Psalm 15 tells us what kind of person can stand before the Lord, what kind of person is accepted before God. This text points out one of the weaknesses we see in many manifestations of Christianity today. Either we minimize the importance of God's Law, lowering it to the level of a good suggestion, or we reduce the demands of the Law, saying that God didn't really mean what he said.
We who confess the Scripture is God's infallible word must avoid those patterns. So how are we prepared to be accepted by God? Take a look again at verses two through five. I can honestly say the only one of those I have truly kept is that I don't think I have ever taken a bribe against the innocent.
What hope do we have? This Psalm, like so many others, reminds us that we cannot stand in our own righteousness. We are not acceptable before the holy God. We need a savior. If we were able to keep God's Law perfectly we would have no need for Jesus. If we were able to present ourselves righteous before the throne of God we would need no savior to die in our place for our sins. If we were able to live as God requires we would have no need for the imputed righteousness of Jesus. Our hope is not in ourselves, but in our Lord and Savior.
Does this minimize the importance of God's demands? Not in any way. Regardless of Jesus' work, what God has spoken here is still his will. These are things which, though they don't earn us righteousness, do love and serve our neighbors. Remember the second great commandment? Love your neighbor as yourself? God may not need my good works. In Christ I might not even need my good works. But I'm surrounded by a society that does need my good works.
May the Lord who has called us out of darkness into his glorious light make us to walk in his grace in all we do this day. Amen.
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Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com
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Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com
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