February 23rd - Try to Be Perfect but Rely on God's Grace!

“Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven…anyone who says, you fool! will be in danger of the fire of hell…If your right hand offend you, cut it off, it is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell…love your enemies…be ye PERFECT even as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:20,22,30,44,48)

There you have it out of the mouth of Jesus himself. In order to avoid the fire of hell all you have to do is to love your enemies, avoid calling anyone a fool, cut off any limb that is offensive, and be PERFECTLY righteous like our heavenly Father. The apostle Paul added some more bad news...

"There is none righteous, no not one...all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:10, 23)

There is some very good news however. All will be SAVED out of death by the GRACE of our loving God - as a FREE gift - through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

"For the wages of sin is DEATH, but the FREE GIFT of God is eternal life..." (Romans 6:23)

"By GRACE you have been SAVED through FAITH...it is a the GIFT of God not a result of works." (Ephesians 2:8-9) 

“...as in Adam all DIE, even so in Christ shall all be MADE ALIVE...Listen, I tell you a mystery…the DEAD will be raised imperishable…DEATH...swallowed up in victory…through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (1 Corinthians 15:22,51-57)

SALVATION of unrighteous sinners is a GIFT from God by His GRACE. A person of FAITH believes that Jesus is the WAY to eternal LIFE in the Kingdom of God. 

"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was entombed, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to everyone." (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Titus 2:11)

We should try to be perfect like Jesus while placing our faith in God's grace, not our own righteousness.