Forgiven, Part 9: Righteousness

As sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. That I may gain Christ and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Romans 5:21, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 2:24, Philippians 3:9, Isaiah 61:10

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There is a story in the Bible that tells us about a great wedding feast. Everyone at the feast needed to be clothed in the proper wedding garments. A man was at the feast without the proper garment on, and when he was discovered, he was sent away from the celebration.

This story reminds us of the importance of being clothed with the right garment—the clean, pure, white robe of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Our own righteousness is like wearing filthy garments in God's sight. No one is righteous. We please God not by trying to be better, but by receiving the righteousness which is ours by faith in His Son.

We can never scrub out the stains in our soiled garments by becoming more religious; we can never swap our tattered garments for new ones by making resolutions, or by trying to start over; we can never improve our garment's condition by joining others whose garments seem to be whiter than ours. It is His purity that washes us...His goodness that clothes us...His glory that covers us. We are made and declared righteous by the righteousness of Jesus Christ alone. 
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Lord,
It is only by faith that I can begin to comprehend how You could take someone like me and declare me righteous. Your mercy overwhelms me; You grace is beyond anything I have ever known. Thank You for clothing me with the righteousness of Jesus Christ and freeing me from the bondage of trying to earn my way to You. 
Amen

Written by Roy Lessin. ©2002, 2019 DaySpring. Used with permission, all rights reserved.