The book of Romans clearly reveals the Grace of God. The Gospel of His grace, the goodness of God that excludes man’s performance.
It reveals two kinds of righteousness: ‘Self Righteousness and God’s Righteousness’.
This epistle was written to Jews. They are the sect that believe that their relationship with God is based on their performance.i.e the only way to get God to love them is by circumcision or adherence to a moral code.
They had the law and believed doing it was the only way to have a right standing with God, but that’s all self righteousness which is a filthy rag before God.
The purpose of the law is to make you feel guilty, to reveal sin so you can acknowledge the need for a saviour. Romans 3:20: “ Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh shall be justified in His sight, for BY THE LAW IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN”.
The righteousness of God is not performance based but faith based. You don’t work for it, you believe to receive it.
Romans 3:21: “But now the righteousness of God APART FROM THE LAW IS REVEALED,… Even the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD WHICH IS THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST to all and on all who believe
The best of your performance can never make you righteous before God. The moment you became born again, God gave you His righteousness so that you can stand before Him without any sense of guilt or inferiority complex.
Self righteousness simply means taking pride in what you do or have done. ‘Just like the Pharisee in Luke 18:11-12 was proclaiming his own goodness before God in prayers, ‘I am not like other men-extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithe of all that I possess.’
It’s so funny that those who are born again also are sometimes caught in this web. Self righteousness says I don’t wear earring so God will hear me faster than someone who does.????
Self righteousness says I have been serving God so He will bless me first. My dear God has blessed you, service should be motivated by love, although it has a reward also.
A person who understands grace will acknowledge God for all the happenings in his life.
Any good thing in you or that happened through you, God did it! He is the one at work in you both to WILL and TO DO of His good pleasure. When you come to the end of yourself, you will begin to see God’s hand in your life like never before.
