The Right Standing
8th MARCH 2022
For God made the only one who did not know sin to become sin for us, so that we who did not know righteousness might become the righteousness of God through our union with him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 TPT
One of the main aspects of the identity of the believer, which looks like a very grey area for many young people, is righteousness. This is usually a result of coming to know their righteousness is by faith and not works. They ask, “if it is by grace through faith, then I can do anything and not be bothered about sin, right?” Just as the question Paul addresses in Romans 6:1 “Do we persist in sin so that God’s kindness and grace will increase?” So, we can say that not only is God aware of this way of thinking, He expected us to have such a thought and was kind to address it.
What we need to understand is that the decision to make you a righteous person was made by God. As our verse for today reads, “For God made the only one who did not know sin to become sin for us.” If God made such a decision, not only is it good and perfect for you, it is fundamentally rooted in love. One certain thing about the love of God is that it restores us unto Himself; bringing us into an intimate union and fellowship with Him. This is why God invested in changing our identity from sin to righteousness because sin cannot have fellowship with Him.
In response to the question in Romans 6:1 above, Paul comes in with this response, “What a terrible thought! We have died to sin once and for all, as a dead man passes away from this life. So how could we live under sin’s rule a moment longer?” What becomes apparent in this response is the fact that once an individual embraces this righteous identity, it changes his/her appetite or desire for anything sinful. This may not be a great example, but hopefully, it makes the point; that no matter how hard you try, you cannot get honey out of a cow nor can you get milk out of a bee. Once you accept this identity, and it becomes the foundation of your reasoning, your actions fall in line as well.
Heavenly Father, thank You for making me righteous through faith in Christ Jesus. Indeed, may all my actions testify of this truth, that I am Your righteousness, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Further Reading: Philippians 3:9
Bible In One Year: Joshua [14–17]
