Human Merit vs Christ's Merit 6

Self-righteousness is natural to fallen humanity.  Self-righteousness is the essence of all the false religions.  They all agree in seeking salvation by your own deeds.  Men will endure anything in order to merit salvation.  Human nature trusts in its own attempts to improve itself morally.  The proud folly of self-dependence leads men away from the Cross into empty religion. Go where you may, the natural religion of fallen men, the way of Cain, is to try to do it yourself by your own merits.  Every man is born a heretic upon this point, and naturally gravitates toward self-righteousness is one form or another.  Self-salvation by human merit, either by personal worthiness or by a man's repentance, resolves in a vain hope ingrained in human nature, and it is very hard to root out.  All unsaved men are ignorant of the Law of God and Divine Justice, and what true Holiness really is.  Self-righteousness makes light of Sin and Divine Justice.

Men think they must merit as much of their salvation as they can by their own efforts, and then the grace of God and Christ's Blood will make up the rest.  They think the Blood of Christ goes only part of the way, and then man's efforts must do the rest.  In short, fallen man's plan of salvation is every man can be his own savior, and Jesus Christ and His grace will make up for man's deficiencies as needed.   God's Grace will never share the work with a sinner's deeds. Human merit and God's mercy can never be mixed together.  The idea of Salvation by your own merits is exceedingly absurd and offensive to God.  Salvation by works is a criminal doctrine. The Spirit of adoption never boasts of human merit.

Man is a rebel towards God and he can never earn anything but Damnation through human merit.  You are so sinful that God had to become a sinless Man and die in agony and blood to save your ungodly soul.  The carnal mind turns its back on the Cross and says, "My merits will help me to heaven, they are good enough.  I'm as good as most people and better than some, I will be saved in my own way, I'm not that bad off, I refuse to give Jesus Christ all the glory for my salvation."  Do you think you must contribute your ounce of merit in the scales of Divine Justice, or that you must add your pennies to the Savior's fine gold?  The small dust of your human merit in the balance is not required for Christ's priceless Salvation.  Your guilty soul can only be saved by an act of God's free mercy.  If you think that you are good in anyway, God's mercy will pass you by.  For a sinner to argue merit is for him to plead against himself.

You should never put human merit (your self-righteousness) in the place of Christ's merit (God's Righteousness).  Faith is a self-denying grace, that never dares to boast.  All of Jesus' work is done, there is no human merit to be worked out to complete Christ's Righteousness, no self-sufficiency to be endured to perfect His Atonement.  Only the Gospel can change your inward evil nature.  Self-congratulation is banished forever at the Cross.  Put not self in opposition to Christ, for self spoils all of Christ's free Salvation.  

Believing on Jesus is a self-renunciating action which counts all human merit but dross and dung.  Believing on Christ Jesus, trusting to His Precious Blood, is that which is most pleasing to God.  Believing is the fruit of Faith, and saving Faith is the gift of God and the work of the Spirit of God.  A man's believing is nothing unless that believing makes him a new creature in Christ Jesus by the work of the Holy Spirit.  Only the Creator can recreate you within.  All trust but that which is found in Jesus' Blood is a damnable delusion and a devilish falsehood. The sooner you get rid of your sins the better.

You need the Holy Spirit's presence and quickening power most of all, for a sinner cannot hate evil and love righteousness of himself, for the whole bent of human nature is toward evil continually.  The thirsty soul looks to the Water of Life and drinks.  The empty soul looks to the Bread of Life and eats.  The best way to eat your dinner is to eat it.  Believing is a matter of the will; Believing is the receiving of Christ Jesus into one's self by faith in His Blood.  I do now believe on the Son of God.  The Righteousness of Christ will be imputed to my account freely, His merits shall avail for me, and His Righteousness shall cover my defenseless soul.  Grace is for the guilty, Mercy is for the ungodly, Love is for the undeserving and sinful.  I am saved only because God in Christ is merciful, He delights to be gracious, and He has bestowed His free favor and infinite love on me.

Believing is the most essential act of a man's life.  Believe in the Light of the world.  Believing is stretching out on Christ and resting completely on Him. Believing is the central command of the Gospel.  Believing is another word for trusting, relying, depending upon Christ's Blood and Righteousness alone.  Doubting is pride, and Believing is humility.  Whosoever believeth in Christ shall be saved.  Believing is the rejection of self and sin, and the receiving of Christ and purity.  Simple, sincere dependence on Christ's merits is vital.  O God, I am a sinner and nothing at all, my plea is only for Mercy through your Son's Precious Blood.  There is nobody in the whole world that needs your Mercy more than I do.  I trust now only to the atoning, boundless merits and blood of the Crucified Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ.