Only God’s Gift of Righteousness Can Deliver from Wrath – (Proverbs 11:3-6)

Daily Bible Study
This section of scripture forms a series of proverbs which compares and contrasts righteous behavior against the perversity in the fallen heart of mankind and in the lives of those who are lost. The righteousness spoken of in these passages does not come from the will of man. Rather, it's a righteousness given to us because of our faith in Jesus. And because it has been given to us by our faith, it requires our constant trust and following of the Lord to maintain it. In addition God is warning us that no amount of riches can save us. Wealth does not protect us in any possible way from God's wrath. Rather, it's only through God's mercy and grace, receiving the imputed righteousness of Jesus through our faith in Him, that we can live and be saved. Righteousness can only come from God.

Moreover, it can only be imputed to us from one source and that one source is Christ Jesus our Lord through faith alone. Before Jesus, we were dead in our trespasses and sins, with no way to reconcile ourselves with God. Without Jesus we would all be caught up in our own lust and desires. However, because of our faith in Christ, God has replaced our spirit which was dead in trespasses and sins, and given us a new spirit which is alive to God and the things of God. This is part of the grace of God which provides for our salvation. Dear Christian we have to understand truly in our hearts the end of man without Jesus is death and an eternity spent in the torment of Hell. There is nothing within us that we can use to save ourselves! There is no amount of good deeds or works, by which we can earn our way into Heaven. Salvation is by the grace of God, and it's a free gift we need only to accept by faith. It's provided to us by Jesus who died for us on the Cross of Calvary.