In my sermon tomorrow I make a distinction when talking about John the Baptist between "morality" and "righteousness".
You see, some Pharisees come to be baptized by John and he dismisses them as "a brood of vipers".
That wasn't because they weren't "Moral"--they had good 'morality' in that they kept all the Jewish laws and kept the rules.
That's what 'morality' is--'keeping the rules'.
But righteousness isn't about being law-abiding, it is about the relationship between the person and God.
Abraham was 'reckoned righteous' because he was in a right relationship with God.
John the Baptist was interested in forming that 'right relationship' through baptism.
Keeping the rules and toeing the line don't measure up if you aren't 'right with God'.
We could do well to seek that relationship and not worry so much about abiding by the rules.
Get right with God....
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