Lesson for the Lord’s Day
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. Luke 5:32
Many years ago, I was with a group of young fellows travelling home from a Gospel meeting. We had some good singers in the car, and we spent most of our time on that trip singing Gospel hymns. At one point, a thought came to me, and I expressed it to the lad sitting beside me, ‘Why are we singing Gospel hymns when all of us here are saved?’ For an answer, he simply nodded toward the driver of the car, an unsaved brother of one of our group. I had forgotten about him. Gospel hymns were still appropriate because one of our number was still in need of repentance. As far as that goes, Gospel hymns are always appropriate for our enjoyment, even though the message in them is no longer directed at ourselves. We are now the righteous who are no longer in need of repentance, at least the repentance that leads to salvation. But there are folks around us who have a form of so-called righteousness that prevents them from finding repentance.
Some will teach that baptism is the path to righteousness, and they are trusting in that ordinance. This teaching flies in the face of Revelation 1:5 which declares that Jesus Christ loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood. The water of baptism will not produce anything but self righteousness.
Neither will the approach that is known as ‘lordship salvation’. This doctrine misinterprets the word ‘repent’, which means to change one’s mind, and take it to mean forsaking one’s sins. The Scriptures clearly teach that forsaking our sins is a result, not a cause, of salvation. We have no power to forsake our sins, and those who think they do are exercising a form of self righteousness. Acts 20:21 speaks of repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. It says nothing of repentance against sin or anything else. David J. Stewart had the following strong words about lordship salvation: ‘Lordship Salvation puts the cart before the horse. You cannot mutate the ROOT and the FRUIT of a believer’s faith into one, for in so doing you have created a works-based salvation, which is NO salvation at all.’ I agree with Mr. Stewart.
Another deadly form of self righteousness is that of those who claim we must persevere, or hold onto, our salvation after we receive it. But this makes no sense, when we consider that salvation is a work entirely of God and not of ourselves. If it is God’s work, it is God alone who can maintain and preserve it. Salvation – past, present, and future – was purchased for us at the infinite cost of the precious blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:12, 1 John 1:7), and there is no price that we could ever contribute to add to that.
Perhaps the simplest and most common form of self righteousness is that of good works. In fact, most of the so-called Christian denominations teach this false doctrine. But Titus 3:5 clearly states: Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy He saved us.
We are righteous. But it is only because we were sinners who God called to repentance! – Jim MacIntosh