I’m pretty smart with some things, but others … not so much. I remember way back in college I took some finance classes that I passed only by the grace of God. Of course, I didn’t know Him back then … but He knew me very well and was taking care of His kid.
There were some exams – especially in accounting – that really blew my mind. There were days that I showed up in the exam room and was already counting on the “curve” to pass. I’d check around the room – and figure out who looked totally dumber or more lost than me – and I did the quick math on my odds of passing. Well, blessed by the bell curve I ended up with an overall course grade of a C … but I didn’t fail! Whew!
As a Jew, I did the same exact thing with eternity. I figured, I’m not so bad … I do lots and lots of good things. I do better things than this guy and that guy … and I surely don’t do things near as bad or as stupid as that guy or that gal. And, holy cow, I don’t do things like THAT guy!
I figured there had to be some sort of bell curve for entrance into eternity … and I was an absolute shoo in!
In my need for a grading system and a way to beat the “eternal” curve, I had placed good and bad on 2 separate scales, and I figured that surely the good stuff tips the balance. But then I hit the painful realization that if this were in fact the case, life would be about our own bragging rights. In essence, negating our sin and expunging the record of our past would be all about “I did this, and I did that” … but what exactly is the nature of bragging? It is putting ourselves, our own strength, our own pride, and our own accomplishments DIRECTLY ahead of God. Blatant violations of God’s commandments 1 and 2 … which makes the bragging a SIN!
Let’s be clear. A sinful system of redemption from sin cannot help us avoid God’s judgment of said sin. So, a life of purely “rolling the dice” and weighing good deeds versus bad deeds cannot be a spiritual loophole in the eternal grading system. No grading curve available there!
Honestly, using good deeds to brag our way out of the consequences for our own sin is a crazy and futile attempt to somehow put ourselves, stuff, money, time, and individual efforts ahead of our God Himself in HIS very own eyes! I mean, how could we ever as the creation be mightier or more capable than our God the Creator in His very own opinion?
To avoid human bragging rights at the throne – and to ensure that HE alone gets all the glory – only an act of God Himself could officially cleanse us from the perils of sin. Also, because it is HIS Kingdom, HIS set of rules, and HIS own system of sin redemption … only He gets to brag about any existing spiritual loopholes.
The loophole is Jesus and His blood!
Thankfully, our God doesn’t grade our “goodness” or even our “badness” on a spiritual bell curve. Nope, as an act of God He already gave Jesus a perfect grade on the cross FOR US! He grades us on Jesus’ perfect performance at the cross, not our repentance performance.
Look, as a child of the King, you are made righteous and perfect because Jesus is righteous and perfect! You are in right standing with The Father, because Jesus is in right standing with The Father! The very moment you say “yes” to Him, He says you are holy, righteous, a new creation, a co-heir, and set apart for Me! (1 Peter 1:16; Philippians 3:9; Hebrews 10:10; Ephesians 1:13; Ezekiel 36:26)
As His kid, you have already been set apart by Him. You have already been sealed by His Spirit. Your sins of yesterday, today, and tomorrow have already been paid for and forgotten. You were already chosen by Him. You were already given a new heart and a new spirit. You were already a new creation in Him!
As a child of God, sealed with His Spirit, and a believer in His work on the cross … there is nothing you can do to mess up your righteousness. Why? Because JESUS IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS 24/7! You and I stay completely righteous all the time – even when we do stupid human things – because HE IS RIGHTEOUS! Look, we are the righteousness of God IN JESUS’ PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS! It’s not about YOU, it’s about HIM!
His blood never went corrupt, His blood did the job right the first time, His work was completed at the cross, and your faith has already been credited to you ONCE as His perfect righteousness in Him. Will He teach and correct us – yes. But He never stopped having your back, and it is His job not to lose YOU! (Philippians 3:9; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 4:3; Hebrews 10:12-14; and John 6:39)
In the end, as his kiddo, your walk in this earth is a pure manifestation of your own beliefs about how Daddy God sees **YOU**! When He sees me, He doesn’t need a silly eternal curve for me to pass … He sees the blood of His Son that perfectly passed!
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”