It never ceases to amaze me: every time I pick up the Word and spend even a small amount of time in its blessed pages, I am reminded of the very foundation of my freedom and the cornerstone of my faith. Who I am in Christ changes everything in my world. Before I understood this, my faith was a challenge and rarely a joy. I had to wonder where the joy of Christ was in my life. And now, every single time I take a moment or two to be in His presence and soak in His life-giving love, I see clearly: the Cross has made me righteous and the Cross has set me free.
Do you ever wonder where your joy in Christ has gone? Or if you’ve ever really known it?
I have to say, it’s sad to me how many people don’t truly understand the work of Christ. Sadder still, how many might be approaching a better understanding but refuse to let it in. Maybe for shame. Maybe for pride. Maybe because they believe it has to be harder than it is.
But if we miss the message of salvation, as clearly defined by the Word of God, we miss out on the blessings of being His…and there’s too many to count. Tell me, is holding on to our old way of understanding really worth it when we end up forfeiting the greatest gifts of our God?
I was in Acts this morning and I read…
“Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.” (Acts 13: 38 & 39)
Countless times in the New Testament accounts of the Cross, we are reminded of the truth mentioned above. And it seems to me, that anyone who would argue that the Gospel (the “good news”) is anything but the radical grace of God has clearly not spent a lot of time in His precious Word. Or maybe they just misunderstand.
So, being a witness to so much imprisonment, God often places a fervency inside my heart to share the grace of God. If I could make it my full time job, I would in a second. For now, I settle for sweet yet seldom opportunities to remind those of you reading of these very important truths:
God loves you infinitely. He cannot love you anymore than He loves you right now and He will never, ever love you any less. In Christ, you are set free. The law of Moses couldn’t set us free. It could only point us to our great need for a Savior thus serving its blessed purpose. So, if you believe you are saved, Christ has become your righteousness. Therefore, your righteousness is not dependent on how good or bad you are. Your righteousness becomes your identity in Christ. As you allow this to sink further into the depths of your soul, you are changed. And you are free to walk in love and assurance and blessing that is no longer inhibited by your moments of weakness. If this is the root of your faith, Christ has become your joy. And sin cannot compare to the joy of Christ.
God’s Word says “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” promising that “all these things shall be added unto you.”
Jesus is God’s righteousness. In that verse, Jesus was calling us to Himself. Telling us to relax and relinquish our desire to be our own saviors. For if He becomes our Savior, we become His righteousness. This is not a fair trade. But God wasn’t looking for a fair trade, He was looking for a way to bless His beloved children.
When our focus is on Christ and not the delusion that we could ever be made righteous without Him, it’s as though we’re looking in a mirror. We behold the glory of the Lord and the image reflected back is a more glorious image. A transformation takes place. “We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” He imparts His glory to us once we realize how glorious our Savior truly is and we keep our eyes fixed on Him.
Peter turned his eyes from Jesus when he walked on the water…and he began to sink. But as long as his eyes were fixed on his Savior, he was fine.
Are our eyes fixed on Him? Do we really understand what He imparts? Or do we still try and earn our way to His heart?
When will we see that our pride is a poor substitute for a real Savior?
“For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.” (Romans 4: 2-5)
If your life as a Christian came down to a choice, what choice would you make?
Would you let Jesus be your righteousness? Thus allowing all the blessings of the righteous to flood your heart and your life?
Or…
would you choose to keep being your own righteousness? And to keep believing that somehow, in your small offerings of faith, you’ve earned your way to heaven and to His good graces?
Friends, there’s no comparison. Let go of the delusion. If you are a Christian, you are not justified by your works. But your faith in HIS righteousness will change your life.
“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17)
If perfect love comes down to believing His righteousness has now become our own, then this is our good news. I know we fight the enemy’s voice…which repeatedly tells us there’s nothing to rejoice in if our glory is not our own. He’s been using this tactic for thousands of years.
But God calls us to freedom. To step outside a race that can’t be won. To rest assured that we can’t screw up our salvation or change His love for us. To live in consistency and constancy that feels better than anything we’ve known…
and imparts a joy that can’t be stolen away in the moments we fail.
I encourage you today to turn away from any other “gospel” than the real and true Gospel of Christ. Because in doing so, your greatest days are ahead of you. You will see yourself transform into the image of the One you adore. It’s a beautiful and perfect design and to live outside of it, it to miss out on what it truly means to be saved.
Thank you, Jesus. All to Your glory, now and forevermore. By no other name are we saved.
Oh Jessie, you did it again, I love to read your posts! I am constantly growing in my understanding and I believe that the only purpose of this life is to love and help each other and to always be growing ever closer to our Lord and Savior. Your love for Jesus and your excitement for Him shine right through your writings! Thank you!