on the topic of covenants, and

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!

One of my favourite hymns. 

For God the just is satisfied, to look on Him and pardon me. 

I had a conversation with a catholic today, a conversation which.. definitely didn't go as well as it should. 

But that aside, she was asking me why protestants are so stuck up about the if you don't believe Jesus you can't go the heaven thing. Apparently some catholics believe that as long as you're good, you are heaven bound. 

But really, surely taking sociology ought to have helped us a bit in realizing that "good" is a word needing a definition. What sort of good is this? Socially accepted "good"? 

Jesus once said 

"why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone". Sounds like a challenge to me, as though He meant, if you think that I'm anything less than the son of God, don't patronize me with your fine words. 

But for us the implication is clear. If good is what we need to get to heaven, then let's follow heaven's definition: only God alone is good. 

And so that particular line in that verse is remarkable. God looked on Christ to pardon me. On this imputed righteousness I put on, a cloak which is not my own.

At last I'm good enough to be pardoned and accepted into the kingdom. 

Even so, God has grander plans. One day he will complete his work on my likeness of Christ.

But it'll still be the same. 

God is justly satisfied when he sees Christ and pardons me.