All from Christ
Last year my sister bought me a gift certificate from the iTunes music store. I was able to purchase music against the balance of this certificate. This was a really great present; I could buy without having to pay! Everything I purchased came not on the basis of my money but on the gift that she gave.
Righteousness is one of the greatest gifts we can ever receive in life. It basically involves our ethical conduct; a righteous person does what is right. But how does one become righteous? Is it through our own effort or inherent goodness? Can we decide, “I’m going to be righteous” and do it on our own? The answer is no.
The basis of all true righteousness is the finished work of Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus lived on earth as a man for 33 years. He was 100% God but also 100% man, yet He never gave into His human nature and sinned. He was perfectly righteous throughout His time on earth. How does His perfect life apply to our righteousness? The answer comes through understanding the two types of righteousness, imputed and imparted.
Imputed righteousness means righteousness that is “counted” to us, not earned by us. The moment we have faith in Christ and believe Him to save us, God counts us as righteous (Romans 4:21-25). Our faith connects us to Christ, and though we still have a fallen, sinful nature, God no longer looks upon us in judgment. Instead, He sees the perfect righteousness of Christ. That is the way we are saved and the reason we are given entrance into heaven. It is the Greatest Trade of All Time; Jesus takes our sin and gives us His righteousness, He took our death and gives us His reward. Imputed righteousness comes only through faith.
Imparted righteousness is where God no longer only counts Christ’s righteousness to us; instead, He actually begins to fill us with the very righteousness of Christ (Matthew 5:6). Imparted righteousness is the process where our very character is changed and transformed. Just as it is with imputed, imparted righteousness only comes through faith. As our faith increases, God fills us with more and more of His character.
So we must understand that true righteousness never comes through ourselves or our own will. It always comes from God. Even imparted righteousness only comes after we have a clear understanding of imputed. God accepts us not based on our good works but on Christ’s perfect life. Our actions could never be enough, but Jesus has done it all. If we try to be righteous through our own effort, we will live a life of frustration, but if we learn to rely on what Christ has done and then allow Him to do His works through us we can have a life of victory.
Righteousness always follows true faith in Christ. Our actions do change when we are saved and as we draw closer to God, but it never starts with our actions. Rather, our actions are just the proof of the faith God has placed on the inside of us. It all starts with Christ; every good thing we have in life is all from Him.
Righteousness is one of the greatest gifts we can ever receive in life. It basically involves our ethical conduct; a righteous person does what is right. But how does one become righteous? Is it through our own effort or inherent goodness? Can we decide, “I’m going to be righteous” and do it on our own? The answer is no.
The basis of all true righteousness is the finished work of Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus lived on earth as a man for 33 years. He was 100% God but also 100% man, yet He never gave into His human nature and sinned. He was perfectly righteous throughout His time on earth. How does His perfect life apply to our righteousness? The answer comes through understanding the two types of righteousness, imputed and imparted.
Imputed righteousness means righteousness that is “counted” to us, not earned by us. The moment we have faith in Christ and believe Him to save us, God counts us as righteous (Romans 4:21-25). Our faith connects us to Christ, and though we still have a fallen, sinful nature, God no longer looks upon us in judgment. Instead, He sees the perfect righteousness of Christ. That is the way we are saved and the reason we are given entrance into heaven. It is the Greatest Trade of All Time; Jesus takes our sin and gives us His righteousness, He took our death and gives us His reward. Imputed righteousness comes only through faith.
Imparted righteousness is where God no longer only counts Christ’s righteousness to us; instead, He actually begins to fill us with the very righteousness of Christ (Matthew 5:6). Imparted righteousness is the process where our very character is changed and transformed. Just as it is with imputed, imparted righteousness only comes through faith. As our faith increases, God fills us with more and more of His character.
So we must understand that true righteousness never comes through ourselves or our own will. It always comes from God. Even imparted righteousness only comes after we have a clear understanding of imputed. God accepts us not based on our good works but on Christ’s perfect life. Our actions could never be enough, but Jesus has done it all. If we try to be righteous through our own effort, we will live a life of frustration, but if we learn to rely on what Christ has done and then allow Him to do His works through us we can have a life of victory.
Righteousness always follows true faith in Christ. Our actions do change when we are saved and as we draw closer to God, but it never starts with our actions. Rather, our actions are just the proof of the faith God has placed on the inside of us. It all starts with Christ; every good thing we have in life is all from Him.
posted by Cameron at 2:14 AM
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