Mark Twain said, "There's nothing wrong with Christianity, it's just that it's never been tried." Like millions of others, I love Mark Twain's wit and writings, but with this statement he reveals a crucial ignorance about Christian belief. Sometimes the worst roadblock to learning about Jesus Christ is one of His own followers. In Jesus time on earth, there were two camps within the Jewish community claiming to be followers of God. Those two camps illustrate perfectly what happens when believers just don't get it.
The Bible describes both camps we will discuss in this article as being in the act of establishing their own righteousness. These people focus upon building up their own righteousness, rather than relying upon the righteousness that God provides freely through His Son. The two camps Christ encountered and with whom He collided are still seen within our modern world. Although they are not known by the same names, they nevertheless, exist within the Christian world to this day.
The first camp of believers in Christ's time among the Jewish believers was that of the Sadducees. These people were more secular, more worldly, more easily approachable by "regular" folks. These so-called believers were students of the Scriptures, memorized great portions of the Old Testament, and attempted to live decent lives. However, to gain popular acceptance and to have a sense of mattering in society, they were politically active. To feel connected, they courted those with connections. Why? Why, indeed, would a religious entity become involved in the political powers of their community? In ancient times, the Jews were a religio-political power. But, in time, most political power was lost and the religious power dissipated. The Sadducees built a construct for establishing their own righteousness by becoming relevant through political avenues to get things accomplished. This overriding need, of course, came as a direct result of lacking true spiritual power.
The other camp that about establishing their own righteousness was known as the Pharisees. The people of this party adhered to the religious formalities to the minutest detail. Why? They are striving to convince those around them that they were more resolute, more enthusiastic about God, than the other party. They held themselves to unrealistic "laws" formulated by men. Much of what they attempted to observe bordered on the absurd. The sincere seeker wanting to connect with God was given many insurmountable rules to follow as the means to be deemed holy enough to join this august body of believers.
Isn't it astounding that when Christ met those of either party, they did not recognize Him? After all effort the Sadducees and the Pharisees had expended to become relevant, after all the study of Scripture, after the innumerable attempts to appear as holy men, they did not even know God when they met Him face to face! All that work to rise above their fellow men, to build a reputation as a holy person, was completely undone when they met a carpenter turned preacher named Jesus.
Our goal, as Christians, is not to go about attempting to convince other people that we are now holy people because we call ourselves Christians. We are not to be about establishing or building up our own righteousness. Our goal is to declare the righteousness of Christ. It is His righteousness that He gives to us as a covering of our own unrighteousness. His perfection is our assurance of being pardoned in the great judgment. Christ' righteous life gives me freedom from my guilty conscience. Every time Jesus said, "no" to sin, He was saying, "yes" to me.
Why am I so determined to follow Christ? He lived a perfect life without sinning even once. That righteous life He offers to me as a covering, as a justification for me entering Paradise and living among holy beings. My faith in His righteousness is the vehicle for the Holy Spirit to enter me and empower me to say and do far much more than I could dream. This righteousness by faith is to be treasured more than any other possession. I learn of Christ. I study His life, His work, His death, and resurrection. I see the love of my Heavenly Dad in sending Christ to save me.
Mark Twain missed it. Many Christians do not get it. The essence, the quintessential ingredient of Christianity is the reliance of a sinner upon the righteousness of the perfect life of Jesus as my fitness and my right to live in the House of God. My Savior, my Lord, my God.
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