The apostle Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 17 onwards, what we have become in connection with the new birth. We are new creations in Jesus Christ. The old has passed away. God transferred all our sins to Jesus, who was pure from sin. He bore the full punishment for our sins:- past, present and future. Because we now live in the resurrected Jesus Christ, we have His righteousness. We are now, as believers, the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ, as Paul declares in 2 Cor. 5:21.
What does righteousness mean? It is a legal term that means “declared innocent.” Righteousness in the spiritual sense means being completely accepted by God. The righteous have no fear of punishment or judgment.
Our righteousness does not depend in any way on our works, but our righteousness comes only and exclusively from Jesus’ great atonement and resurrection. The price of our righteousness is great – the precious blood of Jesus. Righteousness is every believer’s perfect standing before God the Father.
Does a righteous person lose his/her standing before God if he/she sins? Because our righteousness is not based on our works, but on the perfect atonement of Jesus Christ; we do not lose our righteous standing. This in no way gives believers the right to sin. Quite the contrary! This is a much higher way! We do well to remember that God’s standard of sin is much stricter than ours. Therefore, Jesus has atoned for ALL our sins, even those we would not think of as sins. Just as a sinful person cannot become righteous by his/her own works, so a righteous person cannot become a sinner by his/her own works, even if he/she falls into sin. However, sin always has its consequences.
We all know that even as believers we fall into sin. There are many believers who have problems with addictions. I have heard countless testimonies over the past 10 years that even during addiction, a believer has confessed that he is the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. The devil has then come to declare that the believer is a hypocrite. However, if the believer has continued to confess “I am the righteousness of God in Christ” then gradually the addiction has weakened and completely stopped. How is this possible? Because in the Bible Isaiah 54:17 (KJV) says, “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.”
When we confess with our mouths that we are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ, it brings praise to Jesus’ great atoning work, and it brings glory to God, because we acknowledge the position we have received at the moment of our salvation. At the same time, it silences the accusations of the devil.
As born-again believers, we are in Jesus Christ and Christ is in us according to the Bible. When God the Father looks at us, He does not see our works and faults – He sees in us as perfect in Jesus Christ. If we begin to confess with our own mouths anything other than what we are according to God’s Word in Jesus Christ, we belittle the great work of Jesus’ atonement. The Bible says: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus…” Ephesians 2:4-6 NIV. Father God himself has placed us in Christ. Because we have received the abundance of grace through Jesus and the gift of righteousness, we reign in this life through Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:17 NIV).
Sari Leskinen