For those who believe in Jesus, we desire loved ones to come to faith and be saved. Even as I write this, someone special may come to mind. The Apostle Paul shares this longing and prays for the salvation of his jewish brothers and sisters and prays for them. (1 Timothy 2:1). Likewise, we should pray for those whom the Lord places on our hearts. If we truly care for someone and genuinely wish for them to know the Lord, isn’t that desire from God? By praying for them, aren’t we aligning ourselves with God’s own intentions? (Ezekiel 18:32, Ezekiel 33:11, 1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9).

Paul’s desire is for his fellow Jews to be saved because he sees himself in them. Paul was a zealous Jew; he called himself “a Pharisee of Pharisees.” He epitomized the model churchgoer. He wore Christian T-shirts, attended every service and event, served the church whenever possible, listened to all the right music, and spoke the right words. He was a good person who worked hard to earn that status. The problem, however, is that this notion of goodness is based on a standard that cannot be attained through human effort (Mark 10:18, Romans 3:10-12). No matter the badges we earn and proudly display, we can never attain righteousness through our own efforts.

It wasn’t until Paul was confronted by Jesus that he truly understood what righteousness is. He explains that many Jews grow up in the church and know the right actions simply due to their upbringing, yet they are never genuinely confronted by the truth of the God they worship. Jesus gives a compelling example in scripture as He addresses the Jewish leaders in Matthew 7:39-40, saying, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” In other words, they focus on checking off boxes to achieve eternal life, but Jesus points out that they are missing the point; the Scriptures ultimately testify about Him, the one who is our righteousness (Matthew 7:21-23).

For the Jews, the law serves as their checklist for righteousness, and they strive to be good people. However, they fail to see that they have missed the mark, continually thinking, “I can do better.” We don’t need to be Jewish to struggle with this issue; we all have our own lists that we internally attempt to keep—but we will ultimately fail, as “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Can we fulfill the list and do better? No, we can’t. We need Jesus, who has done better and fulfilled the law on our behalf (Matthew 5:17, Romans 8:4).

Our challenge lies in trusting and submitting to God to fulfill the law for us. We are like stubborn children who insist, “No, I can do it!” The truth is, we can’t—we need help. We have loved ones who act similarly to the Jews, saying, “I’m a good person.” We know friends who continue trying to do better rather than trusting in God, who has already done better for us through Jesus. God has truly done better in Jesus.

Lord, help us learn to rest in Your work and be freed from this life of striving, where we continually attempt to obtain the unobtainable through our own means. May we look to You and receive this gift of grace through faith that has been secured for us. Jesus, thank You for becoming our sin so that we may become Your righteousness.