Wanting to justify ourselves

 

^{By: Carole L. Haines} 

²⁵ And behold, a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” ²⁷ And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸ And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” ²⁹ But wanting to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”  (Luke 10:25-29 NASB) 

Most of us are familiar with the parable of The Good Samaritan. The preceding Scripture is an interaction between Jesus and a lawyer, which led to this famous story told by Jesus. 

 “But wanting to justify himself,” that’s what this Lawyer wanted to do. First, he set about to put Jesus to the test, and when that didn’t work, he redirected in order to try to justify himself. Have we done this? Do we distract, redirect, mislead in order to avoid the truth of what is really happening in and around us? 

The Holy Spirit convicts us of a sin, but we water it down instead of repenting immediately of what God has shown us. Precious People of God, we must embrace the truth spoken to us in our Hearts by the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God. He desires to set us free from all that holds us down, smothering us. 

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need. 
(Hebrews 4:15-16) 

Conviction comes, as it should. None of us is ever to a place where we don’t need more transformation. When conviction comes, run to God’s throne immediately. Don’t fall into the trap of wanting to justify yourself. Run, Run to that Throne of Grace. Only there will we find the mercy and grace to help us in our time of great need. Be Blessed, Dear Believers.