Covered In Righteousness Of Christ
He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (CSB)
Only the righteous can stand before the Lord. When we speak of righteousness, we mean that our lives align rightly before Him. More significantly, we strive to live in perfect obedience to the Lord. The reality is that complete righteousness is not attainable. We engage in a constant spiritual battle that leads to moments of missteps and disobedience. We must recognize that as children of God, we become justified because we are covered by the righteousness of Christ.
The Righteous Savior Experienced Our Unrighteousness. Christ lived in perfection. As fully God and fully man, Christ lived without sin. Consequently, He embodied perfect righteousness and did not deserve to face the wrath and punishment that result from sin. Yet, Paul told the church in Corinth that Jesus, the righteous one, was made to know our unrighteousness. Experiencing our unrighteousness meant that Jesus, who did not know sin, took on our sin and experienced death on our behalf. This act of selflessness paved the way for our sin debt to be paid.
Clothed in Christ’s Righteousness. To dwell in the presence of the Lord, we must be completely righteous. This truth exists because of the holiness and glory of the Lord. The Lord will not be in the eternal presence of unholiness because it goes against His very character, which describes the nature of heaven. As a result, we are viewed as righteous before the Lord because, in salvation, we become clothed in Christ’s righteousness. This clothing means that we are covered by the righteousness of Christ; as a result, our unrighteousness is concealed. We can never gain the favor of the Lord through righteous living, but only by being clothed in the righteousness of the Lord.
When we receive Christ, we are clothed in His righteousness. Consequently, as we stand before the Lord, we are seen as justified. In Christ, our unrighteousness has been covered, and we stand before the Lord represented by Christ and as part of the family of God.
QUESTIONS
Why did Christ have to experience our unrighteousness for the purpose of us being viewed as righteous?
How could we abuse or misuse the truth of being covered by the righteousness of Christ?
