Scripture: “Then they said to him, 'What must we do, to be doing the works of God?' Jesus answered them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.'" — John 6:28–29
Thought: Their question sounds spiritual, "What must we do?” But buried inside that question is the instinct of every fallen human heart: “Give me something to do.”
Give me the list. Give me the rules. Give me something I can accomplish so I can stand before God and say, "Look what I did..."
Religion loves "What must we do?” The gospel destroys it.
Jesus doesn't hand them a checklist. He points them to a Person: "Believe in him whom he has sent” [v29]. This is the great dividing line between Christianity and every system of self-salvation. The natural man wants to do. The gospel tells us Christ has done.
We want achievement. God requires faith. We want to bring our righteousness to God. The gospel tells us we don't have any.
Justification by faith alone [being made right with God] is central to our faith. Luther called justification "the article upon which the church stands or falls.” Why? Because if one ounce of our acceptance before God depends upon our performance, we're cooked.
Our best days are stained by sin. Our motives are mixed. Our obedience is incomplete. Our righteousness cannot survive the holiness of God. So God provides another righteousness, a foreign righteousness, Jesus’ righteousness.
Jesus obeyed where we disobeyed. He fulfilled the Law we broke. He died the death we deserved. He rose victorious over death. And through faith, His righteousness is counted as ours. J.C. Ryle describes it as such... "The white robe which Jesus offers, and faith puts on, must be our only righteousness.”
Even the faith, by which we put on Christ, is not something we manufacture to impress God. Faith is an empty hand. It contributes nothing. It receives everything.
Brother, stop trying to impress a God who already knows everything about you. You don't need a résumé. You need a Redeemer.
The Christian life is a life where we fight the urge to ask, "What must I do to make God accept me?” and continually rest in what Christ has already done.
Reflection: Are you resting in Christ's righteousness, or are you still quietly trying to prove to God that you're worthy of His acceptance?
Right Next Step: Pay attention today to where performance sneaks into your relationship with God. When you feel the need to prove yourself, preach this to yourself: “Christ's work, not mine, is the ground of my acceptance. All my boast is in Jesus...”
Prayer: “Father, forgive me for trying to earn what You freely give in Christ. I have no righteousness of my own that can stand before You. Thank You for Jesus’ perfect obedience, substitutionary death, and righteousness. Teach me to rest in Christ alone and then obey You, not to earn Your love, but because I already have it in Your Son. Amen.”
From Better Man w.thx - https://betterman.com/
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