How much of a role do you think righteousness truly has in our relationship with God?
This is probably one of the biggest sticking points in modern Christianity—at least insofar as I’ve witnessed. The Body of Christ seems to take vastly different sides of this issue among its members, occasionally delineated down the seams of denomination, age, even location and upbringing, etc. Whatever the case and cause may be, some individuals take the stance that because God loves us as we are, we don’t need to attempt righteousness or right-living in order to approach Him; we can live comfortably even in sin and not have our relationship with God be affected. On the other extreme are those who believe that only those with the holiest lifestyle and a clean slate of works will have God’s ears and eyes; otherwise, you’re just wasting your time.
The truth, as usual, is found between the two extremes: we will never be righteous enough on our own merit to stand tall in the presence of God—it’s the blood of Christ washing us clean that indues us with righteousness. However, that cleansing of the blood isn’t a blanket excuse to live and act however we want! If we embrace sin rather than the Savior, we are mocking his sacrifice and by simple logic, that makes it difficult to approach God.
Ultimately, it’s important to look at verses like this one in Psalm 118 and really take them to heart. Rather than asking whether we can continue making this lifestyle choice, sinning this way, indulging in this pleasure, perhaps we should ask ourselves, “Is this thing really worth being outside the gate that leads to Yahweh?”
While that sin will not rob you or your salvation, it can stain your relationship with God. It can introduce an insidious guilt that makes it difficult to pray. The benefit of righteousness—right-living—is that there is less of a weapon the enemy can use to try and come between us and God. A clear conscience is a powerful thing…in fact, it’s a tool in our arsenal against the wicked one!
When considering the temptation of the wide road versus the challenge of the narrow one, I encourage you to think of places like Psalm 118—scriptures that detail the beauty of our relationship with God. Consider the road before you; is the easy one, pocked with sin, worth compromising that relationship over? I think you’ll find deep down that the answer is a resounding NO! Nothing is worth more than entering through that gate to stand before Yahweh.
We want to be marked righteous. We want to be washed clean by the blood of the lamb. We want to stand before God in worship and in love. So, let’s focus on right-living today!
