Righteousness is God’s gift to you
David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: (Romans 4:6 NLT)
Freedom from the burden of seeking God’s approval and the pressure to please Him begins the day we receive the revelation that righteousness is God’s gift to us. In fact, faith was not given primarily for man to receive healing or prosperity or “breakthroughs”. Faith is first and above all to connect man to Christ so we can believe that He took our sins and gave us His righteousness.
The scripture says Christ actually became sin for us “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Cor. 5:21)”. We often have little to no difficulty accepting the first part of this verse, that Christ was made sin, as He carried the sins of the entire world. But accepting the second part has been a challenge to this generation of believers, that God actually made us His righteousness. As Christ became sin without deserving it, so we became the very righteousness of God without deserving it. It is that simple.
This gift of righteousness is what the verse above describes as being “declared righteous without working for it”. And David describes these group of people are happy folks! What joy to know that I no longer have to carry the burden of the law to seek my own righteousness. David did not have this privilege but God showed to him a set of men and women who will be righteous without working a thing. He said to himself “these men are blessed!”. We are accustomed to feeling righteous when we do something right. The very thought of righteousness without doing anything is quite foreign. The day you accepted Christ, even before your next thought, word or action, you were already righteous because it was given to you as a gift ( Rom 5:17). It is believing that you are the righteousness of God that will produce an outward life of righteousness. Church history and our personal experience should teach us that we cannot meet God’s standards for righteousness by trying to do right. If you doubt it, ask the Israelites who lived under the law!
MEDITATE
The Word in your mind and mouth (1 Tim 4:15; Josh 1: 8)
Ponder deeply about the truth above. What does this mean to you? Declare it to yourself again and again, that you are the righteousness of God.
PRAY
Water the Seed (word) to grow. Invite the Spirit’s strength! (Isa 32:15; Zach 4:6)
Thank God for the gift of righteousness to you. Praise Him for the mystery of the substitutionary work of Christ, where He took our place and gave us His place!
APPLY THE WORD TODAY!
Your door to a blessed life today is doing God’s Word. Refuse to be a hearer or reader only! (James 1:22-26)
Rebuke every condemnation from within you today that tries to hold you to your past. Declare today when that thought comes that you are the righteousness of God. Now demonstrate what you are as you live today-demonstrate His righteousness in your words and actions!
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