Being Right by Making Others Wrong.

Here is a great article by Ray Ortlund, Jr. called "Healthy Churches Feed on the Doctrine of Justification."  I wrote a small summary, along with my own thoughts below.  Enjoy!

The desire to be right is deeply ingrained in every human being.  I believe it has something to do with how we were created - "in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness..." (Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q10).  But knowing that the desire exists means little if we do not understand why it exists and how sinners go about obtaining righteousness.

The "Why?" is essential and was hinted at in the above paragraph.  Basically, we were created by God to enjoy and glorify Him.  John Piper takes this a bit farther (and I would agree) saying that we glorify God by enjoying Him.  But here is the rub, we cannot enjoy God while sinning against Him.  Simply put, we cannot enjoy if we are wrong - if we are not "right."

Righteousness leads to acceptance before God.  Acceptance before God leads to the enjoyment of God - the very thing we were created to do.  People are unhappy beings because they are not doing what they were created for.  Its like putting diesel fuel in an unleaded car - life just doesn't work when we are not filled with God.

So, how do we (sinners) go about making ourselves right?  The main way is by making others wrong.  This is "self-justification" by focusing on the injustice in others; and, because we are superficially "right" in the eyes of men, we settle for this.  But the frustration continues, doesn't it?  Man's acceptance is good, but it just isn't good enough.  Nor is it helpful to others.

But there is another way!  Jesus Christ...God the Son, came into our sinful world and took our "wrongness" upon Himself.  He then gave us His righteousness.  This is the great exchange.  He did not come to be right in our eyes, but was willing to be treated as if He was the worst sinner on earth.  His rightness before the Father was enough for Him.  And His righteousness, when embraced by faith in Him, is good enough for us.

This destroys "self-justification."  We no longer need to focus on the wrongs of others; instead, we begin to take their wrongs to the Cross of Christ.  We bear with them so that they may be right before God.  This is the Gospel.