Righteousness Through Christ

Submitted by RVH on Thu, 10/13/2022 - 11:45
Imputed righteousness

Romans 4:3,13,16, 23-25   NIV

3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”[a]

13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 

16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.

23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

 

Romans 4:22-24    KJV

22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;

24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

 

Abraham found righteous

 

 

Long before there was an Old Covenant, Law, or New Covenant, Abraham was found righteous in God’s eyes.

Why? Because he believed God and “it was credited or imputed to him as righteousness.”  Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.

The Apostle Paul tells us in the above scripture, that the words “it was credited or imputed to him” were not just written for Abraham, but since the advent of the New Covenant, they are written for all who believe in God who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, believing that Christ died for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Through the blood of Jesus, our belief in him and repentance for our sins, we are credited with righteousness in God’s eyes.

To receive credit or credit to an account is a good thing and being credited with righteousness is the greatest gift of all.

 


GOD HATES SIN


 

We know that God cannot tolerate sin.

We know that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

We know that we cannot be blessed by God or stand before God in a sinful state, or a state of unrighteousness.

We know that we have no standing or righteousness on our own.

However, God in His loving mercy and grace has made a way for us to be reconciled with Him and made righteous in His eyes, with the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, if we believe in Him.

God has promised to cast our sins away, as far as the east is from the west if we accept Jesus as Lord and repent of those sins. If we are found righteous in His eyes, our sins are washed away.

 

Psalm 103:12    KJV

12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

 


RIGHTEOUSNESS THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST


 

 

Righteousness through Christ


 

Romans 3:22-26    NIV

22 This righteousness is given through faith in[a] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[b] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

 

Furthermore, the sacrificial death of our Lord, the only TRUE sacrifice, atones for all sins from Adam to the last of us. Please note verse Romans 3:25 above.

Even though untold numbers were found righteous and therefore “saved” in the eyes of God before the death of Christ there was no true atonement for sin. As Paul says in Hebrews 10:11, animal sacrifices can never take away sin.

It took the sacrificial death and blood of Jesus Christ, the ONLY atoning sacrifice that could take away sin.

 

Hebrews 10:10-14    NIV

10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

 

Ephesians 1:7    NIV

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s 

 

The sacrificial death of Jesus Christ atoned for ALL sin, for ALL who are imputed righteousness in God’s eyes.

Simply put, this is what salvation or “being saved” or “born again” means in a nutshell.

When we accept Jesus Christ into our lives as our Lord and Savior, truly repenting of our sins, the righteousness of Jesus is imputed or credited to us, making us righteous in the eyes of God and reconciled with Him.

Let us thank God daily for His wondrous gift of love, mercy and grace.

 

2 Corinthians 5:21    NIV

21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

 

Christ knew no sin

 

RVH