Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. — Galatians 3:21-22

Paul shows us how the Law is consistent with the totality of God's promises. But at the same time, it shows that we are the inconsistent agent. In other words, God is consistent, and man is inconsistent. And the irony in this text is this — our inconsistency, or sin, is even seen in how we read, understand, and interpret the Law itself. God gave us the Law to point out sin. Yet man is so devious that we will even manipulate the interpretation of the Law to get what we want out of it. And the unlawful use in this situation is that some are trying to achieve salvation by keeping the Law. This is a twisted act of self-righteousness that mutilates the Law's intended purpose and nullifies the good news of the Gospel. But this happens all the time. Not just religiously but within our legal system.

Before you get all judgmental, let's keep in mind that all men do what they were doing here. We do it when we attempt to redefine the boundaries of the law to make allowances for ourselves. Or we do it when we compare our sin to the more egregious sin of others. What we are doing in these moments is attempting to redraw the lines to accommodate how we act so that we can appear righteous — or just righteous enough. Yet this move of self-justification is the beginning of the same thing happening here — works-based righteousness. Because, let's face it men, we don't want to be labeled a sinner. We also don't like to be called out for our sins. That's a cold hard fact. Therefore we will man-up, muscle-up, and muster-up ideas to avoid this reality.

But get this. It is only by fully, completely, and entirely embracing our sin and the totality of our devious nature that we discover the righteousness of God. Thus, our unrighteousness drives us to know his righteousness — irony at its best.

So today, maybe this is a day for some men out there to stop leaning on your righteousness. Confess your self-righteousness to Jesus today. Then turn and lean on his. And by faith, accept his righteousness as your own. He is the Savior, and he is the Lord.

ASK THIS: What act of self-righteousness do you need to confess today?

DO THIS: Confess it below.

PRAY THIS: God, I am unrighteous, and I know and feel the weight of it today. It is heavy. But I also feel the weight of my self-righteousness. I need your righteousness to be my own. Please save me from my devious ways.

PLAY THIS: My Righteousness — Go Deep

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