“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:” (Heb.12:14).
Here God sets the fundamental demand for a relationship with Him. Yet, we recognize that we fall far short of that standard—unless we try to deceive ourselves and make ourselves better than we are.
Heaven is the holy habitation of God and none can dwell there without holiness. “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.” (Matt.5:8). Yet, I find my heart is desperately wicked! Jesus demands, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt.5:20). How hard it would be to measure up to the religious standard of the Pharisees, and yet Christ says we must exceed it!
How good do you have to be to get to heaven? You must be as good as God and as perfect as Jesus Christ! There is only one way that can be—the righteousness of Christ being imputed to us.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.... For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (Rom.5:1-2, 6-11).
A holy God hates sin and it must be punished. God visited His wrath upon His Son so that we sinners might be forgiven—and Christ’s righteousness given to those who place their faith in Him! We can never measure up to God’s absolute standard by our own religious zeal. We don’t have to. For this I have Christ!
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