What picture pops into your mind when you think of God? Is your image a Santa Clause God who gives you good things if you are nice? Perhaps your picture includes thunderbolts, fire, an brimstone. No doubt, there is good reason for the perception of God you have.
According to Michael Card, the great surprise of the Old Testament is that an all-powerful, terror-invoking God is in fact kind. One of the miracles of believing in Jesus, is that we get to know a God who is altogether unapproachable. How can this be?
If you have never read the story of Moses in the book of Exodus, it’s a doozie. As it turns out, God does thunder from heaven and consume people in an instant. One read through and you will see for yourself that God is all-powerful and capable of coming with fury because of the rebellion of His people. The question is, do we believe God would be justified to consume us in His wrath?
On our worst day, maybe. But what about all our other days? It is easy to live with the feeling that we are pretty good. We have a good hair day, receive a few compliments, and all of the sudden we think we’re pretty awesome. Of course there is nothing wrong with having a good hair day or receiving compliments, but there is something very wrong if we never admit our own stubbornness and confess that we deserve God’s wrath. This understanding is essential if we are to worship the God of the Bible.
In the Bible we meet God and learn that He is called twice in the book of Jeremiah, The Lord Our Righteousness. Tucked amidst sin, scandal, and hopelessness is our greatest hope of all—the most perfect gift one could ever give—perfection Himself. If ever there is a case against self-righteousness being our means of salvation it is when we consider this name of God.
In Jeremiah 23:5-6 we read,
“Behold, the days are coming…a King shall reign and prosper and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth… Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS”
About seven years ago, I began to appreciate Jesus’ life in a whole new way. Before when I thought of Jesus, I predominately thought only of His death on the cross. If I thought of His life at all it was prompted by seeing a manger scene at Christmas or one of those WWJD bracelets from the 90s that would ping my heart with guilt because I had likely not done what Jesus would have done.
Now things are different. When my kids come to me with their conflicts, each screaming and pointing the finger, I often don’t know what to do. I want to scream! There is no doubt I let them down and make wrong decisions. But now, my guilt is turned to worship because I know that everything I am not Jesus became for me.
Jesus knew the right thing to do in every situation. He never unintentionally overlooked someone. He never showed favoritism or rushed to judgment. His body language and facial expressions were the exact representation of the Father’s love at all times. This is incredible!
Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
Jesus lived perfectly for 33 years, so my striving to earn God’s favor could cease.
Romans 4:5 states, “However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.” This is the righteousness I need if I am ever to have a relationship with a holy God. No matter how hard I try, I cannot produce it myself.
In Luke 18, just sixteen chapters after the infamous passage quoted by Charlie Brown in A Charlie Brown Christmas, two men pray to God. The first is the Pharisee (a rich religious leader) who prays,
“God, I thank You that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and even give a tenth of all I get.”
Do you hear the self righteousness?
The second man is tax collector (despised and looked down upon in his day) who prays, “God, have mercy on me a sinner!” Who was the one who walked away accepted by God?
Luke tells us plainly in verse 14,
“I tell you that this man [the tax collector], rather then the other [the Pharisee] went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all those who humble themselves will be exalted.
The astonishing thing about the Gospel is that Jesus’ righteousness is reckoned to my account when I put my trust in Him. In Christ, my white-knuckled pride which screams, “I must be perfect” becomes a white flag of surrender that reads, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
But what about the anger and fury of God? Where did it all go?
God's anger was satisfied at then end of Jesus' life when God poured His wrath upon His only Son on the cross. Jesus took the punishment that we deserved so that we could have peace with God. It sounds heinous until you consider that Jesus did not stay dead. God's long-term mission was to restore a relationship with His people. For those who place their trust in Jesus, death does not have the final word. We will live forever. In Christ--because of His perfect life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection--we get to know the kindness of God.
What about you? Are you still working hard, hoping to get on God's nice list? Maybe your hope is in Christ, but peace eludes you. During this season of putting our best foot forward through Christmas cards, holiday parties, and the like, I invite you to worship The Lord Our Righteousness. Receive what He has done for you and be at peace. You have nothing to prove if your life is hidden with Christ in God; He is your righteousness. May His mercy flow freely through you this Christmas.
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