A Deeper Look at the Righteousness of Christ

I've been reflecting more deeply, concerning the righteousness of Christ.  Many times you hear a statement, "When God looks at me now, He sees me through Christ."  Of course, that is a great statement, because we all know God is fully satisfied with Christ and He is sinless and pure.

After reading Romans 4 again, I've thought more on the lines of having an account with God filled with righteousness - filled with Christ Himself.

And I like this Scripture - Philemon 1:6 "That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus."

This says to me there is more there than just the absence of sin now or the absence of something negative that had separated me from God.

BUT it denotes something much greater - Christ and all that He is in my heart, that I might draw from - "every good thing is in you in Christ Jesus."  This denotes the positive - not just the absence of something that God can't look at!

So I picture an account being filled with the Lord Himself and again, all that He is.

Who He is?

"Love, goodness, long-suffering, compassion, mercy, wisdom, power, life..."  There is no end to His depth, no end to His length, breadth or height. 

"We have this treasure in earthen vessels." Treasure is to be discovered.

I like to have pictures to help me along in my walk with Him.  Faith takes - faith partakes - or perhaps being a little child-like faith is like a straw, sipping, drawing out of God's account the riches of Christ for all of this life.

If we're honest, most of us are always examining our behaviors as the checklist for God's acceptance and approval of us.  Instead, let us go through the wonderful door of faith, looking at Jesus as God's approval rating for our lives - and instead, let us now be excited about DRAWING from our accounts Christ and WHO HE IS, that we might have a real righteousness in expression, with life and peace that come from Him.

We won't need faith when we leave this planet.  We'll never have another opportunity to walk by faith and believe God.

"Abraham believed God and it was credited to him for righteousness."

So today, we are more than vessels who are just covered with Christ's righteousness - we've been given the GIFT of RIGHTEOUSNESS (Romans 5) meaning let us open up the gift, receiving and appropriating all the goodness of Christ in our hearts through faith and trust.

God has promised the Life of His Son shall bear much fruit - John 15.  He will not fail.

Here's to discovering the depths of His righteousness with you,

Sue Gaither