
The good news is that those who are awakened by the Spirit of God will want to obey Him, not out of obligation, but out of love. We obey because we are saved, not in order to be saved.
As Christians, our focus is not on our own merits, but on the mercy and grace of God. We acknowledge that we have nothing to offer God that could either earn or maintain our salvation. It is only by putting our faith in Jesus Christ, who paid the price for our sins on the cross, that we can be saved.
Ultimately, being a Christian is not only about turning away from our immorality, but also from trusting in our morality. We must let go of the notion that we can earn our way to God's favor and instead trust in His love and grace. As we do so, we will discover that our obligation to obey Him becomes our pleasure, because we have been transformed from slaves to children of God.
Therefore, let us not rely on our own righteousness or morality, but on the finished work of Jesus Christ. Let us rejoice in the Lord and the truth of His word, recognizing that our salvation is a gift that we could never achieve on our own.
Puritan Quotes:
[Some people being very moral have] "nothing to do with the business of repentance. They are so good, that they scorn God's offer of mercy. Indeed these are often in the worst condition: these are they who think they need no repentance (Luke 15:7). Their morality undoes them. They make a "savior" of it, and so on this rock they suffer shipwreck. Morality shoots short of heaven. It is only nature refined. A moral man is but old Adam dressed in fine clothes. The king's image counterfeited and stamped upon brass will not go current. The moral person seems to have the image of God—but he is only brass metal, which will never pass for current. Morality is insufficient for salvation. Though the life is moralized, the lust may be unmortified. The heart may be full of pride and atheism. Under the fair leaves of a tree, there may be a worm. I am not saying, repent that you are moral—but that you are no more than moral. Satan entered into the house that had just been swept and garnished (Luke 11:26). This is the emblem of a moral man, who is swept by civility and garnished with common gifts—but is not washed by true repentance. The unclean spirit enters into such a one. If morality were sufficient to salvation, Christ need not have died. The moral man has a fair lamp—but it lacks the oil of grace."
From Thomas Watson, The Doctrine of Repentance
[Some people end up] "Trusting in their own righteousness. This is a soul-ruining mischief. When men trust in their own righteousness they do indeed reject Christ's. Beloved, you had need be watchful on every hand, for not only your sins—but your duties may undo you. It may be you never thought of this; but so it is, that a man may as certainly perish by his seeming righteousness and supposed graces—as by gross sins; and that is, when a man trusts to these as his righteousness before God, for satisfying His justice, appeasing His wrath, procuring His favor, and obtaining His pardon. This is to put Christ out of office, and make a Savior of our own duties and graces. Beware of this, O professing Christians; you are much in duties—but this one fly will spoil all the ointment. When you have done most and best, be sure to go out of yourselves—to Christ; reckon your own righteousness as filthy rags (Phil 3:9; Isa 64:6)."
Joseph Alleine, A Sure Guide to Heaven
John Calvin once said, "Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God's majesty." In light of the holiness of God all persons, even the best of us, would become undone. This was the case even with the holiest of the saints of the Bible. When it pleased God to reveal himself to them, they fell at his feet as though dead. God created us to enjoy and glorify Him, but humans willfully rebelled against God falling into the bondage of the self-centeredness of sin and cannot help themselves out of it.
For clarification, no one would here dare to somehow reason that because we cannot trust in morality that we thereby should be content to be immoral. Those who are regenerated by the Spirit of God will want to obey God and the commands are not burdensome because such persons have been born of God. (1 John 5:1-4). To those who, by the quickening grace of the Spirit (John 6:63), come to faith in Jesus (John 6:65), the commands taste like honey as we are no longer slaves but children. As Matthew Henry once said, "When the Law of God is written on our hearts, our duty will be our delight."
A Christian is not only one who, by the grace of God, has repented of his immorality, but, even more importantly, has repented of his morality. The more self-righteous one is, the worse it is for him. Our own merits are of no value for salvation, but will damn us. Whoever relies on his own goodness for salvation will suffer complete ruin.
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