Today's encouragement comes from Job 25:4, where we read these words:
"How then can man be righteous before God? Or how can he be pure who is born of a woman?"
Bildad the Shuhite asked these questions (above). They are actually very im-portant queries. The answer to the first one, is, "No one can be righteous be-fore God on one's own. What is necessary is an 'alien' righteousness." This "alien" righteousness is that of Jesus Christ Himself, as His perfect atone-ment and righteousness is imputed to sinful souls by the Holy Spirit, and by the sheer grace of God.
Faith follows regeneration. Regeneration is God's sovereign act of bringing to life a dead and rebellious soul. Faith is part of the gift package of regenera-tion. By faith, we fetch to our hearts the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our only righteousness. Therefore the answer to the question, "Can a [per-son] be righteous before God?,” is “Yes, absolutely!”—but only as he or she is clothed in Christ's righteousness (alone).
[Puritan quote of the day: "A godly man loves God and therefore delights to be in His presence. He loves God and therefore takes comfort in nothing with-out Him.” —Thomas Watson, in, "The Godly Man's Picture"]
Bildad the Shuhite asked these questions (above). They are actually very im-portant queries. The answer to the first one, is, "No one can be righteous be-fore God on one's own. What is necessary is an 'alien' righteousness." This "alien" righteousness is that of Jesus Christ Himself, as His perfect atone-ment and righteousness is imputed to sinful souls by the Holy Spirit, and by the sheer grace of God.
Faith follows regeneration. Regeneration is God's sovereign act of bringing to life a dead and rebellious soul. Faith is part of the gift package of regenera-tion. By faith, we fetch to our hearts the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our only righteousness. Therefore the answer to the question, "Can a [per-son] be righteous before God?,” is “Yes, absolutely!”—but only as he or she is clothed in Christ's righteousness (alone).
[Puritan quote of the day: "A godly man loves God and therefore delights to be in His presence. He loves God and therefore takes comfort in nothing with-out Him.” —Thomas Watson, in, "The Godly Man's Picture"]
