Yesterday we explored one of my favorite topics – what happens when someone becomes a Christian. We analyzed specifically what God does with the guilt and condemnation hanging over our necks. If you were there, you’ll recall that God takes our guilt, sin, and condemnation and puts it on Christ; therefore, Christ’s death satisfies God’s justice. This means believers are wrath-free and condemnation free! Praise God. He takes off our enslavement.
But what does he put on us? What are we wearing? Unfortunately we did not have time to go into that. If you want to sound really smart, go tell a fellow believer he or she is wearing ‘imputed righteousness.’ No, that’s not a new line of clothing. It’s something far greater. When God takes off the filth, guilt, and condemnation covering us as non-believers, he doesn’t leave us naked (praise God!). He clothes us in the most brilliant outfit there is — Jesus Christ. The right standing, the perfection, the glory of Jesus Christ is put on us. Just like Adam’s sin is passed on to us as babies, Christ’s lack of anything unholy is placed on us when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
This is precisely why when you and I sin as believers we are not declared condemned and bound for hell again. When God looks at you, friend, he sees the right standing and perfection of his Son. He loves you and accepts you as He does His Son.
What are you wearing? If you are a Jesus-follower, you are wearing the right-standing and moral perfection of Jesus. You might not feel like it today, but that’s the truth. You might not be acting like it today, but that’s the truth. You might doubt it today, but that’s the truth. So let your knees hit the floor, praise God for this gift, and then – by relying on the Holy Spirit – enjoy it and live like it!
Thanking God,
Chuck
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Love the blog chuck!
I’ve come across two terms recently while preparing for our Life Group sessions on the Gospel Centered Christian. They are spiritual identity and fleshly identity. This is exactly what you talked about yesterday Pastor Chuck. So often we carry around this fleshly identity that we had before we became Christians or that we added to after we became Christians thinking it would help us out with God. Our spiritual identity is carefully laid out for us in scripture and to lay down that fleshly one and accept the truth of our spiritual identity brings freedom, thanksgiving and joy. Easier said than done sometimes, though and it is a moment by moment thing. We spent some time in our Life Group reading scriptures about our spiritual identity on Sunday. It was a great time to rejoice in our relationship with Christ.