The Righteousness of God

Job 9:2 "Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God?

 

Job got it. He understood the depths of God. Oh, he didn't know all about God, he just knew that God was so deep, so massive, so holy that there was no way that he could stand before Him and tell him that he was living a righteous life. He then goes on to prove his point. God is wise. God is mighty. God removes mountains. God shakes the earth. He commands the sun. He controls the stars. He stretches out the heavens. He walks on the waves of the sea. He made the constellations. He is strong. He is just. Who is man that we think that we can contend with Him? Who is man that we think we can argue with Him or answer Him or go to trial with Him? All Job knew that he could do was appeal for mercy. There was no way that he could plead his case before God because God is so righteous and pure and holy that any right that we think we can do is not right before Him. As another author put it: "All our righteousness is as filthy rags." Is 64:6 Oh, we can think that we are basically good. We aren't. We can say that mankind is loving. It isn't. We can pretend that our good works will gain us favor with God. They won't. Put another way: "There is none righteous, no not one." Rom 3:10

 

My position has to be the position that Job took. No matter what, I am not in the right before God. No matter what…except through Jesus. On my own all that I do is dirt. But through Christ I am right before God. This God who is wise and mighty and created mountains and shakes the earth and commands the sun and controls the stars and stretches out the heavens and walks on the waves of the sea and who made the constellations who is strong and just…this God looks at me and sees righteousness because of His Son. "the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:" Rom 3:22 We get the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus by believing. That's it. It isn't me. I can't. I don't. I won't. But when I trust Christ to be my righteousness, He gives me the righteousness of God. Crazy.