CAN WE BE GOOD ENOUGH FOR GOD

 

 I want to share one line of evidence for the Gospel in the Hebrew Scriptures. Not only does it demonstrate that the Gospel is not a later invention, but also the unity of the Scriptures, pointing to One supreme Author whose Gospel cryptically infuses His Word.

 

The Old Testament Mosaic Law is mainly focused on the laws and the need to follow them precisely. However, rather than a means of attaining to a self-righteousness, they are designed to show us that we do not have a righteousness of our own. Instead, they beckon us to appeal for the gift of righteousness, which comes from God alone. Therefore, the Psalmists correctly pleaded for the mercy of God:

 

·       Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you. (Psalm 143:2)

 

They understood that it was impossible for them to be good enough for God:

·       “Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.” (Deuteronomy 27:26)

 

This means that we had all been under a curse. However, the religious leadership convinced themselves that they were righteous enough for God and did not humble themselves to cry out for His mercy. However, the need for mercy was deeply woven into the Law. One way that we can perceive this necessary safety net is through God’s promises that He would grant righteousness as a gift.

 

It started with Abraham who trusted God. As a result, God had freely deemed him righteous (Genesis 15:6), without Abraham attaining or meriting righteousness. Instead, Abraham was given it as a gift.

 

The Bible often calls our righteousness “filthy rags” (Isaiah 118:14; Zechariah 3:3-4). Therefore, God would have to reverse our hopeless situation:

 

·       I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness. (Isaiah 61:10)

 

He would cover us with his righteousness. In a passage that the rabbis had also regarded as Messianic, the Messiah will be “our righteousness:

 

·       "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord, "That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Jeremiah 23:5-6)

 

Despite the preponderance of legal verses and the warnings for not following them, the Hebrew Scriptures also contained many divine pleas for Israel to return to her God by acknowledging her sins, which God would then forgive and give to us His righteousness:

 

·       He shall say, 'Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, and all shall be ashamed who are incensed against Him. In the Lord all the descendants of Israel shall be justified, and shall glory.' " (Isaiah 45:24-25, 54:17)

 

Only by being in the Lord can we possess His righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Phil 3:9). It is part of the gift of salvation:

 

·       He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. (Psalm 24:5)

 

This same concept is expressed in other ways:

 

·       “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2; Psalm 118:14)

 

It is not simply that God saves. Instead, He is our salvation.

 

Seeing this underlying unity between the Old and the New covenants, we can rejoice that we are also seeing the one glorious plan of salvation from before the creation of the world and its One divine Author. This non-apparent internal consistency of the Bible is one of several reasons why we regard the Bible as the Word of God.