Trusting In An Alien Righteousness
Part 70 - Luke 18:9-14 (ESV) - Pastor Tim Kroeker
Philippians 3:9:
“(That I may) be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.”
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Perhaps you’re familiar with those TV courtroom dramas like Hot Bench or Judge Judy. Maybe you remember The People’s Court that started it all. Real-life litigants would agree to have their small claims disputes settled by the Honorable Judge Joseph Wapner. Each party pleaded its case, insisting on the rightness of their cause before a binding judgment was rendered.
As we continue reading in our salvation story Jesus tells the parable of two men who approach the bench of the Divine Judge. One man, a well-respected Pharisee, proudly promoted his own righteousness. He was convinced that his behavior was morally upright. The other man, a despised tax collector, threw himself upon the mercy of the court. In a surprising verdict, the tax collector was the one who went home justified.
Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which He declares a sinner righteous. But who is the person that God justifies? The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector reveals that trusting in one’s own righteousness is a losing argument. Jesus Christ is the propitiation, the satisfactory payment, for our sins. Only those who trust in Christ’s righteousness and not their own will be saved. These are the ones who will be found faithful when the Son of Man comes. This is the kind of faith that saves.
