Have you ever been around someone who was "cool" and you were not? How did you feel when you talked with him or her? Maybe some answers would be embarrassed, awkward, uncomfortable, stupid, and distant. Is that how we feel around God? Should we feel that way?

Romans 3:19-25 (paraphrased) says, whoever lives by the law is guilty. No one can be justified by the law because by the law we have knowledge of sin. For example, I would not know to not steal unless someone said, "Don't steal." As soon as I was told not to steal, I would have knowledge of it.

Paul gives us good news here: there is a way to righteousness without the law. This righteousness is through faith in Jesus Christ: all, everyone, who proclaims Jesus as Lord shall be righteous. For all have sinned and all have been freely justified by God's grace because of their faith in Christ. [Notice it is past tense.] God made Jesus to bear all of our sins and God has freed us so we might declare God's righteousness in us (2 Cor. 5:21).

How? Pretend you have one bowl of mud and one bowl of clean water (you may do this experiment at home). When you were a sinner, everything you did was from the realm of sin. It is like the bowl of mud. No matter what nice, clean thing you put in it, it will become muddy.

Pretend you stick a toy person in the mud (the mud represents the law and sin). The person can do nice things, good things, but the person is still in the mud. Any person in the mud would feel and act muddy or go to muddy places.

Colossians 1:13 says, "Jesus has delivered us from the power or authority of darkness, and has translated [or transferred] us into the kingdom of His dear Son." The good news for the person in the mud is that God did not leave him there. He took him out. Take the toy person from the mud and put it in the water. This is called righteousness (not to be confused with holiness). We have right-standing with God.

Many Christians think "muddy water." Thus, they live in fear and distance from God. How many Christians try to earn God's love or favor or answers to prayer? They go to church or read their Bibles or worship and they use that as a conscience-cleansing (muddy-water thinking) activity when they are clean, through and through because they are righteous (clear-water thinking)!

The blood of Jesus made the way into the presence of God. The blood of Jesus gave us right-standing with God. Do we think we can earn it now through works (Gal. 3:2-3)?

Thoughts such as, "I have to go to church or God will be mad" or "I must have done something wrong because I didn't get my prayer answered yet." The same act of sin can be interpreted and responded to in different ways simply based on our beliefs about our standing with God.

If I sin and I believe I am a sinner, then I will cower and crawl to God begging for forgiveness and my conscience will be shaped with guilt and shame. The same sin with a realization that I am righteous (clean water) will result in a humble walking into His presence asking forgiveness and actually receiving it.

The muddy water thought is, "I have sinned! I am a worm; low and rotten." The implication of muddy water thoughts is a "bad to the bone" self-concept. The clean water thought is, "I have sinned! I hurt You, Father, and myself." The implication of clean water thought is a "good to the core" self-concept.

How many times have Christians not received an answer to prayer and they begin to go through a list of what they have and have not done? Yes, we were saved by grace through faith. Yes, faith needs corresponding acts of obedience.

What we must examine is, are we trying to earn our standing with God through these things? Do I stay away from God's presence when I haven't measured up to my own standards? Can I, through an act of sin, un-earn God's love, favor, or blessings?

Is there anything my daughters can do to cause me to tell them to get out of my life? No. Nothing. They have my favor, love, and blessing simply by virtue of being my daughter. They didn't earn it in the first place, so there is no un-earning it.

Even though they may think they've un-earned my favor, it is not true. It's impossible. Just like it's impossible for me not to be a dad or a son. Nothing I do can reverse that truth. Likewise, God has made you righteous.

When we believe that we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, then we will act like it. We will run to the throne of grace and obtain mercy when we miss it. When you believe you are good and you are righteous, you will stand beside God.

Answer the Call Ministries
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