If we’re not actively surrendering to Christ’s righteousness for us on a daily basis, then we all naturally default back to our version of self-righteous. Self-righteousness is a dangerous lie that will lead us into a ditch of arrogance.
Working really hard to get God to like you is a fruit of self-righteousness. And what is that? It’s the effort to become righteous before God by your own efforts. Self-righteousness is always defined by self. You decide what is right and wrong. You vainly attempt to define what is good enough to please God. Or, more accurately, you determine what pleases you. You desperately work to get to the point where you can say, “This is good enough. I bet God likes me now.”
However, the road of self-righteousness always has a deep ditch. If you travel this road long enough it will get so narrow that it will eventually push you into this deep ditch called arrogance. The ditch of arrogance causes you to think you’ve reached super-Christian status. You have now been granted a capital C on your chest with a gold-plated shield around it. It will stay buried under the shirt of false humility waiting for the perfect opportunity to bulge out.
This is a dangerous ditch in which to find yourself because there’s only one judge on all spiritual matters there—you. Whether it’s the pastor’s sermon or the lyrics to the latest song the worship band covered, nothing is deep or right enough for you. You’re the smartest person in the room. You’ve got the inside track to the heart of God. However, deep down in your heart of hearts, you know it’s all a sham. You’re dying. You’re fearful. On top of it all, these all-too-sobering verses hang over your head:
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5)
Questions for Reflection:
What is self-righteousness? In the moments of life when you’re not focusing on Christ, do you tend to be arrogant? What is a way to fight arrogance today?
Truth:
Christians are not saved by their own works, but by the work of Christ. Therefore, we have nothing to be arrogant about. We should only boast in Him.
Did you know that heaven isn’t the Christian’s final destination?
The Bible makes it clear that when Jesus comes again we’ll receive new bodies and that God will restore the earth. The echoes of this promise are heard in Ezekiel’s proclamation of a coming Messianic age. We can call the “new” earth our final home. We won’t float on clouds, strum harps of gold or sing some never-ending worship song. Rather, we’ll find ourselves in a very real place, more real and alive than this world could ever be.
The prophet Ezekiel challenges the stereotypes of God’s restoration. God will purify and recreate what’s inside of us. He will give us a new heart and a new spirit (verses 25–26). Certainly we should embrace and cherish these promises.
However, Ezekiel’s prophecy of restoration doesn’t end with our bodies. God will also restore the earth: “The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. They will say, ‘This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited’” (verses 34–35). Ezekiel also describes the physical abundance and fruitfulness of the renewed earth (verses 29–30).
God accomplished the purification of sins in the death of his Son, Jesus. But he hasn’t restored the world yet. That great work still lies ahead; still today we wait for God to fulfill the second half of Ezekiel’s prophecy.
As we wait for that glorious day when God will make all things new, we do well to remember that God won’t forget the physical world he has created. His work of restoration moves from the inside out.
To Take Away
Why won’t God abandon the world he has created?
What do you think the renewed earth will be like?
One day all of God’s people will be fully restored and will live in a new, perfect world. How might this knowledge affect your life today?
In Other Words
“We should stretch our vision of what’s in store for us. God’s redemptive work is far greater than we imagine because God himself is far greater than we imagine.” —Randy Alcorn
