You know, the bible makes a lot of absolute statements.  Statements like “there is none righteous, no not one” or “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” are absolute statements that put the entire human race in the place of needing a Saviour.  If you and I have “come short” of the glory of God, then we haven’t measured up to His standards!

There is no hope for us in our own righteousness!  If we stand before God trusting in our own “good works” to get us in to Heaaven, we don’t stand a chance!

 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Romans 3:10-12

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6

Isaiah 53:6 is a profound verse, not only do we see our own helplessness in this verse, but it tells us what God has done about it; He has laid our iniquity on a substitute; Someone who could take all the sin of the world on His own shoulders!

Read the rest of Isaiah 53; Rabbis will tell you that the “righteous servant” of God is Israel, but Israel is the “we” in the beginning of this verse, so the “righteous servant” has to be someone other than the nation of Israel.  In fact He came from Israel, but he is an individual man and not the nation as a whole; the Lord Jesus Christ!  Indeed He is more than a man; if there was a righteous man, he could only die for one other person, but Jesus, being God, His blood, His life, is more valuable than the entirety of humanity!  Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross has more value than all the sin of all time!

Of all the sins He was accused of, he was totally innocent, and his death was an unjust execution perpetrated by the Romans, and the nation of Israel together!  Think about it; after being examined by both Herod and Pontius Pilate, Jesus was declared innocent, but these evil men handed Him over to the executioners anyway!  Yes they did it to appease the crowds, but they had the power to set Him free.

You see, behind the scenes, Jesus was orchestrating His own execution, because He has a deep unbelievable love for the whole human race. Not only did he die for you and me, but he also died for Pilate, Caiphas, Herod, and every person ever born… even Adolph Hitler!

And, God leveled the “playing field” in the process.  He didn’t say that you need to perform some act of valour to be right with God, because then only heroes would have made it to Heaven.  He didn’t say that you had to be a part of a certain race, because then only people of that race could make it to Heaven.  He didn’t say that you need to have some secret knowledge to go to Heaven, for then only those initiates who had that secret knowledge could be saved!

He didn’t say that you must live a perfect life to get to Heaven, because then no-one would ever make it! Rather, Jesus saves those who believe in Him, and trust Him to take away their sin.

He said;

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:9

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Romans 5:6-9

We are justified by the blood that Christ shed on the cross!  It is nothing we have done; He did it all!

2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Romans 4:2-5

Proud men want to be their own Saviours, and this is their downfall, for all our works of righteousness are nothing in the eyes of God!  You think you did a good thing?  Maybe you did, but all the works of righteousness you could do cannot undo one sin!

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Titus 3:5

David,  the king of Jerusalem, was a murderer and and adulterer, two capital sins.  All the works of righteousness in the world cannot undo the act of adultery and murder, which David did, but David was not depending on his own righteousness, instead he depended on the righteousness of God, and his sins were put on the shoulders of his own descendant, Jesus Christ, and David now resides in Heaven!

6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Romans 4:6-8

David’s sins were covered when Jesus took them to the cross of Calvary!

What about yours?

28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. John 6:28-29

5 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE Lord OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Jeremiah 23:5-6

The Lord Jesus is my Righteousness!  Is He yours?

Remember;

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.  12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:11-13