Here’s something that many of us don’t think about often enough – you’re going to die.  Every one of us, sooner or later, our life will end.  What many people cannot see though, is that they are dead already.  Some of the most moral, good, people alive today, will spend eternity away from God.  Why can’t they see this?

If you go up to someone in a gym and drop a 200 lb weight on them, what would happen?  Owww! (and if it’s one of those guys that looks like their arms are legs, I’d start running)

What happens if you go to a morgue and drop the same 200 lb weight on a corpse?  Nothing.  There are people that profess to be Christians, believe in Christ (know of Him and what He has done), but are still trusting in their own day to day “goodness” to merit God’s acceptance.  These are people that are walking around, dead in their self-righteousness, thinking their alive – who I’m describing as “Zombie Christians”.  What these people do not see, is that the “good” life they think God will honor, is the very thing that will condemn them.

Ephesians 2:1-10 – “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”   

Can a corpse bring himself to life?  Neither can any of us, by our works, bring ourselves into right standing with God.  We often see God only as judging the “bad” things we do, but God says He will bring every “righteous” deed under judgement.  (bolded for emphasis by me)

Psalm 143:1-2 – “Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my pleas for mercy!  In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!  Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.”

Isaiah 64:6 – “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.  We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”

We are God’s workmanship – if any of us has true faith in Christ, that is not because you are a good person, that is a gift of God.  Be encouraged that together with Christ, we do not need to fear judgement, because our hope isn’t in ourselves, but in Him who is our perfect righteousness.  All of us, every one of us were dead in our trespasses; now each of us are equally partakers of the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ.

If you are a Christian that struggles with trusting your standing before God, that it is not based on your being “righteous”, I would encourage you with this:  Stop trying to a fight a battle you cannot win, to gain a peace you can never lose.  The glory is God’s alone. In Christ, He has brought us from death to life.

If you are a Christian who doesn’t rejoice in our salvation being a work of God alone; if you do not long for many to be free from the trappings of sin and self-righteousness through Christ; ask that God would again renew the joy of your salvation.  Then pray that He would open up a door for His Word, through you, to bring many who would others be dead, to life in Christ.  There is no greater task, or joy, for us as believers than to be used by God for this ministry.  These are the “good works” prepared beforehand for us to walk in (Eph 2:10 above).  I hope this finds you all well, and you are encouraged.

Grace and Peace,
Adam