Day 11: Living Righteous

Readings for January 11: Ezekiel 33:1-20, Psalm 7:1-5, 8-11, Romans 3:1-18

“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.”

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.”

If no one seeks God, then why does Matthew say first to seek the kingdom of God?  We, of our own nature, apart from God, are not righteous, nor can we ever be.  Original sin, the sin that consumes the entire human race, keeps us from the Father.  However Christ died for us.  He went to the cross and took up all of our sin upon himself so that we may have grace and have it to abundance.  This grace, through the Spirit, is what comes into us.  It is only through this grace that we are able to seek God.  Once we have this grace, we have salvation.  And from salvation we get the fruits of the spirit: first love, for God and then for one another; then faith and hope; then all the other fruits that abound from grace and salvation, and which lead us to do good to others.  Doing good works is a gift of grace, not a prerequisite for it.

From the Epitome of the Formula of Concord I: pts 3-4, 8-10

“2. We believe, teach, and confess that this distinction [between man’s nature and original sin] should be maintained with the greatest care. For this doctrine (that no distinction is to be made between our corrupt human nature and original sin) conflicts with the chief articles of our Christian faith about creation, redemption, sanctification, and the resurrection of our body. It cannot stand with them. [4] God created the body and soul of Adam and Eve before the fall. But He also created our bodies and souls after the fall. Even though they are corrupt, God still acknowledges them as His work, as it is written in Job 10:8, “Your hands fashioned and made me.” (See also Deuteronomy 32:18; Isaiah 45:9–10; 54:5; 64:8; Acts 17:28; Psalm 100:3; 139:14; Ecclesiastes 12:1.)….

“3. On the other hand, we believe, teach, and confess that original sin is not a minor corruption. It is so deep a corruption of human nature that nothing healthy or uncorrupt remains in man’s body or soul, in his inward or outward powers [Romans 3:10–12]. As the Church sings: Through Adam’s fall is all corrupt, Nature and essence human. [9] This damage cannot be fully described [Psalm 19:12]. It cannot be understood by reason, but only from God’s Word. [10] We affirm that no one but God alone can separate human nature and this corruption of human nature from each other. This will fully come to pass through death, in the ‹blessed› resurrection. At that time our nature, which we now bear, will rise and live eternally without original sin and be separated and divided from it. As it is written in Job 19:26–27, “After my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold.”

And so my prayer for this Saturday is this:

Dear Heavenly Father, enthroned in heaven above, your mercies are new every day, thank you for granting us another restful sleep and another day to live in your grace and to share you with others.  Father, keep us true to Your Word, so that we may realize that, even as we need breath to live, we need Your Spirit to truly live.  Keep us faithful to You and to Your Word, for we know that we cannot make it through this life on our own.  This we pray through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord and Savior, who reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.  Amen.

May the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.  Amen.