Recently I had the pleasure of addressing this fun filled topic with Pastor Jeff Denton of Waterbrook Bible Fellowship in Wylie, Texas. I am posting a question per day from that discussion. Here is question number 6.

 

Pastor Jeff:

 

What do you think of when you think of a genuinely righteous person – behaviors or character qualities?

 

Dave:

 

I am convinced it is character qualities that then manifest themselves in right behaviors.

 

For me that process encompasses a few things. I think a genuinely righteous person clearly understands that their righteousness is because of Christ. Period.  As I alluded earlier, we have made righteousness about right behavior and that definition dooms us to fail. We can’t always act righteously so we wear a mask to cover our sin and shortcomings. And then Satan does something insidious…he convinces us that people love the mask and not the person behind it. So we have to wear the mask all of the time to be loved.

 

I think part of maturing in our walk is trusting God and others with who you are. I can bring the junk in my life and dump it on the table with a few dear friends who are sitting here and I know I am okay. I trust these guys with who I am. A flawed, stumbling bumbling guy trying to follow Jesus. I can trust Joni with who I am. I know I can trust God with all of my baggage and junk. I need to trust at least few people with who I am because God designed this journey to be lived in community.

 

The book Truefaced notes that humility is the key that unlocks the door to the room of grace. God’s grace does not come to people who morally outperform others, but to those who admit their failure to perform and who acknowledge their need for a Savior. Second, we need to verbalize what the blood of Christ has done for us: We are deeply loved, completely forgiven, fully pleasing, totally accepted, and complete in Christ.

 

To be continued…