Dave had always thought Christianity was all about turning a new leaf: doing good deeds and not doing things that God didn’t want. Thus, he had assumed he was a Christian because he didn’t smoke, lie, or cheat in class as others did. He only got to realize, after hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that his stance before God wasn’t as a result of the things he did or didn’t do, and that true righteousness with God was a free gift to receive through faith in Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.
Through the years, people have sought righteousness, wanting to be righteous before God. However, the latter part of our opening scripture explains the reason for their inability to attain righteousness or even comprehend what it means. The righteousness of God is only revealed in the Gospel of Christ. The Gospel of Christ is the unveiling of God’s righteousness; it’s the good news of God’s righteousness to man as a gift. Therefore, until one accepts the Gospel of Christ, he or she will never be able to live a righteous life or know what the righteousness of God is.
Righteousness gives you the ability to stand in the presence of God without condemnation, guilt, fear or sense of inferiority. It’s the ability to stand in fellowship with God and having the rightness of God in your spirit. There’s no other way to come into this extraordinary life of righteousness and oneness with the Lord, except through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This is why we can’t afford to be quiet about the Gospel. It’s the answer to mankind’s cry. There’s no other way for people to learn of, understand and receive God’s righteousness, outside of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So, don’t be quiet where you are today; preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and be the answer to people’s search for God’s righteousness.
