There are three great difficulties in the way most men try to gain salvation. They are found in Romans 10:3. The first is, ignorance: “They being ignorant of God’s righteousness.” The next is, self-determination: “And going about to establish their own righteousness.” And the third is, out-and-out rebellion: “Have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”
These are the three simple facts that "religion" will never teach you about the Bible and Jesus Christ: the most important thing about God and the Bible is the subject of God’s Righteousness. God's Righteousness is a living Person - His name is Christ Jesus, God manifest in the flesh. The chief problem with men is that they do not know who that Righteousness is - which God requires for salvation. Without trusting to the Righteousness of God (Jesus Christ), no man can enter heaven.
Ignorance: Do you want to be saved by your own righteousness (good works and merits)? Do you know what kind of righteousness it must be? To be accepted by God, it must be perfect righteousness. That is to say, if you have committed but one sin, you have stained your character in the sight of God, and your hope of perfect righteousness is gone. God’s law requires absolute obedience, from the first moment that you understand the law, as long as ever you shall live. Look what the law requires of you: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.” Have you done that? “And thy neighbor as thyself.” Have you done that? Why, there is not one of us he has done it.
If you had kept the law of God completely, from the first command to the last, from the first day until now; even that would not save you; for, if there were to be one sinful word, deed or thought during the rest of your life, it would spoil the whole, and God could not accept your righteousness. When a man commits one sin, he is guilty of disobedience to all the commands of God; for the Bible says in James 2:10, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
The law is like a precious golden chain containing many links that hold a steel trap over you. If you break one of the links, you have broken and ruined the precious chain. Just when only one of links is snapped, down comes the cage of guilt and condemnation over your soul, and you’re trapped until someone rescues you. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
If you had kept the law of God completely, from the first command to the last, from the first day until now; even that would not save you; for, if there were to be one sinful word, deed or thought during the rest of your life, it would spoil the whole, and God could not accept your righteousness. When a man commits one sin, he is guilty of disobedience to all the commands of God; for the Bible says in James 2:10, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
The law is like a precious golden chain containing many links that hold a steel trap over you. If you break one of the links, you have broken and ruined the precious chain. Just when only one of links is snapped, down comes the cage of guilt and condemnation over your soul, and you’re trapped until someone rescues you. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
The next problem is, that men do not know that God has provided a perfect righteousness for them freely through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. God came to earth in human form in the person of Jesus Christ and was perfectly obedient to His own law: He fulfilled every jot and tittle (letter) of it. He was “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” And His obedience and righteousness is yours, if you only believe. Christ Jesus lived a sinless life for you and worked out ‘perfect righteousness’ for your soul to satisfy God’s justice and holiness. The wrath of God abides on you today because of your sin.
You have no righteousness of your own. Jesus Christ was “made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” You receive this righteousness as a free gift from God by looking to Jesus Christ alone; it can never be earned. A church or religion cannot save you. Who is the Righteousness of God? It is God’s only-begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; God manifest in the flesh; born at Bethlehem, climbing Calvary’s mountain bearing a cross and extending His arms and feet to be nailed, giving His side to be pierced, His body was laid in a tomb, that your soul might be saved.
In the wounds and blood of Jesus is salvation found; but men do not know it. Jesus’ death is the death of sin, His life gives life to lost sinners; but men do not know it. Willful ignorance is a damning sin. Do you want to truly know Christ Jesus and have righteousness He offers? Salvation simply put is a Sinner, with nothing, receiving everything from God.
In the wounds and blood of Jesus is salvation found; but men do not know it. Jesus’ death is the death of sin, His life gives life to lost sinners; but men do not know it. Willful ignorance is a damning sin. Do you want to truly know Christ Jesus and have righteousness He offers? Salvation simply put is a Sinner, with nothing, receiving everything from God.
Self-Determination: Another thing that stands in man’s way that is worse than ignorance, and that is, self-determination. Men, ignorant of God’s righteousness, are said to be “going about to establish their own righteousness;” in other words, to set up and build their own righteousness. Man sees God’s righteousness, and, instead of accepting it, he says, “I think I could match that. I will set up my own righteousness. I’ll do it my way.”
Human righteousness is a great lie: it is filthy rags. A man's self-righteousness is much more deadly than his unrighteousness. Only your self-righteousness can damn you, and only Christ's Righteousness can save you from divine justice. The Bible say they “go about” to do this: That is to say, they set about it with great zeal. You determined to do right in the past. You were going to have a perfect righteousness of your own. But you lied or stole or took God’s name in vain, and the foundation of your imaginary righteousness cracked and the structure shook. But then you said, “I’ll never do that again.” But in the next day or two, you were hateful and angry; and down tumbled your righteousness! Then you said, “I’ll turn over a new leaf, I’ll do better this time. But, sin deceives you and down tumbled your righteousness again! Ever it went; and you, all the while, tried zealously to rebuild your character and goodness.
“Going about” implies great earnestness: when a man says, “I am going about a thing”, he means that he is going to take his coat off — going to roll up his shirt-sleeves and get to work. He is going to toil at it for many hours. You may attempt to work a righteousness of your own; and you may do very nicely while it is dark. But when a little light from God’s law and Cross shines on your efforts, you will begin to see the filthiness and foolishness of it. And you, my friend, think yourself very beautiful when you cannot see yourself. But when the looking-glass of the law is held before your soul’s face, you would begin to see the spots of filth that defile the ‘very best’ of your human righteousness. The natural righteousness of man is very foul; and yet they go about to set up their own righteousness.
