3. Righteousness
3. Righteousness
“Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness”; Christ’s whole personal righteousness is made over to them and accounted theirs. Being enabled to lay hold on Christ by faith, God the Father blots out their transgressions as with a thick cloud. Their sins and their iniquities He remembers no more (Heb 10:17). They are made the righteousness of God in Jesus, Who is “the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” (Rom 10:4). In one sense, God now sees no sin in them; the whole covenant of works6 is fulfilled in them; they are actually justified, acquitted, and looked upon as righteous in the sight of God. They are perfectly accepted in the Beloved; they are complete in Him. The flaming sword of God’s wrath—which before moved every way—is now removed, and free access given to the tree of life. They are enabled now to reach out the arm of faith, and pluck and live for evermore.
Hence it is that the apostle, under a sense of this blessed privilege, breaks out into this triumphant language; It is Christ that justifies, who is he that condemns (Rom 8:33-34)? Does sin condemn? Christ’s righteousness delivers believers from the guilt of it; Christ is their Savior and is become a propitiation7 for their sins: who therefore “shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect?” (Rom 8:33). Does the Law condemn? By having Christ’s righteousness imputed to them, they are dead to the Law as a covenant of works; Christ has fulfilled it for them and in their stead. Does death threaten them? They need not fear: “The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law” (1Co 15:56), but God has given them the victory by imputing to them the righteousness of the Lord Jesus.
And what a privilege is here! Well might the angels at the birth of Christ say to the humble shepherds, “Behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy”; unto you that believe in Christ, a Savior is born (Luk 2:11). And well may they rejoice at the conversion of poor sinners, for the Lord is their righteousness. They have peace with God through faith in Christ’s blood, and shall never enter into condemnation.
O believers! (for this discourse is intended in a special manner for you) lift up your heads! “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice” (Phi 4:4). Christ is made to you of God, righteousness; what then should you fear: you are made the righteousness of God in Him. He is called, “The Lord our Righteousness” (Jer 23:6); of what then should you be afraid?
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:35-39)—“who of God is made unto us… righteousness.”
This is a glorious privilege for the children of God, but this is only the beginning of the happiness of believers; for, observe what follows.