Only One thing to boast about . . .

Sometimes I must remind myself that the first Christians in the early church did not have the New Testament. It wasn’t written yet. All they had was the Old Testament, the part of the Bible that many Christians today dismiss and do not read. Their explanation is that the old is obsolete and when Jesus came everything changed. Well it did, but that does not mean the OT has no value. Paul told the early believers in Rome:

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4)

The OT outlines the history of God’s dealings with us, how He revealed Himself and what He expected from people of faith. This part of the Bible shows that the first covenant of “Do this and live” was insufficient. It also shows that most of humanity thought they could, even though they were not obeying God.

We are still people who think that “I can do it myself” regardless of our religious background. This attitude is part of our sin nature and an expression of it, yet at the same time, all our self-effort to be righteous never satisfies us. We cannot live up to our own standards, never mind those of a holy and perfect Creator.

Many of the NT believers came out of their Hebrew religious system that was based on faith plus sacrifices. They accepted that Jesus was their ultimate sacrifice but soon discovered that living by faith in Him was not a walk in the park. They now had a battle between their old nature (“I can do it myself”) and the Holy Spirit. This meant learning how to walk in the Spirit — without the written instructions that later Christians would have. They also were persecuted, even to the extreme of fleeing for their lives. Life under the old covenant was not so difficult.

They seemed to forget the hundreds of sacrifices that needed to be made and animals that needed to be killed. They forgot the pressure of their guilt and the never-ending sense of not being good enough. No wonder they needed reminders that the way of faith in Jesus Christ was better, even if it seemed difficult.

According to this (old) arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation. But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:9–14, italics mine)

I love that last line. Jesus and the sacrifice He made takes away my guilt, cleanses my conscience, and gives me a new direction in life. Everything that I did in the past, no matter how good it might be, was useless. All “good” works were dead works because they were done by the wrong person, an imperfect person, a sinful and self-centered person. When Jesus came into my life, His presence and motivation changes the nature of those things done in faith. He didn’t pick me because I have any value in myself; His choice was to glorify Himself and the only way that can happen is through Christ. That is, God sees what Christ is doing in me.

God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:28–31)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lord Jesus, truly You are my righteousness, my holiness. You redeemed me and set me apart to serve You. I can boast about nothing, only about You.

Today’s thankful list . . .

- freedom to vote.

- a nice prayer walk on a crisp fall day.

- time to sew.

- turkey soup with lots of veggies.

- the end of election campaigns for a while!