"So this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.
I will make justice the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line;
hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow your hiding place.
Your covenant with death will be annulled;
your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,
you will be beaten down by it.
As often as it comes it will carry you away;
morning after morning, by day and by night,
it will sweep through.'"
Isaiah 28:16-19
People have long justified themselves before God, attempting to prove their righteousness, their goodness, their fitness for escaping His wrath. I've done it. All mankind does it. We ease our guilty conscious with lies, attempting to placate God with our works. I may not be perfect, but I go to church almost every Sunday and give to charity. I've never killed anyone. That's got to count for something.
Whatever the tactic used to try to bluff our way into God's good graces, it fails every time and proves to be a lousy foundation upon which to build a case before His righteous judgment. What we need is a firm cornerstone. And in Jesus we have just that.
Free. If I'm going to live by the law, attempting to right my wrongs through good deeds or proving myself fit by my effort to comply with God's statutes, I'm dead meat. No one is good, not even one. Not Mother Teresa, the Pope or Billy Graham. We all fall short of God's high standards (Romans 3:23). None measures up. All deserve punishment for the sin that comes naturally (Romans 6:23).
When I build my case before God on the cornerstone of Christ, however, I am made righteous and measure up by faith, not by my ability to perform (Titus 3:4-7, Ephesians 2:8). Through faith in Jesus, my case is dismissed, my sentence suspended, my charges absolutely dropped. I will never need fear the judgment that is coming, then, for I'm free from God's condemnation in Christ (Hebrews 9:27, Romans 8:1).
I need not try to impress God with my efforts for I can be free from God's judgment by repenting of my sins and trusting wholly in Jesus (Romans 8:2).
Faith. I often get it backwards, thinking I must do good, try my best, prove my worth. I lose sight of all that Jesus accomplished on the cross where He secured my righteousness purely by the grace of God. Instead of having to show how much I'm worth saving or keeping around, God already proved His unconditional love for me by providing a means for my salvation while I was deep in my sins and living as His enemy. Any attempt I make to show how much I'm needed is like filthy rags in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6). I just can't impress God no matter how hard I try. My best is never good enough.
Instead of working so hard to climb up the ladder to reach God's impossible standard, I must get it through my thick head that my only hope is to enter into His rest where the necessary has already been accomplished, placing my full weight on the cornerstone of Christ (Hebrews 4:10). When I solely trust in Jesus' blood to cleanse me of my sins and present me before God as righteous and pure, I have no need to show my worth (Colossians 1:22). Jesus already did that by dying on the cross. He went to such great lengths as to sacrifice His perfect life for my sinful one out of love. If this doesn't show how precious I am to God, I don't know what will (Romans 8:32).
My acts of righteousness don't save me, but my faith in the only Righteous One does.
Secure. With time, all man made structures fall. No matter how well-built, it's not a matter of if it will one day collapse or be torn down, but when it will happen. It's inevitable. Yesterday's sign of progress is today's has-been. No matter how firm the foundation seems, it will not stand the test of time.
There is one foundation, however, that will never crumble. Jesus Christ . When I place my trust in Him, putting Him on like a garment and forsaking my own sinful skin, I can be sure that my place in His kingdom is secure (Romans 13:14). I will never lose my standing because He holds me there. There is nothing that can take one of His sheep from His clutches (John 6:37, 10:28). I need not doubt my place in the Lamb's book of life, therefore. It is etched there in the blood of Jesus, of this I can be sure. My only part, then, is to trust Him enough to live wholly submitted to Him. He is more than able to make my footing on the narrow path sure (Jude 24-25). May I always trust in His ability to keep me.
My place in God's kingdom is secure for all time based on what Jesus has done for me in dying on the cross. There is nothing left for me to do but yield, letting Him have His way.
It's natural for man to try to justify himself, to prove his worth, to show his value by what he does. Instead of following suit, I can base my case on the firm cornerstone of Christ. When I do, I'm free from God's judgment, saved by faith in His work on the cross, and secure in His kingdom. Then I will know how precious is this Cornerstone!
As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust Jesus enough to rest fully in Him.
When do I try to prove how good I am? Or show myself or others that I'm not that bad, despite what my guilty conscience tells me?
How am I afraid of the judgment that is to come?
