³ For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

Humans so easily confuse symbolism with reality. It is not just the Jews who are guilty of this. Christendom through the ages has mimicked the plight of God’s chosen people. So-called “religious” people today are the most obvious. They attend church services “religiously,” believing that God notches down in the heavenly books every appearance in a place of worship. They light candles, “say” their prayers, recite rote incantations. Buddhists spin their prayer wheels; churchgoers give their alms, a few bills, into the offering plate. Huge edifices, large collections of religious art, ornate pageantry, special orders of practitioners, ecclesiastical costumes, pompous councils, holy water, special rites, holy days, pilgrimages, fasting and self-inflicted penances, just to name a few—are all intended to curry favor with the deity.

These things have little to do with the righteousness God desires. But they have everything to do with man’s futile efforts to justify himself. The idea of self-made righteousness is so ingrained in the human psyche, it takes nothing short of a miracle to jar a person loose from his attempted hold on the center of his universe. What could be more basic in the eyes of fallen humanity than the requirement to live a good life, to develop a righteousness that is satisfying to their own idea of what God expects? It is what they would presume that God expects. How could there be any other way? But, trying to convince religious people that their efforts to justify themselves are in vain is like trying to convince fish their efforts to swim in water are useless. It’s all they know.

The Jews did not know the righteousness of God, though they knew a lot about their own efforts at righteousness. The problem was that their ignorance left them on the wrong track to true righteousness. The same is true of all religious efforts to attain righteousness. They make good progress in gaining self-righteousness, but they are like a runner heading toward the wrong finish line, . Not much good! Or like an airplane making good speed with a tailwind while the pilot is completely lost. It is amazing to think of all the wealth, time and energy poured into religiosity in the world—and all for nothing in God’s eyes, never leading to righteousness. With the amount of money spent on religion, the Great Commission would lack not money or resources, the world’s poor could easily be fed many times over. What a waste on religion!

Lord, help me not waste my effort, time and resources with the goal of earning a good standing before You. Rather, I want to use these things for Your glory.