But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, (Romans 4:5, NASB1995)

The war is on. We think we know what is best, but the Creator of all things has a better way. His way is the way of the cross. We wish to do some grand thing “for God.” He only asks for our obedience to His word. The verse from Romans presented above describes what obedience looks like.

We cannot simply produce that obedience out of our will or effort. It must be received moment by moment from Him. How can we qualify for this?

Is our effort ever enough? Is it grand enough to make us worthy? No, we can never enter nor inherit the kingdom of God by our own worthiness. If we dare offer this defiled offering on its own merit, like Cain’s offering, it will be rejected.

He has shown us the way. He is “the way the truth and the life.” No one comes to the Father “but through Him.” That is, through Him and what He has done for us. He, in His person, is all things necessary. It is perfect. We must not be arrogant to think we can somehow augment that flawless sacrifice.

Our true obedience is to simply believe and constantly rely on that alone. We will then inherit real righteousness, not our fake righteousness, which, when tested, is proven to be a lie. His righteousness is a gift, proven in the fire of our lives every day.

If we are in that righteousness, we will have faith and confidence in our relationship and favor with God. We will be at peace, and He is constantly overcoming our darkness. The enemy can never prevail over Him.

There is so much more to say about this, but until this one simple thing is the source of our everything, there is no sense in attempting to build anything else because it will surely fail.

Therefore, let us be careful how we build upon that foundation, lest we be disappointed in the outcome—in this life and the next.

There is a story from 2 Kings 5 about a captain of the army of Aram, a “great man with his master, and highly respected. He was a “valiant warrior” and had won victories for Aram. But he was a leper.

One day, a little girl who served him, who was a captive from the land of Israel, spoke to him about a prophet in Israel who would cure him of this leprosy if only Naaman were with the prophet. So Naaman told the king of Aram what the girl had told him. The king gave Naaman leave and told him he would send a letter to the king of Israel on his behalf. So Naaman gathered ten talents of silver and, six thousand shekels of gold and ten changes of clothes.

When Naaman finally came to the prophet, the prophet did not receive him but sent his servant instead. The servant said that his master had instructed him to tell Naaman to “Go wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you, and you will be clean.” But this made Naaman furious, and he went away saying, ” I had thought, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. ‘ Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers in Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?”

As he was leaving in a rage, his servants spoke to him and said, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child (You can find the whole story in 2 Kings 5:1-14).

The Lord searches the depths of the heart with His simple command: to believe. No! I will do some grand work for God and He will see my worthiness! How we deceive ourselves. Instead, He brings us to brokenness before Himself. We are prideful, but He exposes it and allows us to “humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God,” for “He is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5-6).

The cross is the ultimate neutralizer of man’s pride. It is to believe in what He has done; God Himself, offering His own Son for our salvation. We are welcome to come as we are in all our hypocrisy, pride, and foolishness and be made clean. He beckons us to come and be restored.