Self-righteousness attempts to atone for (COVER) sin. We fall into self-righteousness when we don’t have a cleansed conscience that is free of guilt…
“For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of CHRIST, who through the eternal SPIRIT offered Himself without spot to GOD, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:13-14)1
Have you ever felt shame or guilt and stayed in it for a period of time with your mind replaying your failure? Well, if we receive guilt, we will end up doing something to try to make ourselves right before God. For example, we’ll try to make restitution, make resolutions to stop the bad behavior, pray harder, go to more church services, serve more… A conscience struggling with sins will sow the seeds of self-righteousness. The goal of self-righteousness is to atone for, or COVER, sin.
Not only does the blood of Jesus cleanse us from all unrighteousness, believing this truth should cleanse our conscience! If our conscience is cleansed, then we will be free from dead works. What are dead works? Dead works are “Christian” religious activities that we do, thinking that by doing them we will attain good standing before God. In other words, dead works are simply self-righteousness. We all fall into self-righteousness when we don’t have a cleansed conscience, or a conscience that is free of guilt.
The New Covenant was an intrinsic covenant that was made within the infallibility of the Trinity so there is nothing we can do to break it. The terms of the covenant are not dependent on our faithfulness to keep it because God keeps the covenant that He made within Himself. The only way that the covenant could be broken would be if Jesus sinned or Jesus died. Neither is possible! God is faithful in His integrity to judge Christ’s righteousness as perfect and Christ’s work of cleansing us from all unrighteousness as complete.
God is in agreement with Himself about the finished work of removing our sin, and this should cleanse our conscience from any pressures to purify ourselves.
(from pages 297-298 of Unveiling Jesus)
Want more from Tricia Gunn? Check out excerpts from the Unveiling Jesus 20-part series!
Unveiling Jesus, by Tricia Gunn, is a verse by verse study of the pure gospel of grace. It’s an amazing journey of love, identity, and freedom in Christ.
Shop Unveiling Jesus Products
Unveiling Jesus Book
Unveiling Jesus 20-Part Series
Original Unveiling Jesus, 10-part series
1All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
