I recently published a new gospel tract designed to reach Latter-day Saints (Mormons) with the message that we cannot exalt ourselves. The same righteousness that is obtained by faith for salvation is effective to comprehensively exalt the believer. The title of the tract is, "Will You Be Exalted?" and the fulness of the content is found below.
You can download the PDF and print/cut/staple the booklets yourself. Just make sure to print two-sided--you'll see how it works. May God bless your efforts to reach people with the good news!
Tract text:
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT EXALTATION
The most important commentary on any subject is the Bible. Many people have their own opinions, but God’s authoritative revelation stands alone, having the final say in all matters. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to understand what the Bible says about exaltation.
God Is Exalted
God exists in the heavenly realm and there is no status higher than His. Indeed, “God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne,” (Psalm 47:8, 115:3).
The prophet Isaiah caught an amazing glimpse of God’s exalted status. In Isaiah 6:1, the prophet stated that he saw the Lord sitting on a throne “lofty and exalted.” Later, the apostle John wrote that in this vision Isaiah was beholding Jesus Himself (John 12:41). This means Jesus is God, sharing in the same glory as the Father. After His death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus returned to this glory at the right hand of God (Isaiah 52:13, John 17:5, Acts 2:33, 7:55-56).
Self-Exaltation: The First Sin
Even though God will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8), Satan attempted to usurp God’s position. Unlike Jesus, Satan is an angel, a created being who is totally unable to acquire the glory of God (Ezekiel 28:13-15). He is and always will be a creature. Yet Satan said in his heart, “I will raise my throne above the stars of God…I will make myself like the Most High,” (Isaiah 14:13-14). For this reason, Satan was stripped of his angelic status, and now leads others in sin.
Man Naturally Follows Satan
In John 8:44, Jesus strongly rebuked the Pharisees when He told them that they were not children of Abraham, but rather they were of the devil. He told them that they sought Satan’s desires, not God’s. Although this may seem like a uniquely harsh statement, it is actually true of all people—not just the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. The apostle Paul taught this when he wrote to the Christians in Ephesus, telling them that before they became Christians, they were dead in sin, followers of Satan, and “by nature children of wrath, even as the rest,” (Ephesians 2:1-3). All of mankind follows Satan and the desire for self-exaltation by nature. This pursuit is instinctual for humanity, and it must be judged by God.
Man Can Be Saved from Judgment
It is written that man’s attempts to exalt himself are condemned by God in the strongest terms (Isaiah 2:11, 17). Jesus affirmed this teaching when He said, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,” (Luke 14:11a). Since all people have attempted to exalt themselves, this statement brings all people under the judgment of God. However, Jesus graciously added, “and he who humbles himself will be exalted,” (Luke 14:11b).
This means that God has made a way for people to be exalted, but it will not—and cannot—be by their own doing. Men must not rely on their own works, which leads to pride; instead, they must come to God in humility (Romans 4:2-5). Exaltation is experienced passively and in humility.
SALVATION, EXALTATION CANNOT BE SEPARATED
Some people will say something like, “God will save everyone, but not everyone will live in the highest heaven.” However, the Bible never separates the concepts of salvation and exaltation. This is because in order for one to be saved, he must be perfectly righteous in God’s sight; and, if he truly is perfectly righteous, he will also be exalted. The same righteousness is required for both, and the results arrive simultaneously.
Man Needs Imputed Righteousness
To “impute” means to credit or attribute something to someone. For instance, people will sometimes impute bad motives to others as an act of prejudice.
As the perfect Judge, God never wrongly imputes qualities to another; therefore, He has stated that man, because of his natural sin, earned for himself death (Romans 6:23a). Yet, He has made a way for man to be saved: through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ (6:23b).
A person is not fully saved if he has only had his sins paid for. It is true that in Jesus Christ, sins are forgiven (Acts 10:43), but Jesus taught that man needs righteousness, too. He told the Jews that they had to be extremely righteous to enter heaven (Matthew 5:20). Forgiving a debt may take a person out of the red— up to zero—but that doesn’t make him a rich person. God requires heaven’s entrants to be rich in righteousness. How, then, can a man be saved?
Second Corinthians 5:21 says, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Jesus became a curse in the place of sinners, taking the punishment man deserves (Galatians 3:13); it is only through faith in Jesus’ death that man can be forgiven of the sin that deserves judgment.
Believing in Jesus also results in being credited with the very righteousness of God. This is full salvation. In the book of Romans, it is stated that by faith in Jesus’ finished work, God’s righteousness is imputed to the believer apart from his own efforts (3:21-26, 4:4-8, 5:18-21).
All the Righteous Ones Will Be Exalted
Upon faith in Jesus’ work, a person “become[s] the righteousness of God in Him.” This means that God considers believers to be fully righteous and no greater status could be obtained. Christians are heirs with Christ and will be glorified with Him (Romans 8:17). This will take place when Christ returns and the dead are resurrected.
