The Highway Forums General Discussion Devotional Quotes Am I Desperate To Acquire the Righteousness of Christ Jesus?

“The kingdom of God has never been for the well-meaning. It has always been for the desperate. And it is sin and the spiraling consequences of sin that, more than anything else, make men and women desperate to acquire a righteousness that they neither have nor can obtain by their own efforts.

Why is the world so dark in so many ways? Why does human life so consistently fail to reach its potential? Why are the hopes and dreams that surface unbidden in every human heart so regularly disappointed? Why is there such perversity in human affairs: dishonesty, strife, pride, and malice; so much grasping without regard for others? And why is it impossible for human beings to serve themselves, to be self-centered, without inevitably hurting others? Why does the social life of mankind, whenever reborn and able to begin again on some new footing – for example, after a political or social or religious revolution of some kind – I say why does it always decay?

In the 19th century, after one of those revolutions and new beginnings, when perhaps there was more excuse for investing hope in “change” as Americans have been encouraged to do again lately, Tennyson wrote:

'Let the great world spin forever
Down the ringing grooves of change.'

Now we know the operative word is down. But why is it always down? Why is it down, down, down that the world goes? Why is there also a second law of thermodynamics for the moral, not just the cosmological life of mankind? Why are disintegration and the loss of moral energy always the end result?

It is because sin is itself a principle of death and it is because God will not allow man to thrive and prosper and be happy in rebellion against him. We have his justice to thank for that – his giving men over to their sins is certainly an act of his just judgment; giving men what they asked for as the rightful consequence of their choices – but we have also to thank his mercy and love. It is to force upon us the nature of unbelief and rebellion that he holds our noses to the effects of it in hopes that we will finally turn away in disgust and search for another life and be willing to face again the truth about God and ourselves we suppressed in our rebellion.

It is a terrible thing to watch the life of mankind in this world with a sympathetic eye and to consider it with a feeling heart. The ugliness and selfishness and disregard for others, the bestiality of so much human desire, the unworthiness of so much of what people say and do, the cruelty to others they so glibly justify, the disgusting pettiness of life they satisfy themselves with when they have the power and the calling to be and do so much more. That is genuinely appalling and depressing.

But there is something beautiful here as well: the evidence everywhere one looks that what is wrong is also ugly, that what is evil is also unworthy, that what is done in disobedience to God’s will is also destructive and lethal. This is one of the grandest demonstrations of all demonstrations that God made the world, that he made us, and that he cares for us and for our lives. The world will never work without him and our lives will never come into their own until we are with him and he with us. The misery that eventuates when God is disobeyed is his summons to mankind to come to him and to be saved.”

Excerpt from a sermon from Romans 1:24-32, July 5, 2009, by Rev. Dr. Robert S. Rayburn


“Salvation is not first rectitude, but repentance; and even then the only hope of the righteous life is in faith in the Redeemer. Yet that may fluctuate, and moral life shudder and tremble to the point of collapse (we know who is behind that!). Nevertheless, true-hearted faith that dares with Christ to hate the wrong it would still incline to do (Rom. 7:15-21) will press on believing until the happy day of holiness has come, and, despite evil powers grown fiercer, will love the good and true and pure and lovely too much to be enticed even temporarily by sin.”

Still, William (2006) “Through The Year With William Still” ‘’An excerpt from June 5, The Day Of Reckoning, The Banner of Truth Trust and Rutherford House,pg.173-174.


Thoughts from Holy Scripture: “The [basis of the] judgment (indictment, the test by which men are judged, the ground for the sentence) lies in this: the Light has come into the world, and people have loved the darkness rather than and more than the Light, for their works (deeds) were evil. For every wrongdoer hates (loathes, detests) the Light, and will not come out into the Light but shrinks from it, lest his works (his deeds, his activities, his conduct) be exposed and reproved. But he who practices truth [who does what is right] comes out into the Light; so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are—wrought with God [divinely prompted, done with God’s help, in dependence upon Him]” (John 3:19-21).

So, why is it that the world-wide visible church, with few exceptions, has forsaken this truth and exchanged it for 'another gospel', although there is no other gospel than the one true gospel, and embraced a man-made devilish lie? We are told that "the truth shall set you free", but the church proclaims that we are not prisoners at all but simply wayfarers who have lost their way. We have estranged ourselves from a broken-hearted God who longs for us to return to Him, so they say. Yes, and this lie is wrapped in attractive packaging, ala Madison Avenue salesmanship and pop music. Christianity has been turned into a supermarket religion where people are encouraged to pick the religion that suits them best. Thus, the church is forced to dream up different ways to attract people to 'make a decision' for Jesus, e.g., "Heaven is a free gift... now who wants to go to hell?", they ask. "There is no cost. Just read this little prayer on the back of this card or repeat after me."

Yes, the real problem is a SIN problem. But it isn't simply the ungodly thoughts, words and deeds which are the problem and abstaining from such things is all that is required. The SIN problem is the human heart, a corrupt nature, a natural and insatiable hatred of God and all that is good, pure, holy and right. Man is spiritual dead, not sick no not even terminally ill, but DEAD. And God is wroth with us sinners and will judge all men according to the righteousness which is found only in Christ Jesus; the embodiment of all that is holy, righteous, just and good. Man needs a new heart, a new nature, a enlivening of his very soul... regeneration, which only God the Holy Spirit can accomplish and does for those whom God has chosen to deliver from their innate bondage.

Doubtless, such a message will attract few compared to the modern slick message which the Church has adopted. The apostles, even the Lord Christ Himself found little interest in their message, only a few left all behind and followed Him. But this is exactly what God has told us would be the case throughout the history of the world... that a REMNANT shall be saved. The alleged "success" of the modern Church to fill their meeting houses is contrary to what the Word of God teaches. Yes, the hordes come out on Sunday or mid-week, but they are still in the world. They can utter many 'god-words' with their lips but their hearts are far from Him. They are fed a regular diet of attractive and self-satisfying words every week which effectively numbs whatever conscious they have left. They worship a 'god' after their own liking with much joy and noise and sing unto this idol of a god with the music of the world which is most pleasing to themselves.

But there is no joy in heaven when one is lured into this modern church... no, no a thousand times no. There is only great joy among the rebels of heaven; the devil and his minions. Hear the Word of the LORD:

Isaiah 30:9-11 (ASV) "For it is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of Jehovah; 10 that say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits, 11 get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us."

Matthew 7:13-15 (ASV) "Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby. 14 For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it. 15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves."

As you read these quotes today, I hope they further encourage Highway Discussion Board readers in our battle against sin and remind us of how thankful we should be for God’s amazing and overwhelmingly gracious work of saving sinners like us!

“In essence, sin is all that is in opposition to God. Sin defies God; it violates His character, His law, and His covenant. It fails, as Martin Luther put it, to ‘let God be God.’ Sin aims to dethrone God and strives to place someone or something else upon His rightful throne.” – Joel Beeke

“When I look into my heart, and take a view of my wickedness, it looks like an abyss infinitely deeper than hell.” – Jonathan Edwards

“Every person in the world is by nature a slave to sin. The world, by nature, is held in sin’s grip. What a shock to our complacency- that everything of us by nature belongs to sin. Our silences belong to sin, our omissions belong to sin, our talents belong to sin, our actions belong to sin. Every facet of our personalities belong to sin; it own us and dominates us. We are its servants.”
- Joel Beeke

“Original Sin is in us like our beard. We are shaved today and look clean; tomorrow our beard has grown again, nor does it cease growing while we remain on earth. In like manner, original sin cannot be extirpated from us, it springs up in us as long as we live.” – Martin Luther