“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
The Bible doesn’t describe many people as blameless, but among the few are Job, Noah, and Zechariah and Elizabeth. When I first encountered the term “blameless” in Scripture, I thought, Can anyone truly be blameless? But something within me responded with a strong, “Yes”.
Being blameless doesn’t mean being sinless or perfect. It means living in a way that diligently upholds God’s laws, and maintaining a heart of repentance.
In Job 1:5, we see Job practicing this very thing. It says: “When the days of feasting had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, rising early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, ‘It may be that my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ Thus Job did continually.”
Job was committed to living blameless before God, knowing that only by His grace could he remain righteous.
Zechariah and Elizabeth are another example. Luke 1:6 tells us that they were both “righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” They weren’t sinless, but they lived in a posture of obedience, seeking to align with God’s will. In the same chapter where Zechariah and Elizabeth are described as blameless, we are also told that Zechariah was in the temple, offering a sacrifice.
But here’s the thing: What did Job’s righteousness bring him? Prosperity, honour, and respect in his community….
Was that enough?
It wasn’t long before Job began to lean too heavily on his own righteousness. He felt entitled, as if his careful observance of the law should exempt him from trials and suffering. This is a subtle danger: depending on our own righteousness can lead us to think we’ve earned God’s favor or that we somehow deserve His blessings more than others. But the truth is, even our blamelessness is a gift from God.
In Isaiah 64:6, we’re reminded: “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” No matter how much we do right, it’s only by God’s grace that we can stand blameless before Him. God alone enables us to live rightly, and it is His righteousness, not our own, that we must boast in.
In Job 38-41, God speaks directly to Job, challenging him: “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?… Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion?” God’s message is clear: if Job truly understood righteousness, he would recognize his limitations. No amount of good deeds or righteousness could give him the power to control the world. Only God can.
In everything Job said to his friends, he didn’t sin, but he would have been wiser to avoid trying to prove his own righteousness or justify himself.
So, where does this leave us? Should we think that our good deeds, our hours of prayer, or our days of fasting somehow “qualify” us for God’s power and favor? Absolutely not. When we lean on our own righteousness, we set ourselves up for defeat, condemnation, and fear. But when we lean on the righteousness of Jesus Christ, we stand confidently in His grace, knowing that He has already paid the price for us.
As believers, our righteousness comes from God.
In Isaiah 54, when Isaiah proclaims God’s promise of peace for His people, the chapter concludes by declaring that our righteousness comes from God. God’s peace and blessings are not dependent on our good works, but on His goodness; on His righteousness.
This means that when the devil, the accuser of the brethren, comes at you with accusations, condemning and badgering you, you stand firm; not in your own good works, but in the goodness of God. Yes, you may have done wrong and deserve judgment; yes, you are unworthy of God’s blessings. The enemy may have a valid case against you, but he has no legal right to resist Jesus Christ! Christ has already defeated him once and for all and paid the price!
Am I saying we shouldn’t do what is right, just, fair, or live holy? No. In fact, the awareness of Christ’s righteousness should make us realize that we are called to a higher standard of living. This means we no longer follow a mere list of dos and don’ts; instead, we have God Himself living within us, guiding us. He becomes our eyes, our feet, our mouth, our ears. In Him, we live, move, and have our being. As we observe the Father, we do what He does.
We no longer live by a set of rules; we live by responding to the Holy Spirit within us, doing only what the Father asks us to do. In the same way, this also means that living rightly has actually become easier. Your spirit has been made one with His Spirit, so you’re no longer relying on memorizing a set of laws. As you study God’s Word, He ensures that it becomes internalized, that you remember it, and that you live by it.
This means we live by being led solely by His Spirit. This is how we demonstrate our sonship. Scripture tells us, “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” So, when you’re tempted to look at your works or your failures, remember Jesus. Your righteousness is not your own; it’s Christ’s. Stand firm in His finished work and lean on His grace.
Meditative Declaration
I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I approach God’s throne of grace with confidence because my righteousness is from God!
Key Scriptures to Study
Luke 1, Job 1, Isaiah 54, Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 10:16, Romans 8:14, 1 Corinthians 6:17, Acts 17:28, John 16:14, John 5:19, Revelation 12:10, and Hebrews 4:16.
