The source of our righteousness.
In the Old Testament era, God repeatedly urged His people to trust Him and submit to His will. However, many, like Job and his friends, wrongly believed that doing what is generally accepted as right would lead to a righteous, blameless life. They failed to see that humankind’s spirit sinned in the Garden of Eden, making humankind a natural sinner. A life filled with continuous good deeds and effort cannot overcome sinful human nature. Only God can resolve the problem of sinfulness. Therefore, God promised to bring His righteousness to completion at the right time. Still, people found it hard to understand because the promise was for the future, not the present.
“The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days, Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness” Jeremiah 23:5, 6. (The emphasis is mine.) These verses reveal what the Branch will be for fallen humankind. He will be their Righteousness from God. The Branch, Jesus Christ, did not give us righteousness. He did not merely declare us righteous. The Branch, Jesus Christ, became our righteousness forever.
Only by remaining in Christ can we be blameless in God’s eyes. The righteousness from God is ours here and now through trusting Jesus Christ. No human effort, religious practices, teachings, or other means can make us righteous in God’s sight. We are not righteous like Jesus; we are righteous *IN JESUS* ONLY. “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” Romans 3:21, 22. It is not I, but Christ must be the conviction for each self-surrendered believer. Christ Our Righteousness is not just a theory but a daily experience for those who are saved.
The Son. Read the next blog.