8-12-13 — The Entertaining Race Car Driver

8.12.13 — The Entertaining Race Car Driver

Romans 10:1-4
“Brothers, my heart ‘s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’ s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

It’s rather frightening to think about how religious a person can be, and yet still not be a Christian. Many people profess to be Christians yet are so luke-warm in regard to the things of the Lord that it seems impossible that they are truly regenerate. Then there are others that have a passionate zeal for God, yet their Father is the Devil himself. We can be so blinded to the truth that we can think we are basking in the sunlight when in fact we are chained in a cellar of total darkness. How can one know the truth?

Christ is the end of the law “for” righteousness. Notice it does not say that ‘Christ is the end of the law.’ But that he ends the law as the source for anyone to become righteous by obedience to it. Christ ended the law for righteousness because he alone obeyed the law of righteousness in our place. He didn’t erase the rules, he just won the game. The grand champion has earned the throne. The whistle has blown, the checkered flag has been waved, the bell has rung; yet we still race around the track, or box an invisible opponent seeking to win a prize that has already been handed out. We seek a crown that is no longer available. It sits on the head of Jesus and he isn’t taking it off for us.

Are you ignorant of God’s righteousness? God is righteous. He considers his children righteous not by obedience to the standard of righteousness (the law), but by faith in the person who earned the crown of righteousness; Jesus Christ the Son of God. If you are seeking to establish a righteousness on your own, you are like a race-car driver zipping around the track long after the checkered flag has waved. It may be exciting and entertaining to watch you go round and round, but you will never ever receive the prize. It has already been handed out and it surly was not to you.