20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. – 2 Corinthians 5:20-21
Hello ILC!
Let’s Pray, “Lord Jesus, You are my righteousness, I am your sin. You took on you what was mine; yet set on me what was yours. You became what you were not, that I might become what I was not.” ~ Martin Luther
You are the righteousness of God. Jesus became sin for you so that you become righteousness for him. Theologians call this the great exchange and it is one of the most important ideas in theology. But what does that mean for you? First of all, what is righteousness anyway? Righteousness is the quality of being virtuous, honora-ble, or morally right. It can also refer to such behavior. Being righteous means doing what is right—obeying the law or adhering to morals. So let me rephrase this: You are how God does what is right in the world. Let that statement sink in for a moment. You are the ambassador; the person chosen to declare and carry out the will of God on earth.
Does your life look like the righteousness of God? I must confess that mine often looks like something VERY different from God’s righteousness. In Christ, we are God’s righteousness. When Jesus comes along and trades His life for ours, we start to live out the righteous life of Jesus and our old sinful life dies. It is the best deal in the universe, but there are days and times we refuse the trade deal. When we do, the world suffers. When we don’t take up Christ’s life instead of ours, we suffer. Fortunately, Jesus is always there, ready willing and able to take our sin on himself, and give us His life in exchange. Ask Him, and He will remake you into His own right-eousness. Ask Him, and you will become the righteousness of God.
Let’s Pray, “Lord Jesus, You are my righteousness, I am your sin. You took on you what was mine; yet set on me what was yours. You became what you were not, that I might become what I was not.” ~ Martin Luther
Peace be with you,
Pastor Caleb