A Nugget from New Life Network
(by Chris Musgrove of Future Now)
Scripture for the Day (May 23, 2018)
God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Perhaps the most subtle and dangerous weapons the devil uses on people are a sense of unworthiness and a sense of a lack of faith. As long as the devil can keep you in that condition he’ll defeat you. We’re not worthy or righteous on our own merit. We could never do enough to be righteous or worthy. But thank God, we don’t have to because Jesus did it for us.
Our worthiness and righteousness is in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the moment we believed on Him we were made worthy and righteous.
Romans 5:18-19: 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. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
Through the one man’s (Adam) offense, came spiritual death and condemnation to all men. But through one man’s (Jesus Christ) righteous act came the free gift to all men resulting in justification or righteousness. To say we’re unrighteous or unworthy after we have received the free gift of righteousness by believing on Jesus Christ would be no different than saying we’re righteous and worthy while we were still a sinner.
But how do we get rid of this sense of unworthiness or sinfulness? Just take God at His Word; you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!
John 8:32 says, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Someone declared to me once, “You must think you’re a saint”. I said, “Well I’m not a sinner anymore, so I’m a saint.”
Canonization is the act by which the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church declare a deceased person to be a saint based on what they did in life. But we are declared righteous because of what Jesus Christ did, not what we did. The epistles were written to the saints or the church and I’m part of the church (the Body of Christ) that Paul was writing to when he called them saints. Some people say, “Well I’m just an old sinner”. Well, I was a sinner, but now I’ve been redeemed.
I like to tell people that I’m not a painter, but I can paint. Now, you probably don’t want me painting your house because I’m not very good. But I can pick up a brush and paint. In the same way, I’m not a sinner, but I can sin. But as I mature in my faith through God’s Word I lose my desire to sin. I get where I’m not very good at sinning. That’s why we need to run to the Word of God.
Psalm 119:11 says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You.”
