Humanity's greatest problem is sin and the sense of guilt that comes with it. Nothing burdens the heart so heavily and troubles the mind so much as sin and guilt.

Most physical and mental illnesses have their origin right here, and people are ready to pay almost any price in their search for peace of mind. This is why so many go to counselors, clergymen and psychiatrists to try to unload their hearts of this terrible burden. In some Christian and non-Christian circles, hundreds of thousands participate in pilgrimages, make physical sacrifices of inflicting punishment upon themselves, and perform acts of penitence, hoping to solve the great problem. But it is all worthless for salvation or for actually restoring peace of mind to their life. The only remedy for sin and sinfulness is coming to Jesus and looking unto Him.

It is not possible for us, by our own efforts, to escape from the pit of sin in which we find ourselves. Our heart is wicked, and we cannot change it. “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one” (Job 14:4). “The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8:7).

Many try to obtain peace by their own merits or by their own supposed greatness. What a pity! The apostle Paul declares: “I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Philippians 3:8, 9).

“My own righteousness” is one form of righteousness. The “righteousness of God” through faith in Christ is another. That is righteousness by “works” versus righteousness by “faith.” To try to obtain salvation by any kind of human effort or by any trust in human works or merit is absolutely useless. Salvation is obtained by grace, the grace of God, and is a result of appropriating the merits of Christ by faith in Him, which includes surrender to Him.

“We may measure ourselves by ourselves, we may compare ourselves among ourselves, we may say we do as well as this one or that one, but the question to which the judgment will call for an answer is, and do we meet the claims of high heaven? Do we reach the divine standard? Are our hearts in harmony with the God of heaven?

“The human family have all transgressed the law of God, and as transgressors of the law, man is hopelessly ruined; for he is the enemy of God, without strength to do any good thing.”1

When we accept Jesus as our personal Saviour and exercise faith in Him, we receive instant reconciliation with God. We are forgiven, accounted perfect; and before God it is as if we had never sinned. But that is not all. God wants to make us partakers of the divine nature. He wants to restore His image in us. He is willing to impart to us His perfect character. This along with His imputed righteousness is the white garment with which He has promised to clothe us.

“No repentance is genuine that does not work reformation. The righteousness of Christ is not a cloak to cover unconfessed and unforsaken sin; it is a principle of life that transforms the character and controls the conduct.”2

Christ has set a high standard for every believing Christian in Matthew 5:48, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” The idea of perfection in the original language is to “be mature, grown up.”

Yet we must remain connected with God. Otherwise we can never resist the effects of self-love, self-indulgence, and enticement to sin. Without a constant surrender of ourselves to Christ we are soon overcome. Without a personal acquaintance with Christ and a continual communion with Him, we would be at the mercy of the enemy.

As we cooperate with Christ, gaining victory over self through His strength, we become witnesses of His divine power. We share with others what we know, what we have seen, heard and felt of Christ’s love. The redeemed overcome “by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Revelation 12:11).

And soon, by God’s grace, “when the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.”3

As we commence this New Year, may this be our thought and prayer.