A righteousness not of my own

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is in Philippians 3:1-16, especially verses 7-14, which I have written about before. It was on my mind because last night a friend seemed to suggest that lately his sinfulness has been weighing on him. For me, Romans 8:1 (no condemnation) and this passage have been helpful to meditate on and go over frequently.

Paul begins the passage (4-6) recounting some of the things that are to his credit, that is, the best that he has to offer--and it is impressive. Paul was a 'super-hero' of Judaism. A brilliant mind. Non-stop energy and focus.

But the very best that Paul has to offer are counted as loss for the sake of the Messiah (7). Paul counts his very best as loss, and all things, his best and worst, as rubbish, in view of the surpassing value of knowing Jesus the Messiah as His Lord (8). The rays from a simple light bulb are nothing when exposed to the light of the sun.

My favorite part of this passage is found in verse 9: that I may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own. What righteousness, then, would I be found with? A righteousness which comes from God on the basis of the faithfulness [of the Messiah]. This is an oft-repeated verse for me. I do not have a righteousness of my own, but that which is through the faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah.

Recall that Paul, in Ephesians, makes righteousness our breastplate in the armor of God (Eph. 6:14). In the Jewish thought, the seat of your emotions is your "gut"--and it is the breastplate that protects that area. This righteousness that is on the basis of the Messiah's faithfulness is that which protects my heart and my emotions from the darts of the enemy.

When a flaming dart comes flying in with a sharp accusation that "you are a no-good, dirty-rotten, wicked filthy awful human being," I can reply, "Yep, and I am in Jesus, not having a righteousness of my own, but that which is given to me because of His faithfulness." In other words, the magnitude of my wickedness is no barrier to receiving His righteousness--because it is given on the basis of His faithfulness. HIS faithfulness. Not mine. The flaming darts that attempt to wound or destroy me are met with, and blocked by, His righteousness.

There is one qualification to be saved: God only saves sinners. And you're in luck--you qualify! And only one way of salvation--through the faithfulness of Jesus. And it is because of His faithfulness that you are made righteous. That makes all the difference, not only on that day, but today. Embrace this righteousness that is not your own. And thank Him for it.

Submission to Government

 A comment was made today by the speaker at church that while Romans 13:1 says we must submit to the government, that only applies to righteous government. He then referenced two stories in Daniel (chapters 3 and 6) as an argument for his statement. Taken simply on its surface, this statement opens the door to a significant misunderstanding. It is critical that we distinguish between submission and obedience.

All authority is established by God, which is Paul's point in Romans 13. Thus, submission to authority is part of God's design and command. So regardless of the "rightness" of the authority, one must submit in the sense that one is to be under it and as much as is possible, obey its decrees. This is true regardless of the righteousness of the government -- remember that Paul is writing Romans 13 not only under the Roman system, but under Nero! Hardly a righteous ruler!

However, there are times when the government's decrees come in conflict with God's law -- the story of the large image of gold which all were commanded to bow down and worship and Daniel's three friends who refused to do so (Daniel 3) and Daniel's refusal to obey a command not to pray (Daniel 6) are examples. But I must point out that in both of these instances, their disobedience included a humble submission to the consequences. Daniel and his friends all submitted to the punishments that came as a result of their disobedience, and they did so with truth and yet humility (and miraculously, were saved in both occasions). I will add that both Paul and Peter were murdered under Nero's rule, submitting to the consequences of disobeying a ruler that was evil (they were not 'saved').

Thus, the statement must be carefully nuanced if it is to avoid misunderstanding. We must always submit the government, because it is an institution of God. But at time, our submission is a submission to the consequences of disobedience, because the government has commanded what conflicts with what God has commanded, and God is the higher authority. Yet, the respect for authority means we must humbly accept such consequences. God may deliver us. He may not. He did not spare His own son! 

Perhaps a bit of American rebellious culture has crept into the church and its view of our relation to the government. We would do well to reevaluate such attitudes in light of Scripture and the examples of the early church. Most were martyred for the faith because of their refusal to worship Caesar, and yet they went to their deaths, not with vindictiveness or even exulting in their rebellion, but in submission to authority -- it is the submission to the highest authority that gives one the humble confidence to accept such consequences, even death.