Religion has a way of hiding the really important stuff. How else can we explain the fact the someone can spend their whole life reading the Bible and going to church, but still not understand what grace and righteousness by faith is?
There are pastors out there who still teach and believe that salvation is a pay-to-play thing—where you do your part and work really hard to be good, then God kicks in and does the rest.
That’s poppy-cock and spiritual hogwash.
Speaking about the core message of the gospel, Paul said, “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4, NKJV).
I hate to say this, but we all identify with the [proud]. There is none righteous, not even one (Romans 3:9-20). So unfortunately, the above description in Hakakkuk regarding the proud applies to us.
Those who are just are made that way by faith. This is the truth that’s hidden in plain view. It sounds good, but is extremely difficult to accept and apply.
We are not made good by trying to be good or by following a prescribed list of rules? Pharisaism really is the bane of genuine spirituality.
It is FAITH and faith alone in Christ that saves us from ruin. It is ALL God’s doing—not ours. If we are righteous it is because we believe the promise that Christ’s righteousness (goodness) can be ours (because ours can never be enough). That’s what makes the gospel “good news,” —the fact that we don’t need to create our own version of goodness—which we are incapable of anyway.
The truth is, right now God loves and accepts you as you are—with all of your annoyances and failures. You don’t have to “measure up” or get your act together before Jesus will love and accept you. And any changes or smoothing out that needs to be done in your life—God will do as you are able to bear it. So don’t obsess over trying to “clean up your act.” He’ll take care of that.
In Ephesians Paul says “We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10).
We are God’s doing; his handiwork; products of his artistry. Our part is to let God make something uniquely beautiful of our lives so we can proclaim his goodness and bless the world.
Rich DuBose writes from Northern California
On the web at: richdubose.com. All Rights Reserved © 2025. Join me on Blue Sky @spiritrenew.bsky.social.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.