We as human beings cannot even guarantee our next breath and somehow mankind thought we could become like God by our own morality.

That’s why Adam’s sin of trusting in himself in trying to become like God in the flesh was the root of all sins. How can a mere man try to become perfect like God in his own effort? We are nowhere close to being holy and perfect like God! This is why all of humanity is born in the flesh and condemned universally because every human being is taught to trust in his own abilities as we grow up in this world. I believe little children are innocent and the kingdom of God belongs to them but once a person grows up and trusts in himself, then he is under condemnation.

This is why Jesus came to die on the cross because nothing else could make us righteous! Nothing else could forgive all our sins! There was no good deed we could ever do to attain immortality and become like God!

So then God decided to take all our sin and impute it on Jesus – our entire flesh was crucified on the cross!

The human effort and our puny useless efforts deserved death and that is why Jesus died on the cross. So that Christ and His righteousness is freely given to us!!

There’s no other way! Our flesh had to die with Jesus to receive His eternal life!

Our flesh has to end before His spirit and righteousness was imputed to us!

This is why we have zero merit of our own!

Salvation is completely based on Christ’s blood and His righteousness!

The story of Abraham is a great example of not boasting in the flefsinsh:

Romans 4:1-5,23-25 “What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather, has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not toward God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now to him who works, the reward is not counted as grace, but as something owed. But to him who doesn’t work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness….. Now it was not written that it was accounted to him for his sake alone, but for our sake also, to whom it will be accounted, who believe in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead, who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.”

Abraham and Sarah were as good as dead and could not have children but God promised to make him the father of nations. Abraham did not trust in himself, nor did he get discouraged in his inability but trusted in God’s goodness and power! This is why he was made righteous. Abraham had nothing to boast in himself but he boasted in God’s power. That is the righteousness of faith. In the same way if we realize that there is nothing good in our flesh and we only trust in Christ who died for us and was raised from the dead then God gives us His righteousness!

Romans 3:27-28 “Where then is the boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. We maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.”

All men were guilty because nobody could be perfect in their works. Therefore Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead to make us righteous – this righteousness is given to all who believe in Christ apart from their works! Therefore this salvation removes all boasting from our flesh because we are saved not by any effort/works of our own but only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Peter was a man who tried to follow Jesus in his own flesh. He boasted in his ability to follow Jesus but he was the biggest of the failures among the Apostles, denying Christ three times! But Jesus graciously restored Him!

The greater the failure, the greater is the restoration!

Peter failed greatly but he believed in the irresistible grace of Jesus Christ, receiving the Holy Spirit and the power to do miracles:

Acts 3:6,12-16 “But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”…. When Peter saw it, he responded to the people, “You men of Israel, why do you marvel at this man? Why do you fasten your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up, and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had determined to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, to which we are witnesses. By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which is through him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.”

Peter had nothing of his own but only the power of Jesus! He knew that the miracle happened not because of any goodness/holiness of his own. It happened only because of the righteousness of Christ by faith in His name.

We are healed only by Christ’s wounds.

We are righteous only by Christ’s blood and resurrection. Not an inch of our goodness but Jesus Christ alone!

Paul trusted greatly in the Law of Moses and was faultless in the righteousness of the Law. He kept all the commandments but was so self-righteous that he was killing Christians. But Jesus showered the greatest grace on Paul, by choosing him in the midst of his greatest failure and making him the apostle to the Gentiles! 

Paul’s weakness was his past strength in the Law.

After his conversion, the Jews persecuted and mocked him greatly because of his past. But the greater the failure, the greater the glory was given to Paul by Jesus:

2^nd Corinthians 12:7-10 “By reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted excessively, a thorn in the flesh was given to me: a messenger of Satan to torment me, that I should not be exalted excessively. Concerning this thing, I begged the Lord three times that it might depart from me. He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, and in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong.”

Paul was given the greatest ministry among all the Apostles because he was the greatest failure! So that he would boast only in Christ and not in himself.

Philippians 3:3 “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh;”

Romans 15:16-18

“that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of the Good News of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. I have therefore my boasting in Christ Jesus in things pertaining to God. For I will not dare to speak of any things except those which Christ worked through me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed,”

No matter how good a person is, they are still in the flesh. No flesh can attain salvation because they fall short of God’s glory in Jesus Christ.

The only thing that matters is the Spirit of Christ living in us.

Jesus is the only man who never sinned when He came in the flesh.

John 6:63 “It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.”

The human efforts that come from our own wisdom & morality may be good for earthly life but they are useless for salvation.  It is not by our might or power but only by the Holy Spirit in us (Zechariah 4:6) The only thing that eternally matters is the Holy Spirit working in us through faith in Christ. If anyone trusts in Christ (eats His flesh and blood) then we have eternal life.

No matter how much you have failed in the flesh, Jesus will give you His Spirit and Life when you trust in Him! He is the Word of Eternal life. Everyone who believes in Jesus will receive the Holy Spirit – when we trust in Jesus, our flesh dies with Him on the cross and we are raised with Christ and seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:4-6). Our flesh died and it is His Spirit in us (Romans 8:9).

1^st Corinthians 1:30-31 “Because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: that, as it is written, “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.”