No Plan B for Righteousness
I usually like having a “Plan B”. After all, “Plan A” doesn’t always work. God’s plan for righteousness is through Jesus Christ. That’s the only plan there is. There is no Plan B. However, that doesn’t keep man from attempting one. We see this in Romans 1O:3-4: “3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” Paul is writing about the nation of Israel and says that they were ignorant of God’s righteousness. They shouldn’t have been ignorant of it, but they were. And note what they did…they sought to establish their own righteousness. I think this is so interesting on three levels. First, isn’t it interesting that they knew they were “unrighteous” in the first place? Why did they know that…how did they know that? Why would they seek to establish their own righteousness? I believe that a part of being created in God’s image is an innate understanding of our own unrighteousness. If we are honest with ourselves and others, we realize that we are not righteous. Second, they were unwilling to submit to the righteousness of God. God had a plan, but they didn’t submit to that plan. The word “submit” might indicate rebellion. God’s plan simply required submission to His plan to erase their unrighteousness. However, they refused to submit to that plan. Third, they sought to establish their own righteousness. Every other “religion” outside of Christianity does this very thing. They all seek to establish their own righteousness and they all do it the same way…the effort of man. Every single religion focuses on the effort of man. It is even too often true that Christians emphasize the work of man over the work of Christ.
There is no Plan B for righteousness. The Bible says that Jesus became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God “in Him”. If you are trusting in something or someone other than Jesus for righteousness…which all of us desperately need…you are trusting in a plan that will not work. Receive the righteousness of Christ today.