Jesus is Our Righteousness

"In those days and at that time

I will cause a righteous Branch

to spring up for David,

and he shall execute justice 

and righteousness

in the land.

In those days Judah will be saved,

and Jerusalem will dwell securely.

And this is the name by which it will be called:

'The LORD is our righteousness.'"

Jeremiah 33:15-16 ESV

Like the people of Judah, I am no good on my own.  I am completely incapable of earning God's favor, of meeting His standard, of living according to His moral law. I am headed for death, not physical death but the second death (Revelation 20:14, 21:8). Yet Christ changes everything because He is my righteousness.  What does this mean for me (1 Corinthians 1:30)?

Right.  Naturally, I'm wrong.  In my flesh I'm God's enemy because of my selfish desire to gratify my own fleshly appetites (Ephesians 2:3).  Without even trying I earn God's wrath.   Despite the fact that I think I'm pretty good and live fairly decently, my behavior is considered as evil by God (Colossians 1:21).  And this wrongness, this darkness in my flesh called "sin" separates me from God (Isaiah 59:2).  No matter how much I may want to interact with Him, we are estranged.

Thankfully, He wants to restore my bond with Him even more than I want His presence.  He went so far as to send His Son to earth as a flesh-and-blood man in order to die on the cross of Calvary as a sacrifice for my sins (Romans 3:25).  Now, through repentance and faith in Him I can find that Jesus bridges the gap between me and God, and my relationship with God is restored (Romans 5:10).  In God's eyes, I'm considered as righteous and holy because the righteous and holy blood of Jesus covers my sins like a blanket (1 John 1:7, Isaiah 1:18).

In Christ, I am made right with God through no effort of my own (2 Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 2:8).

Pure and Holy.  I'm anything but wholesome and virtuous.  In my flesh I am corrupted by sin, sullied by selfishness, tainted by evil.  Even though I adhere to clean-living standards, I'm far from pure.  Despite the fact that I try to stay above the mess, keeping out of anything that is considered as down and dirty, I'm hardly morally upright by God's standards.  I may try to look good on the outside, but my attitudes are often wrong, my motivations impure, and I usually have an ulterior motive for doing the good things I do.  According to Him, I'm as filthy as can be.

Thankfully, in Christ I am not seen for what I am but for what Jesus is.  His perfection becomes mine when I surrender my life from Him, realizing that my sinful ways are taking me down the wrong road and desiring the journey that leads to life instead.  Through faith in Jesus I find that while there is no good in my flesh, there is nothing but good in Him, and it is His righteousness that becomes my own (Romans 7:18, Philippians 3:9).  When I don Jesus like a garment, I can live differently, because I've been regenerated into a new creation (Romans 13:14, Ephesians 4:22-24, 2 Corinthians 5:17).  I can let go of the old ways because they're gone as His sacrifice on the cross has made a new way for me as surely as Jesus rose again on the third day.

In Christ, I am made pure and holy and can live a new kind of life by surrendering to Him.

Free.  I'm bound to its stinking, rotting flesh (Romans 7:24).  I'm destined to die, born to be condemned, heading to Hell in a hand basket (John 3:18, Romans 6:20-21, Revelation 21:8, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10).  I'm not able to do good no matter how hard I try, and it's frustrating (Romans 7:19).  I get this feeling that I'm a slave, that I'm bound to my sin.  It both defines me and controls my life.  Sin is my master and I am its slave (John 8:34).

Thankfully, Jesus came to set me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).  Repenting of my sins, realizing the destiny it's earning me and turning toward God through faith in Jesus Christ breaks the shackles of sin that binds me to my flesh.  Now I have the choice of obeying God as the Spirit enables me to do.  And in Him I am able to produce godly fruit in order to bring glory to God (John 15:5).  The blood of Jesus breaks the power of sin in my life so that through Him I can resist the temptation to do what comes naturally (Romans 6:10-11, 1 Corinthians 10:13).  I now have a choice to live as I always have or to nail those sins on the cross, turning from them and walking in freedom (Galatians 5:1, 24).

In Christ, I am set free from the power of sin, given the ability to walk in righteousness (Romans 6:19).

Jesus came to be the righteousness of those who believe in Him, turning away from their own fleshly ways.  When I do trust in Jesus wholly and completely I am made right with God so I can enjoy communion with Him, am deemed as pure and holy despite my filthy nature, and am free from being bound to my flesh.  The righteousness that comes through Jesus makes all the difference to me!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can let Jesus take over my life instead of trying to live the way I think I should.

When do I get frustrated with my inability to break free from my old ways?

How am I failing to turn my efforts into faith so that I can walk in the forgiveness Jesus offers?