Human righteousness is a great lie: it is filthy rags. A man's self-righteousness is much more deadly than his unrighteousness. Only your self-righteousness can damn you, and only Christ's Righteousness can save you from divine justice. The Bible say they “go about” to do this: That is to say, they set about it with great zeal. You determined to do right in the past. You were going to have a perfect righteousness of your own. But you lied or stole or took God’s name in vain, and the foundation of your imaginary righteousness cracked and the structure shook. But then you said, “I’ll never do that again.” But in the next day or two, you were hateful and angry; and down tumbled your righteousness! Then you said, “I’ll turn over a new leaf, I’ll do better this time. But, sin deceives you and down tumbled your righteousness again! Ever it went; and you, all the while, tried zealously to rebuild your character and goodness.
“Going about” implies great earnestness: when a man says, “I am going about a thing”, he means that he is going to take his coat off — going to roll up his shirt-sleeves and get to work. He is going to toil at it for many hours. You may attempt to work a righteousness of your own; and you may do very nicely while it is dark. But when a little light from God’s law and Cross shines on your efforts, you will begin to see the filthiness and foolishness of it. And you, my friend, think yourself very beautiful when you cannot see yourself. But when the looking-glass of the law is held before your soul’s face, you would begin to see the spots of filth that defile the ‘very best’ of your human righteousness. The natural righteousness of man is very foul; and yet they go about to set up their own righteousness.
Men are naturally narcissistic and pompous, putting on a false front to impress themselves and others. The law of God removes the religious veneer of your imaginary righteousness. God will have salvation to be all of grace, and man will have to be works. Men’s pennies of self-righteousness can never pay for the righteousness their soul needs. Will you have salvation freely? If so, take it freely. But if you will buy it with your false self-righteousness, you and God can never agree.
The self-efforts of men for their own salvation are deadly efforts. God will save them only one way, and they want to be saved another. God says, “There is medicine. Take it; drink it.” Man says, “No, I will make my own drugs in my own way, and I will make it just fine;” and he goes and takes his own dose. And can he ever get well in such a way as that? God says, “I will forgive.” Man says, “I will try and deserve to be forgiven”; as if that could be possible. Some men seem to think that, somehow or other, they can deserve to be forgiven. But that would not be forgiveness at all. Come, come, ye vilest of the vile, ye lost and utterly undone! Come, come, you that have no righteousness! Come as you are to the Cross where Jesus died. There is everything you need and want in Christ. Come and have him, and you shall not be refused; but reject His terms, and salvation can never be yours.
Out-and-Out Rebellion: The third difficulty, which is the worst, namely, out-and-out rebellion. “Have not submitted themselves unto the Righteousness of God.” Do you not wonder why such a word as ‘submit’ is used? Self-righteous men refuse to submit to God’s way of salvation. They are like a criminal who is trapped in a house and surrounded by the police and must ‘submit’ to the authorities. They must surrender, drop their weapons (sins and self-righteousness) and come out with their hands up. Will you submit to the Ultimate Authority - God? You cannot escape God and His law. Don’t be a self-willed fool that will not submit before your Maker — will you not yield even to have salvation freely? Will you still hold out, and, in your self-righteousness, try to fight against God.
It will always be so: the more self-righteous a man is, the harder it is for him to bow before the Righteousness of God – the Lord Jesus Christ himself. You must yield, my friend. Submit to the fact that God is God, or else you will not submit to God’s righteousness. Man thinks that God is hard, austere, demanding too much; while God puts offers man everything (freedom from sin and eternal life) freely for nothing, yet still man says that the price is too high. Man refuses to submit to the power of God. He will not yield himself up to God to work with him, and in him, and for him. He wants to do all himself; and then, if he got to heaven, he would throw his chest out and boast and seek glory. But that will not do. It is all of grace from first to last; and the sinner must consent that it shall be so, or else the gate of heaven will never give him admittance.
But lastly, ‘submit’ it is a very delightful word. A man says,’“And is that all that I have to do — is to submit myself? Is that all?” you say. There is a feather in the cap of your pride. Take it out. You have a weapon of rebellion by your side. Throw it down. Just submit yourself there, come out with your hands up. Say, “Lord, if my soul be sent to hell, I deserve it. I submit, and I plead for mercy. I plead the precious blood. I not only submit to take that plea, but I delight to take it. You have been kicking and struggling; now submit. You have been despairing, and talking about its being foolish to believe.
Submit - give all that up. No more of your talk! Come to faith in Jesus' Blood alone! When a man submits to God Incarnate, that man has got the victory. When the Lord Jesus Christ is King, you are safe. When you take Christ to be everything, and you are nothing, then neither death nor hell shall ever divide you from the heart of God. When you are not your own, you are Christ’s; but so long as you are dependent upon self, you do not know the Lord, and you cannot know him. The Righteousness of God is a Man - His name is Jesus Christ - God manifest in the flesh who was crucified for sinners.
Submit - give all that up. No more of your talk! Come to faith in Jesus' Blood alone! When a man submits to God Incarnate, that man has got the victory. When the Lord Jesus Christ is King, you are safe. When you take Christ to be everything, and you are nothing, then neither death nor hell shall ever divide you from the heart of God. When you are not your own, you are Christ’s; but so long as you are dependent upon self, you do not know the Lord, and you cannot know him. The Righteousness of God is a Man - His name is Jesus Christ - God manifest in the flesh who was crucified for sinners.
