"Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse." (Job 9:20 ESV)
There is nothing we can do to make ourselves right before God. The most righteous person alive can't even come close to perfection in the presence of God. According to the standards between men we can say, do, and think all the right things. We can love our fellow mankind, help him, and even die for him, but this holds no bearing with God. Doing good for the sake of helping mankind or doing good for the sake of doing good is still sin in the eyes of God because it is done apart from the purpose of glorifying His name. Job understood this and realized that even though he could be the best person in the world he would never match up to God and His glory.
We have already established that our good works can't gain us entrance into heaven, and this new knowledge should prove to us even more as to why this is true. If God already views our good deeds as filthy garments and the world's most righteous (by man's standard) man as still a vile sinner, wouldn't trying to earn salvation or doing good works to make up for sin be even more disgusting in the sight of God? Most definitely! To say that you can help God make you right before Him is saying that you have some little tiny spark of goodness in you. This is an utter lie. The Bible says that we are depraved, godless beings that would love nothing more than to live our lives as we want without giving any credence to God and His standards, let alone do anything to please Him in the slightest. Yes, men do good to please God, but they bribe Him with good works. They don't want to glorify His name. They want to save their hides from hell. It is very important that we remember there is nothing we can do apart from faith (which even still comes from God) to please God.
As Christians we try to make up for our sins by doing good. We bribe God to get back on his "good side." Brothers and sisters, this is not the life that God has designed us to have as His children. That is still a life of bondage to good works. We don't try to make up for our sins because Christ paid for them on the cross. We don't have to try to cover our own sin with our own efforts to make them right because Christ has washed us with His blood! Don't get me wrong. If your sin has caused an ill effect towards someone that needs to be corrected, correct it. Just remember that our sins are paid for by the blood of Christ. In Him we have forgiveness, not in our works but in Him! He makes us right in spite of our depraved sinfulness. He makes us right by His own doing. When you sin you are to confess it to God as sin, turn away from it, and trust that Christ paid for the penalty for that sin on the cross in your place. Remember He makes us right. What love is this that God would not require us to make up for our sins because He already made up for them on the cross! What an inconceivable price..
I hear the Savior say
"Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness watch and pray;
Find in Me thine all in all."
Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow
Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone
Can change the leper's spots
And melt the heart of stone
And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete
"Jesus died my soul to save!"
My lips shall still repeat
'Cause Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow
Oh, praise the One who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead!
Oh, praise the One who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead!
What an awesome reason to worship our God...
Blessings,
Nick
