Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Philippians 3:8-9 I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.
THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH (Paul)
We humans are obsessed with getting credit for what we do. The list of awards, medals, commendations, and prizes people have invented is mind-boggling. Most even want credit for things done before they were born, feeling it only their due to get what parents and grandparents have earned -- including reputations.
But the lengths to which we humans will carry this business of claiming credit is nowhere more evident than in our relationship with God. By nature we want the Almighty to award us for doing what we as His creatures were made to be doing -- even though we are sloppy, inconsistent, inattentive, uncommitted, and often uncaring when it comes to being and doing good. And don't forget that God is providing for all our "expenses" during our time here on earth. Even in our relationship with God people want the work of others to be credited to them. "I am a Lutheran." "My parents have been Christians for a long time." "I am of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin."
That last voice was, of course, Paul the Apostle, describing his attitude before his conversion, which is where this whole business of God giving credit gets truly astounding. The Lord's answer to our inability to do as we ought is to credit to us what someone else has done. (And, yes, for us, has done before we were even born!) What God brought Paul to believe to his great joy, he proclaimed far and wide. Namely, how through faith in Christ God credits to believers all the good, all the righteousness, His Son Jesus lived out as one of us. Now read the Scripture above again -- with awe and thanksgiving.
All glory be to God!