Yet, even now, God speaks of His people as being exalted in His sight. After Paul described the Ephesians’ former state of deadness in sin, he told them that they had been made alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5), having been raised with Him and seated in the heavenly places (2:6).
It is important to notice the past-tense wording that the apostle employed. The Ephesians had been seated in the heavenlies with Christ. Paul was not denying the still-future glorification of believers at the resurrection; rather, he was telling the Ephesians that their exalted status was secure because they were placed in Christ by faith. Upon faith in the biblical gospel, one is permanently exalted with Christ in heavenly places.
In another letter, Paul told believers that because they were in Christ, they were complete, circumcised, buried, raised up, alive, and forgiven (Colossians 2:10ff). Christians are with Christ in everything; they are in Him and He is their life (3:1-4). By grace, Jesus has become the maximum righteousness they could ever possess (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). No more righteousness could possibly be achieved.
HOW WILL YOU BE EXALTED?
The imputed righteousness of God is not only the means of escaping God’s judgment, but also gaining exaltation. By relying on righteousness that comes from God, a person is guaranteed the fulness of the heavenly inheritance.
The Folly of Self-Righteousness
Only a fool would seek to exalt himself before the righteous Judge of the universe. God has said that He is the only God, and righteousness and strength are found only in Him (Isaiah 45:18-25).
Rejecting the righteousness of God in exchange for performance is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is death (Proverbs 16:25). God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29) and all who rely on their own works will be judged by them. This is a terrifying proposition, and it results in eternal punishment in the lake of fire. Scripture says that this applies to all who reject God’s grace, those called the “unbelieving” (Revelation 21:8).
Some may use James 2 to claim that a person’s works will exalt him in God’s sight. James, however, recognized that our works could only make us guilty before God (James 2:10), and he spoke of faith as what makes a person rich (2:5). Yet, this faith will always be evidenced by God’s working through the believer (2:14, 24). Genuine faith is always manifested in good works (Ephesians 2:10). One must be careful not to confuse the evidence of faith for the substance of faith.
God Alone Will Be Worshipped
It is true that all who trust in Christ will be exalted with Him, but this fact does not mean that believers will be worshipped as God is. In Revelation 5:11-14, the Father and the Son are heralded by angels. Later in the book, a great multitude of human souls joins the angels in worship (7:9-12) and it is declared that Christ will reign forever and ever (11:15-19).
It is also revealed that at the end of the age, there will be a great judgment at the Great White Throne (20:11-15). All attending this event are judged according to their deeds and whether their names are found in the book of life. The result of this judgment is the lake of fire.
Those who escape this judgment by grace through faith in Christ will live with God forever in the New Earth. They were saved because they washed their garments in Christ’s blood (7:14), and they will live forever as glorified creatures worshipping God. They will reign with Him (22:5), but they will never be worshiped by another (22:8-9).
Will You Appeal to Christ?
Those who have been told that they must earn their own exaltation have great reason to despair. Mankind is rebellious, evil, and inconsistent. How could a person ever make himself good enough to meet God’s standards of righteousness?
Consider the musings of R.C. Sproul: “God is righteous and I’m not. How can I possibly survive a tribunal before a just and holy God since I know that that God requires and demands perfect righteousness for Him to justify anyone?”
This is the problem with our works. We cannot meet God’s demands, no matter how hard we may try. Our covenants and ordinances will never achieve exaltation because God demands absolute perfection in all things.
Sproul continues, “The only righteousness that has the merit necessary to meet the requirements of the holiness of God is that righteousness that was achieved and performed by Jesus Christ and by Jesus Christ alone.”
Man must not look inward to discover the merit God demands. Instead, all people can appeal to One outside of themselves to acquire the merit necessary for full salvation and exaltation. In the final analysis, a person’s trust will either be placed in self or in Christ.
When a sinner comes to Christ for mercy, he will find it. God will cleanse him, save him, and seat him in the heavenly places. If you totally rely on Jesus, the one, true God, you have the righteousness of God, His power for salvation (Romans 1:16).
Believing the Gospel
Perhaps this is your first time ever hearing the biblical gospel—that Jesus is the full merit of the believer. Philippians 3:7-11 explains that through faith alone in Jesus’ work, righteousness is credited to our account. We don’t earn it; we only receive it from God.
Would you receive Jesus today?
Start by confessing that you are a sinner, and God alone is holy and worthy. This is an expression of agreement with God’s evaluation of your poor condition.
You may then look to Jesus as your God and Savior (Titus 2:13). He has proven that He is Lord of all by living a perfect life and exercising authority over heaven and earth. He died, was buried, rose again, and ascended into heaven on our behalf that we might be made right with God forever based on His perfect work.
When you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9-10). Believers are justified freely as a gift, resulting in peace with God for eternity (Romans 5:1, 15-17).
Have you cast all your trust and hope on the Lord Jesus for your salvation and exaltation? Tell the person who gave you this booklet! He or she will want to rejoice with you and help you find a good church.
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