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The Contrast
“As it is
written, ‘There is none righteous, no not one; there is
none who understands; there is none who seeks after God’”
(Romans 3:10-11)
There was an excellent teacher of
God’s Word named Andrew Murray, who lived more than a
century ago. In his commentary on the Book of Hebrews,
“The Holiest of All,”
Pastor Murray made this very interesting comment: “There
is often no better way of knowing a thing than by
placing it in contrast with what is less perfect.”
That’s certainly true, and it explains much of what we
don’t understand about life.
We look around and compare one
human being with another. We read about those who
commit horrible crimes, and we reasonably conclude: they
are bad people! Then we hear about others who do NOT
commit such acts, learning that they have been
“charitable” at times, and we decide that, comparatively
speaking, those people are good!
It’s in that second decision where
we find humanity’s critical mistake. God looks at us
objectively and knows us INSIDE where it counts. He is
clean and innocent, and He observed through the Apostle
Paul: “There is none righteous,
no not one; there is none who understands”
(Romans 3:10-11). That’s you, that’s me, and the BEST
we can do in life is TRUST in the Lord, for HE is
righteous and He DOES understand.
There are plenty of contrasts in
Scripture that are to help us see what the word “righteous”
means. We can learn something about righteousness by
contrasting Peter with Judas Iscariot. You can compare
Pharaoh to Moses and see the difference between one who
looked to the strength of this world, and another who,
in his last 40 years or so of life, trusted in God.
Jacob, a mama’s boy who schemed to get God’s blessing
through trickery is intended to be compared with his
twin brother Esau, a man’s man. Considering the
cultural values of any time in history, if we knew the
two, we would probably prefer Esau. Yet it was Jacob
(whose name meant “heel-catcher”
or “trickster”) who
eventually saw his need and turned to God, whereas Esau
apparently did not. God spoke of them through the
prophet, “Jacob I have loved;
but Esau I have hated” (Malachi 1:2-3). Jacob’s
name was later changed by the Lord to “Israel”
(Prince with God). The outcome of the person, if they
trust in God, is far more important than the beginning.
But the real contrast in life we
need to grasp is not between one man or woman and
another. We can’t find the truth by comparing people.
As it is often revealed both in the Bible and in the
daily newspaper, “There is none
righteous, no not one,” and Scripture continues –
“there is none who understands”
(Romans 3:10-11). The reason we lack understanding is
twofold: 1) We of the human race are proud of ourselves,
and proud people don’t listen, and 2) the second reason
is seen in today’s verses: “there
is none who seeks after God.” It’s only by
trusting in God that we can begin to understand.
Returning to Pastor Andrew Murray’s
comment, “There is often no
better way of knowing a thing than by placing it in
contrast with what is less perfect,” we find that
yes, we do need to compare ourselves, but NOT with other
people. There is only One who is perfect and He is the
Lord. To see ourselves accurately, we must compare
ourselves with Him.
That is precisely what we are
encouraged to do in the context of Romans Chapter 3.
Paul, the author of Romans, wrote, “…let
God be true but every man a liar. As it is written,
‘That You may be justified in Your words, and may
overcome when You are judged” (Romans 3:4). The
world is full of counterfeits, full of lies. God IS
true in all His ways, and those who would oppose Him are
indeed “liars.” Paul, who received and taught the grace
of God, was called a “liar” and a “sinner” by those who
pretended to “keep” the Law and be “good” in the sight
of men. Paul told us to compare ourselves to God,
saying: “If our
UN-righteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God,
what shall we say?” (Romans 3:5). Look to Him
honestly and you will begin to see that God is indeed “righteous.”
Our unrighteousness DOES
demonstrate, by contrast, the righteousness of God. The
question is asked, “Is God
unjust who inflicts wrath?” (Romans 3:5). People
often ask questions such as: “How could God do… this or
that to my child, to me?” The assumption by many is
that because there is sin in the world, God caused it
and is somehow “unjust.”
Such statements are simply not true, for God is “righteous”
in all His ways.
About four years ago, Genevieve and
I went shopping for rings. We were about to become
engaged and planned to be married, viewing rings in
places like Jerusalem, Israel, and Laguna Beach,
California. Wherever we went, the rings were displayed
in such a way that we would really SEE them, which often
meant that bright diamond rings were set against the
blackest velvet. The blackness behind the diamonds let
us see their light.
One way to understand the judgment
of God on humanity, as reflected in Genesis 3, is that
He set us free to become whatever we want. He closed
the Garden of Eden where every one of humanity’s needs
were met, and sent us out to fend for ourselves. “Very
well,” He seems to be saying, “If you want to do things
YOUR way, let’s see what happens when you do!” Out
humanity went and we have been, with some exceptions,
having our own way ever since. “How could this happen?”
is answered this way: We did it to ourselves!
But if He has cast us out of the
gentle Garden, He has shown us the way back, in the
person and love of Jesus Christ. In the Christmas
carol, “O Little Town of
Bethlehem,” we hear the unforgettable words: “The
hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee
tonight.” Do the hopes you have secretly and
deeply cherished all of these years, seem LOST to you?
Are you afraid that you will never have your hopes and
dreams?
Look to the Lord! Look at Him.
When we honestly and openly regard who we are, as
compared to Who HE is, we should initially be ashamed
and afraid. That’s what is meant by the phrase, “the
fear of the Lord,” seen in places like Psalm
19:9, where it says “the fear
of the Lord is clean…” Contrast yourself with
the Lord, and then TRUST in Him!
LOOK to the Lord. And we SHOULD
fear, for He is wonderful and we are not, and strong
where we are weak. In Him you see your need of the
Savior. Go to the Lord, compare yourself to Him and
then place your faith in Jesus Christ. You’ll be safe –
forever.
We look to You, Lord, and trust in
You now. Thank You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.FridayStudy.org
www.FirstChurchontheNet.org
E-mail:
Ron@FridayStudy.org
Tel:
(562) 688-5559
PO Box 92131
Long Beach, CA 90809-2131
"While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"
(Romans
5:8)
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