God Doesn’t Count Sin Against Us
Passage: Romans 4:6-8
We all say we have faith in Jesus, we profess it, we sing about it. We all say Jesus is all we need, He is enough. But the truth is, we don’t actually live that way. We all mix our faith with works, with trying to win or earn or deserve God’s favor and approval by trying harder to be better and do better, with being moral and upright, having the appearance of godliness.
We still try to put some faith in being good, well sort of good, more good than bad, better than our parents or neighbors or co-workers. We are sort of generous, we give some money to the church. We are sort of loving when it doesn’t cost us too much. We read the Bible, well not all the time but sometimes. We don’t swear too much or drink too much usually. God grades on the curve, right, so we are OK.
We are trying harder to be better and do better in hopes of winning favor with God and man. We focus more on outward behavior than the inward heart. We talk about being raised right, about keeping to the straight and narrow, about getting our act together. Gaining approval by behavior
This is called moralism. We all into this trap, even churches. The church in Galatia abandoned the Gospel of God’s grace for moralism.
Moralism doesn’t work, it has never worked. Churches that major in moralism are joyless, and are full of families, marriages, children, that are destroyed by the lack of grace.
Moralism leads to judgmentalism, disapproval, impossible expectations, critical spirit, constant pressure to measure up. Husbands do it to wives, wives to husbands, parents to children.
Are we not called to live good and godly and upright lives? Are we not called to obey the Ten Commandments? Of course, but they are not the Gospel, we are not saved by keeping them. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus. We are justified by God by faith. Then we receive grace to live lives transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The best that moralism can do for us is make us better behaved sinners, but still sinners nonetheless. Moralism is fake news, fake faith. It imitates holiness, but it is only the form of godliness without the power. It isn’t real. It might win us the applause and approval of those around us, but not of God.