John 8:33

Isn’t it interesting how we can dupe ourselves into believing anything we want to believe? The power of self-deception has no limit – the heart being deceitful above all things and beyond cure states Scripture. These prideful Jews had a false hope in their standing before God because they were physical descendants of Abraham. How deluded of them to proclaim they had never been slaves to anyone! Had they conveniently forgotten Egypt not to mention their present standing in bondage to the Romans? Unfortunately for them, the title to heaven is not made by human lineage no matter how hard they hoped for it. What they missed, according to Jesus and the Word of God was their lack of being His spiritual descendants. Abraham was justified by faith in the God of Promise. Scripture tells us:

6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Gen 15:6 (NIV)

From the beginning of Scripture until It’s end and throughout all the ages, the teaching is crystal: salvation (imputed righteousness) is through faith alone. We, like Abraham, are justified through faith not through some blood lineage or anything else for that matter. It is not our parents standing which saves us nor our fleshly works which ultimately bring glory to us rather than God nor our money nor our status nor anything else our minds can conceive. We can convince ourselves of our own righteousness yet our lives plainly demonstrate no proof of our heavenly lineage – our walk not being worthy of our high calling. We must make sure our faith is rightly placed – which is in Christ alone – enabling us to “stand in the judgment” as Psalm One proclaims:

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Psalms 1:5-6 (NIV)

The righteous are those who are rightly related to God through faith in His Son’s atoning sacrifice for all on the cross. Scripture tells us the following Truth: Life is in the blood and it is the sacrificial blood of Jesus that makes atonement for one’s life. We find in Leviticus regarding the sacrificial system set in place by God which symbolically points to Christ’s future and final atonement for mankind – notice the words “I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves” – we have never been able to make atonement for ourselves:

11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. Lev 17:11 (NIV)

You see, when we were still powerless to do anything about our sinful nature, Christ died for us. Paul tells us in Romans:

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)

We are foolish indeed if we, like these Jews represented in our verses for today, place our eternal hope in anything but Jesus. The righteous, therefore, are those who are “crucified with Christ” – no longer living for themselves – His powerful life within them – the gift of the precious Holy Spirit – enabling and equipping them to live by His Word - producing things of eternal value rather than the stubble of earthly dross. Indeed, John the Baptist plainly states to the religious leaders of his day:

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Matt 3:7-12 (NIV)

“It is faith alone that justifies, but the faith that justifies is not alone.” John Calvin

"The only way to end up at the right destination is to choose the right road." Warren Wiersbe