The Pharisees had one big, monumental flaw; they thought they were the source of their own righteousness. They were convinced and comfortable with the understanding that their lives and their adherence to the law is what made them righteous.
Well. If Jesus and Paul don't have something to say about that...
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Paul makes a very influential and well-known distinction about righteousness in Romans. He goes back and talks about Abraham, the man who was willing to sacrifice his own son at the request of God. Paul explains that it was Abraham's faith that imparted righteousness to him.
Now, before we go any further let's really make sure we've wrapped our minds around that.
"Faith = Righteousness."
He does not say that "The Law = Righteousness." Nor does he say "Action = Righteousness"
"Abraham believed the Lord, and it was credited to him as righteousness." - Romans 4:3/Genesis 15:6
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And this is where the Pharisees had it all wrong. They didn't grasp the understanding that faith is what justifies a person. They didn't grasp that the law wasn't the tool which made a person righteous. In fact, the law does the exact opposite! If you read on in Romans you will see Paul explain what it is that the law actually does in terms of righteousness and being justified.
"The law was added so that the trespass might increase." - Romans 5:20
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Did you get that? How is it that The Law can be blamed for trespass? Well, it does this because it creates the potential for people to break the law, right? If there are no rules, then no punishment can come as a result of actions that have no consequences tied to them. But, if we have The Law and these lists of procedures of do's and don'ts then we have all these opportunities to do what The Law tells us not to or to not do what The Law says we should do.
The Law breeds trespass. It sets clear boundaries so that sin becomes categorically identifiable.
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So do you see why this left the Pharisees out in the cold? No person lacks the capability to live a sinless life. Only Christ did that. And here is a news flash for you: Christ didn't even always adhere to The Law! Check out Matthew 12:1-14 and you will see Jesus break The Law two times in one day and the Pharisees become so aggravated that they start plotting to kill Jesus.
That should send up all your red flags to make it clear that the Pharisees were completely invested in the wrong idea of righteousness! Following The Law, even to the tee, does not reconcile you with God. It doesn't impart righteousness to you the way you need it.
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And this is where all the, "well I'm a good person so I'm sure God and I are okay" is completely debunked. Doing or not doing certain things is far less important to God than the relationship you develop with God when you have faith.
That relationship through Jesus is the only way that true reconciliation is achieved. It is because of all our unrighteousness is taken from us and put on Jesus, who took it to hell for us. And that moment, not only have we handed over all these ugly and painful trespasses, sins, and transgressions against people and against God, but in that same moment that we gave it up, Jesus gave us His righteousness.
So in that moment, our faith is what has allowed Christ's righteousness to be imparted to us in exchange for our unrighteousness.
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Do you see the monumental difference between achieving righteousness like that and achieving it the way the Pharisees were trying to? The Pharisees were actually so caught up in this whole debacle that they believed and taught that if everyone would just simply keep to The Law and it's guidelines for one single day, the Messiah would come to earth and save everyone.
But these are night and day differences to how we become righteous. In one instance, it is all about what has been done for us. In the other, it is all about what we do ourselves. And as I'm sure we have all learned, doing things by ourselves is often hard and unsuccessful.
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I make this whole argument for one reason; I think today we may be walking a fine line of becoming Pharisees of a different kind. A kind that focuses on social justice instead of The Law.
I say that because sometimes amidst all of the Christian activism today, Jesus gets lost. I know I haven't been on the scene forever, but I've noticed that Jesus doesn't always gets the props He deserves in those settings.
I've seen it, instead, become more about people doing whatever they are doing because it is about them. It is about them doing these works to receive or maintain righteousness in their life. But that just isn't how it works.
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We really need to embrace and grasp the understanding that the good things which flow out of our lives and the good works we do are a product of our faith and the righteousness imparted to us by that faith.
We need to always remember that we are dead to ourselves, and it is Jesus living through us in those things we do and social justice issues we are addressing.
And we need to remember that "we walk by faith, not by sight." - 2 Corinthians 5:7
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I do nothing. I am weak. Jesus is strong. And it is in my weakness that He shows up and does things that wouldn't happen if it was just me and not Him. That is how I know that Jesus is the one working through me and doing things. It is because of Jesus that good works come out of me, because they are a product of my soul changing more and more into what He wants it to be and look like.
"The Lord said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." - 2 Corinthians 12:9
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The Law had us in chains, and it created trespasses because we are weak. But remember we are now free from The Law in that way.
"The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 5:20-21
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Peace.
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