“My conscience does not render a positive verdict in God’s courtroom when I look inside myself. The only reason I can sleep well at night is that even though my heart is filled with corruption and even though I am not doing my best to please him, I have in heaven at the Father’s right hand the beloved Son, who has not only done his best for himself but has fulfilled all righteousness for me in my place.”
- Michael Horton, Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church (Grand Rapids, Mi.: Baker Books, 2008), 88.
Could you please explain that quote to me… perhaps I’m not quite understanding exactly what’s being said.
Sincerely,
Janey.
Hi Janey,
In a nutshell, what Horton is saying is that he cannot draw any comfort, or “rest”, from the record of his own righteousness – he looks at his own heart and finds only remaining sin and half-hearted, imperfect obedience. However, he can find rest when he looks away from himself to Christ (Col. 3:1; Rom. 5:1-2). There, at the right hand of God, through the perfect obedience of jesus Christ to God the Father, he finds comfort that there is a perfect righteousness that “stands in” for him. It is this righteousness of Christ, and not his own, that Horton looks to in faith. Because Christ lived and died and rose again and reigns at the right hand of God on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21, etc.), we can quite our hearts and know that we are totally accepted by God the Father.
I hope that clarifies a bit. Thanks for your comment. Please don’t hesitate to ask any other questions.
In Christ,
Fred
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Your brother,
Dave
What a great quote to start my day! I long to keep the gospel center and this definitely helps.
Hi there,
Thanks for the clarification.
What I was seeking was to gain greater clarity for the quote given. Thank :)
BTW… I couldn’t agree more !
If you’d like, check out my blog titled…
“Rooms of Good Intention Vs. Rooms of Grace”.
I think you might like what I wrote. Comment if you’d like. :)