by Monergism
in ePub, .mobi & .pdf formats
"What God Requires of Us" is a gospel tract that explores the concept of righteousness in the context of Christian theology. It begins by emphasizing the requirement of perfect righteousness for acceptance into God’s kingdom, a standard unattainable by human effort. The tract then explains how humanity's inherent sinful nature, inherited from Adam, makes it impossible to meet God's standards. It ultimately points to Jesus Christ as the solution, who lived a life of perfect obedience and fulfilled the law’s demands. Through faith in Christ, believers are imputed with His righteousness, making them acceptable before God. This message is presented as a call to recognize one’s inability to achieve righteousness and to trust in Christ for salvation.
Summary
1. The Ultimate Requirement: Perfect Righteousness Our relationship with God hinges on a singular, non-negotiable requirement: perfect righteousness. This means a life of unblemished holiness, adhering flawlessly to God’s Law. Without this, we stand disqualified from entering God's kingdom, as depicted in Matthew 5-7.
2. Humanity's Inherent Failure Every person, as a descendant of Adam, inherits a nature estranged from God and incapable of achieving this righteousness. Our natural state is one of rebellion, blindness, and a tendency to sin, as evidenced in Romans 3:23 and Ecclesiastes 7:20. We are inherently unable to fulfill God’s standards and are therefore subject to His righteous judgment.
3. The Incapacity to Self-Redeem Our efforts to establish our righteousness are futile. We're spiritually impotent, unable to recover from our fallen state on our own, as indicated in John 6:44 and 1 Corinthians 2:14. This recognition should lead us to despair of our ability to meet God's holy demands.
4. Christ's Fulfillment of Righteousness Jesus Christ, however, embodies the solution. He achieved what Adam failed to do, living a life of perfect obedience to God's Law. He took upon Himself the punishment our sins deserved, thereby fulfilling the Law’s demands for us. As 2 Corinthians 5:21 states, He became sin for us, that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Victorious, He rose bodily from the dead, conquering all enemies.
5. Righteousness through Faith in Christ This righteousness is offered to us through faith in Jesus Christ. By acknowledging our inability to attain righteousness and placing our trust in Christ, we are imputed His righteousness. By grace, through faith, not by our works or efforts, we are saved and adopted into God’s family, as illustrated in Romans 10:1-4 and Galatians 4:4-5. This is the grace of God: providing for us what He demands of us, freely in Christ.