Persecuted For Righteousness Sake
Matthew
5:10-12
Have
you ever known anyone who was persecuted for doing good? I haven’t. I have
never met or heard of anyone who was persecuted for being honest rather than
dishonest, for working instead of loafing, for not stealing, cheating, or
murdering. I have never known anyone who has been persecuted for not being a
fornicator, adulterer, or drunkard. I have never known anyone who was
persecuted for dressing modestly rather than immodestly.
I
have known some religious people who were persecuted for their pretentious
piety, holier than thou attitudes, and dressing strangely. But I have never
known anyone who was persecuted for doing that which is right. What, then, does
our Lord mean, when he speaks of his people being persecuted, reviled, and evil
spoken of for righteousness’ sake?
True
believers are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, because they testify to and
proclaim the fact that there is no righteousness to be found anywhere except in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing so offends man’s pride and self-righteousness
like being told that he is totally unrighteous, that he has never done anything
righteous, that his very best imaginary righteousness is just filthy rags,
worthy only of God’s everlasting wrath in hell, that he cannot do anything
righteous and acceptable before the holy Lord God, and that the only way he can
ever be made righteous is if God is pleased to give him the righteousness of
the Lord Jesus Christ by imputation.
Proud
sinners are enraged when they are plainly told that they are sinners. Going
about to establish a righteousness of their own, they will not submit to the
righteousness of God in Christ. They stumble over the Stumbling-Stone and fall
into hell because they will not be saved only by grace, only upon the merits of
a Substitute (Rom. 9:31-10:4).
Many
acknowledge and give lip service to the gospel doctrines of total depravity,
imputed righteousness, and salvation by grace alone, who yet cling to their own
righteousness. While denouncing justification by works as a damning, hellish
doctrine, they yet imagine that once they have been justified they must
sanctify themselves (make themselves complete in holiness) by their own works
of righteousness.
When
we declare that “Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness” - both justifying righteousness and sanctifying
righteousness - they are enraged. When we assert, in the very language of the
Bible, that Christ is made of God unto us both “righteousness and sanctification” as well as “redemption,” they cry, “That’s antinomianism! That promotes
licentiousness and will lead men to
sin!”
We
must not be discouraged by this. We ought to both expect it and rejoice in it.
When this happens, we are assured that we are on the right track. The Son of
God assures us that we who trust his righteousness alone as our only
righteousness before God are possessors of the kingdom of heaven. “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great
is your reward in heaven!”
Grace Baptist Church of Danville - Grace For
Today Radio Message #606
2734 Old Stanford Road -
Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438
Donald S. Fortner, Pastor -Telephone 606-236-8235 - Email grace@mis.net