Romans 10:1-4

How many of us cling to our own way of getting right with God rather than submitting to His?

I remember a minister friend once saying that the majority of the body of Christ is biblically illiterate. Unfortunately, I fear there is a great deal of truth to that statement. There are many who profess to be Christians and yet embrace positions that are contrary to what Scripture teaches. Some build entire doctrines around passages taken out of context, and when confronted with what the Bible actually says, they dismiss it or accuse those who challenge them of being judgmental.

We are witnessing some of this even in today's political and cultural conversations, where competing expressions of spirituality are being promoted. On one side, there are those whose religious convictions seem to exclude anyone who doesn't think or believe as they do. On the other, there are those who promote an all-inclusive spirituality, yet sometimes demonstrate little tolerance for those who hold firmly to the very Scriptures they profess to embrace.

Two seemingly opposite approaches, yet both can fall into the same trap—attempting to define righteousness on their own terms rather than submitting to God's.

The enemy has always sought to distort the true message of God's Word, knowing the devastating consequences deception can have on people's faith. After all, a distorted understanding of God inevitably leads to a distorted understanding of what He requires of us.

There is a reason Scripture repeatedly warns us about deception, particularly its prevalence in the last days. When we do not know God's Word as we should, we become vulnerable to teachings and philosophies that sound good, appeal to our emotions, and even appear righteous, yet are contrary to what God has revealed.

And therein lies the danger. We can become so convinced of our own righteousness, so committed to our own understanding, that we refuse to consider the possibility that we are wrong. Unfortunately, some will defend these man-made positions to the bitter end, only to discover that sincerity and conviction were never substitutes for truth.

This is precisely the problem Paul identifies with his fellow Israelites. They had zeal for God, but their zeal was not based on knowledge. Rather than accepting the righteousness God offered through faith in Christ, they sought to establish their own righteousness through obedience to the Law.

They were passionate about God, but they were unwilling to submit to His way of making them right with Him.

And isn't that still the struggle today?

Paul makes it clear that Christ has accomplished the purpose for which the Law was given. The Law reveals God's righteous standard and exposes our inability to meet it perfectly. It was never intended to be our means of salvation but rather to reveal our desperate need for a Savior.

Being a good person is not enough. Being religious is not enough. Having strong convictions, defending a cause, or even possessing extensive biblical knowledge is not enough. Our sins must be dealt with, and that can only happen through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who took upon Himself the punishment we deserved.

As Peter boldly proclaimed:

"There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved." — Acts 4:12 (NLT)

What a sobering reminder that we do not get to determine the terms of our salvation. God has already established them through His Son.

The question is not whether we are sincere in what we believe, but whether what we believe is consistent with what God has revealed.

May we never become so attached to our own understanding of righteousness that we reject the very righteousness God has graciously provided through Jesus Christ.

And may we approach His Word with humble hearts, willing not only to defend what it says, but also to be corrected, challenged, and transformed by it.

After all, the goal is not to prove ourselves right, but to be made right with God.