³² Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, ³³ just as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

So why did Israel miss righteousness? The answer is quite simply, “They did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works.” It all boils down to faith. Nothing is taught more clearly in Scripture but is more difficult to apprehend than this truth. That is because faith strikes at the heart of our self-centeredness. “Works,” as this term is used in Scripture, refers to all efforts that originate in us with the intention of proving or earning acceptability with God. Works are self-centered in their origin and in their goal. They are all about “me,” proving Satan’s delusion that was infused into Adam and Eve.

“But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:13–15)

Five times in two verses, the subject of the action, the thinking, is “I.” For Satan, his desire is to replace God on the throne of the universe. For us, “works” are the evidence that we see ourselves as the center, if not of the universe, at least of our own lives. Works are all about what I do. It is my effort to make myself acceptable. I will prove my acceptability on my own, maybe with a little assistance from God. This self-centeredness can even twist our understanding of faith so that we think of faith as something that merits us salvation, something that proves we are better than those who don’t exercise faith.

So then, faith is the big stumbling block for all people, especially for Jews. Their self-righteousness fed on the Law, rather than allowing the Law to show their unrighteousness. They were so close, yet so far. God even warned them through the prophet Isaiah that the stumbling block would come, and it would be offensive to them and cause them to stumble, just as God said. One who stumbles cannot finish the course. Only faith will take him to the finish line. Christ is the stumbling stone, and only faith in Him has rescued us from the judgment we deserve, not any works of the flesh. Only those of faith, whether Jews or Gentiles, will not be disappointed at the last judgment.

Lord, I do believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and do not rely on works of the Law to gain righteousness. I am already justified in Him.