Romans 3:22, Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference
YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS
Imagine a criminal in a court room about to be sentenced to death but declared innocent and free suddenly because someone paid the price and took his place. That's exactly what happened when we gave our lives to Christ and were made righteous.
We were guilty and filthy. Our sins deserved eternal punishment because justice must be served. However, sinless Christ came and satisfied the demands of justice. He took our place in punishment and gave us his own righteousness. Now, God has declared us innocent and free of all our past sins.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,( Romans 5:1 NIV,?.
One hard truth religion can't accept is about our imputed righteousness. When we came to Christ, the very righteousness of Christ was imputed to us. Jesus took our sins and gave us his own righteousness. Hallelujah!!!
In 2 Corinthians 5:21, apostle Paul says, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God".
Glory be to God! A great exchange occured at calvary. Our sin was exchanged for Christ's righteousness. At that point on the cross, the weight and filth of our sins on Christ brought him serious agony.
The price for our righteousness ( justification) was paid with the blood of Jesus.Romans 3:25 says, “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God”.
This righteousness is not like a filthy rag. It is human righteousness that is like a filthy rag. Self righteousness always fall short of the standard of God that's why it'll always be a filthy rag before God.
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all OUR righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away( Isaiah 64:6).
Religion loves to cloth people with the garment of self righteousness yet in the place of prayer, they feel inadequate about the same righteousness. You'll hear statements like: "We are all sinners".
I can't imagine how God will feel hearing those whom Christ paid the price of blood calling themselves sinners. Often, this is done or said to sound "humble" but that's not biblical humility. A saint washed by the blood is no longer a sinner.
The gift of righteousness makes us different from those without Christ. This righteousness is a gift from Christ to us. We didn't work for it.
Romans 5:17 says, “For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ”.
Hallelujah!!! We now have access to the throne room of heaven. We can come into God's very presence without any feeling of guilt and shame for our past. You are not a sinner, you are a saint.
You are not refurbished or re branded. You are new creation, a new man, a specie that was born anew. That's what we mean when we say we are "born again". Hallelujah!!!
Faith alone in the finished work of Christ is what makes you righteous. No ritual ceremony required. You don't need a priest to declare you righteous neither do you need to buy indulgence or do penance to get this gift.
This is the truth that surfaced during reformation that made the protestants suffer serious attack yet this truth has survived for ages because it is timeless.
This truth is what the apostles of old preached and taught that made the religious people of their day persecute them. They don't believe righteousness can be this cheap.
Really it is not cheap because the price of blood was paid. Someone paid the price for to get it cheap. Our faith in Christ alone is enough to get this gift.
The enemy doesn't want you to see this redemptive provision so that you can remain subservient to religious rites and rituals and still remain guilty and condemned perpetually.
Tell yourself, "I am righteous".
CONFESSION: I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. The very righteousness of Christ is imputed to me. I'm not struggling to be righteous because I am already. I am born again, I'm more than a conqueror. I live above sin because the righteousness of Christ is mine. Hallelujah!!!
Kindly listen to this audio message by Bro Lanre👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽
REASONS GOOD PEOPLE MARRY BAD PEOPLE
https://t.me/projectsaveministries/45
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