MADE RIGHT WITH GOD THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JUNE 02, 2023.

SUBJECT: MADE RIGHT WITH GOD THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST!

Memory verse: "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." (Romans 10 vs 4.) 

READ: Romans 3 vs 21 - 26:

3:21: But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

3:22: even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 

3:23: for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God,

3:24: being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

3:25: Whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,

3:26: to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

INTIMATION: 

Righteousness is the character or quality of being right or just. It is formerly spelled ‘rightwiseness,’ which clearly expresses the meaning. It’s used to denote an attribute of God (Romans 3 vs 5) the context of which shows that “the righteousness of God” means essentially the same as His faithfulness, or truthfulness; that which is consistent with His own nature and promises.  

In Romans 3 vs 25 -26, the Scripture speaks of God’s righteousness as exhibited in the Death of Christ for our sins, which is sufficient to show men that God is neither indifferent to sin nor regards it lightly. On the contrary, it demonstrates that quality of holiness in Him which must find expression in His condemnation of sin. In Second Peter 1 vs 1, the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, is the righteous dealing of God with sin and with sinners on the ground of the Death of Christ. 

But for the most part, the apostle Paul uses it of that gracious gift of God to men whereby all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are brought into right relationship with God. This righteousness is unattainable by obedience to any law or by any merit of man’s own, or any other condition than that of faith in Christ. The man who trusts in Christ becomes ‘the righteousness of God in Him,’ (Second Corinthians 5 vs 21), that is, becomes in Christ all that God requires a man to be, all that he could never be in himself. 

All humanity has fallen short of that which is required for one to dwell in the presence of God. The result of law is that all are made sinners. The result of sin is separation from God. And the result of separation from God is spiritual death which will eventually lead to a second death (Romans 6 vs 23; Second Thessalonians 1 vs 7 - 9). Since all men sin, then apart from the grace of God, no man can stand justified (righteous) before God on the basis of law alone.

It was through Jesus faithfulness to go to the cross that the righteousness of God (God’s resolve to set things right for us with Himself) was accomplished. Justification (our being worth what was done for us) was also accomplished because of the faith of those who believed in the cross. Both the faithfulness of Jesus in going to the cross, and man’s faith response to the cross, were necessary in order to accomplish God’s eternal plan to reconcile men to Himself through Jesus. 

Christianity is unique in that no good deed that we do will make us right with God. No amount of human achievement or personal goodness will close the gap between God’s moral perfection and our imperfect daily performance. Good deeds are important, but they will not earn us eternal life. We are saved only by trusting in what God has done for us (Ephesians 2 vs 8 - 10).

There is a way to be declared not guilty, that is, by trusting Jesus Christ to take away our sins. Trusting means putting our confidence in Christ to forgive our sins, to make us right with God, and to empower us to live the way He taught us. God’s solution is available to all of us regardless of our background or past behavior. 

Christ died in our place, for our sins. God is justifiably angry at sinners. They have rebelled against Him and cut themselves off from His life-giving power. But God declares Christ’s death to be the appropriate, designated sacrifice for our sin. Christ then stands in our place, having paid the penalty of death for our sin, and He completely satisfies God’s demands. His sacrifice brings pardon, deliverance and freedom. When God forgives our sins, our record is wiped clean. From His perspective, it is as though we had never sinned. He could do this because Jesus took the penalty that we deserved. Christ purchased our freedom from sin, and the price was His life.

In His death, Jesus was God’s offering to appease His wrath that would eventually have to be poured out on sinners. In order for God to stand just in judgement of free-moral man, there had to be a choice for men to be saved from condemnation. Through the offering of the blood of Jesus, God gave that choice. Though the offering had to be made at a point in time in human history, the required response to God by faith on the part of man has always been in existence.   

God is just because He has revealed the means by which men can be made righteous. God promised that He would send the Savior into the world for the blessing of all nations. Through the Sanai law and the prophets the promises were made. Through the faithfulness of God the promises were accomplished. The promises were not fulfilled because of the man’s perfect obedience of law, but because of the grace of God to do such regardless of the sinfulness of man.

This the loving favor of God that was extended toward man that man could not have earned on the basis of his performance of law or meritorious good works. The grace was freely given regardless of the spiritual condition of all humanity. It had to be freely given because men could not work in order to earn grace. Sin blocks any efforts to meritoriously earn the gift. Therefore, grace was given to take care of man’s sin problem. Once justified from sin by grace, we are then reconciled again to His presence and glory (Second Corinthians 5 vs 19). All this was made possible by the sacrificial cross of Jesus where God’s grace was manifested.

Prayer: Abba Father, great are You LORD, great is Your faithfulness, and You are greatly to be praised. Everyday I will praise You for who You are and for Your faithfulness in all things. I will thank You and praise Your name forever for Your unalloyed mercy, goodness, and faithfulness in my life. May I never take Your faithfulness and mercy for granted, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!