It is deep-seated in and natural for the fallen human heart to think, if I just do these righteous things, I will be righteous before God. Do you know folks that think like that? Maybe that person you know is you.

For the Jews we read about in the Bible, one of the most righteous things their men could do was to be circumcised. In fact, circumcision was the covenant sign given through Abraham to the Jews. Being circumcised wasn’t the only righteous thing a Jew could do, but it was one of the most important ones.

Yet, in Romans 4, the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul makes clear that Abraham was declared righteous before God by faith long before he was circumcised. He says that Abraham was circumcised not to become righteous, but because he was righteous.

Beloved, we need to get this into our heads and our hearts. For those of us who are in Christ, we do righteous things not to make us righteous, but because we are righteous. We are baptized not to make us righteous, but because we are righteous. We go to church not to make us righteous, but because we are righteous. We pray to God, worship God, refrain from sexual immorality and drunkenness and getting stoned and cussing… We help little old ladies cross the street and on and on and on not to make us righteous, but because we are righteous.

That’s the way it worked with Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, Paul and every other person in the Bible. And that’s how it works with us. We are made righteous before God by faith alone in God alone and not by good works or doing righteous things. But those who are righteous before God will do righteous things. So, get righteous before God by putting your faith in God and then go do a ton of righteous things.

May this truth change your life! Change begins in you!