Adding To Our Righteousness?

This morning I am reading from Paul's letter to the Galatians. He is discussing the ideas of grace and works. Here are two critical sections:

Galatians 2:15-16, 19-21 NIV:
[15] “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles [16] know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

[19] “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. [20] I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. [21] I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

The goal here is to be deemed righteous, or free of sin, which is the requirement to enter into God's presence, or eternal life. Earlier in the chapter Paul was describing how he was calling Peter to task for giving in to the "circumcision" party, those who were trying to force Jewish laws on the Gentiles. Paul's stance was critical to the message of the Gospel, that through faith they might be saved. This was not a message of works, some set of acts that would enable a person to reach the required state, but rather a message of faith.

Paul makes it very clear that if righteousness could be gained through the law, then Jesus would not have needed to come and die for our sins. Additionally, the next step in the works logic is that following some of the rules of the law would enhance one's righteousness, thus producing a group of people who were 'more' righteous than the rest. That is exactly what Paul was battling here, the members of the "circumcision party" were considering themselves above the Gentile believers, because they were more righteous. Paul understood this was very dangerous territory and a stream that must be stopped, for it would taint the whole Gospel.

There can be only one answer, for there is only one savior, Jesus. He either died or all our sins or He didn't, and He either has made us righteous by His sacrifice, or He hasn't. There is no incompleteness to His sacrifice, no need to add to His sacrifice. We cannot achieve new levels of righteousness by our acts, for we have been made righteous by Jesus, and this is not based on anything we do. In other words, everyone who comes to Jesus for salvation and believes in Him through faith, has the same level of righteousness in God's eyes, that of Jesus.

Any acts of obedience, any embracing of the way of the Lord that we do is the result of our relationship and salvation we have already received. Our actions should be birthed out of relationship, not out of following some set of rules that someone else has written or communicated. Those who have just come to salvation in Christ, are just as righteous as those who have walked for years with the Lord, the difference is intimacy.

Using an example that we can relate to, a couple who just got married yesterday are every bit as married as a couple who was married 40 years ago. Those who have shared life together for 40 years are not more married, but they likely enjoy greater intimacy. The couple married for 40 years should not look down on the newly married couple with contempt, or act as if their marriage is better, but rather should be encouraging to the young married, of the joys and life they will experience. Similarly, there are many married couples whose life together is significantly different than other couples, yet their marriage is every bit as legitimate, and intimate, so they should not believe that the way their life together has developed is the way ever one else's should be.

So let us examine our lives and make sure that we do not believe a Gospel that has been added too, one that requires anything other than faith in Jesus as the standard and requirement for righteousness. Let us encourage each other onward in intimacy and relationship with the Lord, but let us not look down on those whose walk is young, different, or less intimate.