Timmy Brister:
We live in a day where seldom repentance of sin is celebrated. How much less is repentance of self-righteousness? And the consequence of this is cultural Christianity inoculated to the gospel and society of do-gooders on the treadmill of religious performances in hopes of earning God’s approval. Non-Christians learn to play the Christian, dressing appropriately, learning the Christian shorthand speech, and becoming competent in sin management. Having the form of godliness but denying the power thereof, we have concluded those whom Jesus said have no hope of entering the kingdom (Matt. 5:20) to be not far from it. We have made it acceptable, if not cool, to live as Pharisees because we have been impressed by their behavior modifications and fail to realize they are full of dead men’s bones.
So my plea for us gospel loving Christians today is that we would be intolerant towards self-rigtheousness and call men committed to their morality to total abandonment regarding their self-salvation projects. It is a plea to celebrate repentance of both sin and self-righteousness and to press us all into a deeper appreciation of the gospel. Let us not be impressed by man’s attempts at goodness but call them to flee the wrath to come by resting in the one work that truly justifies–the work of the cross. Let’s not make it a comfortable place for modern-day Pharisees to express thanksgiving in their good works, but instead make it a comfortable place to repent of them.
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