An Idea Borrowed

Years ago on a radio program someone shared that they read a chapter in Proverbs every day. Since there are 31 chapters and the longest month has 31 days it allows you to read through Proverbs on a regular basis. I use it as the launch pad for my personal worship time and branch out from there. On this blog I will try to share some of the insights I have in the Word. I will try to organize them in the archive by reference.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

The Reality of Righteousness

(Proverbs 10:21 KJV)  The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.

Once again we see the assumption that righteous people exist.  So many deny this.  They like to misquote Isaiah.  They say, “My righteousness is as filthy rags.”  When they misquote it they are saying that they have no claim to righteousness, that such a claim is deceitful such as calling rags beautiful clothes.  That is not what the verse says.
(Isaiah 64:6 KJV)  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Notice the plural.  It does mean that if we call our actions “righteousness” and use them as a reason why we should be saved, they are like filthy rags.  It does not say that the grace of God, the cleansing of the Blood and the power of the Holy Spirit cannot make us righteous.

Repeated references like this verse in Proverbs remind us that God can move in our lives to clean us up and make us saints.

So?  Don’t settle for “the devil made me do it.”  Accept the fact that “the Holy Spirit enables me to be it.”  Ask for forgiveness.  Ask for cleansing.  Ask for empowerment.  They are all offered.

2 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

You're right, too many people want tom leave themselves (or others) in their "before" status.

Pumice said...

Yes, grace is given to help us grow and change, not to make excuses.

Thanks.

Grace and peace.