FROM A HUMAN POINT OF VIEW.........THOUGH NOT FROM THE VIEW OF GOD........ God tells us how He views our good deeds. Some admit that we are all sinners, but go on to say that we can make up for that by doing good. God addresses this idea when the prophet says, “All our righteousnesses.” He is not talking about our bad deeds, failings, etc. We won’t even mention those! He is only thinking of what we call “our righteousnesses,,” that is, our best behavior, our good works. Do they have merit with God? Does He find them attractive or pleasing? God says, “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” That’s pretty blunt. Does this include giving alms, fasting, being kind to others, church attendance, taking the sacraments, singing in the choir, being the lay reader, teaching Sunday School, being a deacon, church secretary, pianist or organist, or doing other kinds of church work? What about belonging to a civic club, the ladies’ circle, giving to or working with charities, not swearing or using foul language, trying to be honest, respectful, a good neighbor and doing your best? How could God call things like these “filthy rags”? What could possibly be wrong with these things?~~ The human point of view about ourselves is that some are better than others, and this is in a perhaps correct in a comparative sense, but it is fatally incomplete. To repent is to re-think, to think again, and this is certainly an area in which each of us needs to do that. The divine point of view is that compared to God, all are bad, none are good. He says, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Romans 3:10-12).!!
Posted on: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 16:20:16 +0000
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