ICS Daily Devotions
The Gift of Righteousness
Rom 5:15-16,18 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification… Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
It is not easy to receive a hand out or a free gift. It is an uncomfortable feeling because we are so used to working for something. Unfortunately, our own strength and the strife of self-righteousness before God is not good enough.
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.
Phil 3:9 And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.
We have a tendency to attempt to use our own strength and deeds to earn God’s love and acceptance. Every religion in the world is using their own righteousness to reach or please God. It is futile. We will never be good enough. We will never be able to use our own righteousness to gain God’s love and acceptance. We will be constantly under condemnation when we attempt to use our own righteousness.
It has to be done through faith in what Christ has achieved for us on the cross. The righteousness that is from God in Christ. It is important to live a godly life and do good. All the self-effort to make ourselves accepted by God is viewed as filthy garments before Him, therefore we will never be able to dress appropriately in His presence. In all honestly, you are still lost and won’t make it to heaven if you are still trying to use your own strength and act to gain acceptance by God apart from what Christ has done on the cross of Calvary.
2 Cor 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Mat 27:45-46 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Jesus identified Himself with us by becoming sin for us on the cross. God, the Father had to turn His face away when Jesus became sin for us on the cross. He was condemned for us on the cross. It is this very act of Jesus Christ on the cross that caused us to receive the grace of God or the Free Gift.
Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV) That IF you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
We have to accept this gift personally. Nobody is able to represent to receive it neither are we able to inherit from our parents. It is very personal. One has to personally believe in the heart that Jesus Christ is the Lord and He has been raised from the dead. We believe that He was without sin when He went onto the cross to bear our sins. We have to utter it with our mouth to release the right over our lives be given to God as we are free moral agents whom God has empowered us to make choices. This utterance and believing in our heart will also set us free from the bondage of the devil over our lives. It is at this stage when we believe in our heart and confess with our mouth that we cross over from death into life. We are saved the moment we believe in our heart!
Series: The Best Gift
