“Righteousness for us” . . . those words jumped off the page. Now, I’ve been reading a lot about righteousness over the past several mornings as I’ve journeyed through the book of Romans . . . but that’s not where I encountered this phrase this morning. In Romans I’ve read of a righteousness by faith . . . a truth that evokes awe and results in joy unspeakable. But the righteousness I read of this morning caused me to react with dread and a foreshadowing feeling of failure.

And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as we are this day. And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.” (Deuteronomy 6:24-25 ESV)

In the past, when I’ve read Deuteronomy 6 I have focused on the “Shema” . . . the “Hear O Israel” . . . the greatest of all commandments . . . “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deut. 6:4-5). Amen! He is the LORD our God . . . He is One . . . He is to be loved with all heart, soul, mind and strength. There’s not a higher or more holy calling than to love God unreservedly. But I realize that I embrace it through grace . . . that I aspire to it because it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. But what if my righteous standing before God depended on the degree to which I obeyed the Shema? What if that were the “price of admission” into the most holy of holies and communion with the Father? . . . dread . . . foreshadowing feeling of failure.

Isn’t that Deuteronomy 6:24-25 is saying? As the children of Israel are about to enter the promised land, Moses undertakes a final “pep talk” to prepare the people of God for being the people of God. He reminds them of the commandments given on the holy mount and exhorts them to “be careful to do them” (6:3). “Fear God,” he says, “do ALL these statues . . . and it will be righteousness for us . . . if we are careful to do ALL this commandment before the LORD.” Obedience to the law would be their basis for righteousness.

And I read that and it causes a shudder to run down my back. My righteousness dependent upon my ability to keep ALL the commandments of God? Talk about your no-win situation. Cue the sacrifices . . . bring on the sea of blood flowing from the jugulars of animal offerings to atone for failure. A righteousness resting fully upon my will and discipline to obey the law of God? Ugh!

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. (Romans 3:21-22 ESV)

There it is! A righteousness apart from the law. A righteousness, the need for which was made clear through the law (Gal. 3:19-24), but which is realized by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. My righteousness this morning is not dependent on my ability to power up myself to keep all His commandments. But my righteousness is through faith in the Son of God who loved me, gave Himself for me, and now lives inside of me.

And so, I seek not to love God in order that I might find favor with God . . . but I desire to love Him will all my heart, soul, mind and strength as a response to the unmerited favor I have already know in His Son. Far from the Shema being the requirement for righteousness, it is the response of righteousness — the righteousness I possess in Christ . . . amen?