Eighth Sunday after Trinity – Wednesday

Who of God is made unto us…righteousness. —I Corinthians 1:30.

In ourselves, we have no righteousness whereby we might stand before God. But, Christ is made righteousness unto us by God. We must say: Considering myself, I confess that I am all unrighteousness, but Christ is my righteousness. God has made Christ our righteousness.

How are we to understand this? In His redemptive work, Christ took our place; He became our Substitute. Christ has fulfilled the Law of God perfectly for us. Christ, though He “knew no sin,” nevertheless was made “to be sin for us” by God (II Corinthians 5:21). All of our sins “were laid on” Christ (Isaiah 53:6); and “He” suffered the punishment that we have merited from God by our sins (Isaiah 53:5). Christ did all that the Law of God demands of us for us. Christ suffered all with which the Law of God threatens the disobedient for us. Christ fulfilled all the righteousness demanded by the Law of God for us. God did this in His great mercy.

So, Christ was made righteousness unto us by God.  So, Christ is “our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:6). A blessed exchange was made: Christ was made sin for us; we are “made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:21). Surely, the righteousness of Christ is valid before God, and the righteousness of Christ is received by us through faith. You must firmly believe, my dear Christian, that the only righteousness wherewith you may stand in the sight of God is not your own, but that of your divine Substitute, the righteousness of Christ. This God gives to you; it belongs to you; you must continue to apprehend it in true faith. Thus you may continue to stand before God. Thus all your sins are taken away from you and are gone; they are forgiven you for Christ’s sake. And Christ’s pure righteousness—spotless, blameless, perfect righteousness—envelopes you. If you continue to apprehend this in true faith, you have no need to fear or despair. Then you, at all times, continue to possess that perfect righteousness, wherewith you may continue to stand before God.

PRAYER – O God, how graciously didst Thou help me; Thou didst make Christ to be my righteousness. Christ is my jewel; Christ is my glorious dress; Christ is the robe of my righteousness. Grant that, through the gracious operation of Thy Holy Spirit, working through Thy Gospel, I may ever continue to put on Christ by continuing to believe in Him, by continuing to wrap myself in Christ, and by continuing to hide myself in Him. And for Christ’s sake, O righteous God, continue to declare me, a sinner, righteous! Amen.

Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness,

my beauty are, my glorious dress;

midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,

with joy shall I lift up my head.

—

The holy, meek, unspotted Lamb,

who from the Father’s bosom came;

who died for me, e’en me t’ atone,

now for my Lord and God I own.

—

Jesus, be endless praise to Thee,

whose boundless mercy hath for me;

for me, and all Thy hands have made,

an everlasting ransom paid.

(Hymn 371, st. 1, 3, and 7; TLH)