We make choices daily as to the value or moral weight of the activities, discussions, reading, veiwing, relationships etc. that are the building materials of our life. These choices are also made about the quality of materials that become not only the foundation of our future thinking but are being laid down as fresh foundations for the children within our influence.
The problem with the scales, as with everything that Satan has set up for us, is that they so closely resemble the true in our thinking that we are willing to depend on them for our very life and soul. This scale is called Good and Evil, true and false. We believe that if we choose good and true over evil and false we create weight in our “account” to impress God. We even are led to believe from the operation of this counterfeit scale that there is a graduated scale of merit where at some point our goodness and suffering can outweigh our evil and pleasure indulgences to then spring open the doors of paradise for us. This scale theology is part of the foundation of every false religion and runs deep in every religious system.
But when our eyes begin to open to reality and we begin to see the true measure of value; when we understand the extreme requirements for acceptance and even survival in the close presence of God and His overwhelming holiness, we discover an altogether different scale in heavens economy. This is not a graduated scale that we can add to until we finally tip the indicator in our favor. Instead, to our dismay, we discover that our whole arrangement including our false scale itself shows up all on the same side of the heavenly scale to our discredit. Not only all our sin and indulgence and hatred and bitterness, our pride and selfishness, self-serving pleasure and self-satisfied religiosity, but also our noble words and deeds, our attempts at godliness, our striving for perfection and our religious performances – all are seen in the true light of glory to be resting solidly on the liability side of heavens scale with not one item contributing any weight to counterbalance our enormous debt. All of our righteousness is considered as valuable to God as the way we feel about filthy, disgusting used menstrual rags. (Isa. 64:6 literally)
“The religious services, the prayers, the praise, the penitent confession of sin ascend from true believers as incense to the heavenly sanctuary; but passing through the corrupt channels of humanity, they are so defiled that unless purified by blood, they can never be of value with God. They ascend not in spotless purity, and unless the Intercessor who is at God's right hand presents and purifies all by His righteousness, it is not acceptable to God. All incense from earthly tabernacles must be moist with the cleansing drops of the blood of Christ. He holds before the Father the censer of His own merits, in which there is no taint of earthly corruption. He gathers into this censer the prayers, the praise, and the confessions of His people, and with these He puts His own spotless righteousness. Then, perfumed with the merits of Christ's propitiation, the incense comes up before God wholly and entirely acceptable. Then gracious answers are returned.
“O, that all may see that everything in obedience, in penitence, in praise and thanksgiving must be placed upon the glowing fire of the righteousness of Christ. The fragrance of this righteousness ascends like a cloud around the mercy seat.” {6BC 1078}