The Wednesday Word ~ 02 April, 2025 A.D.
PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS!
Humanly speaking, one of the reasons people don’t come to Christ is simple … they think they don’t need to. After all, in everyday life it´s only sick people who need the doctor. Then there are others who feel they are decent and good and, therefore, qualified to approach God. But as Spurgeon says, “There are people who quite misunderstand the gospel; they think that their righteousness qualifies them to come to Christ; whereas sin is the only qualification for man to come to Jesus.”
When we are keenly aware of our sins, it is then that we see our need for the Saviour. The more we understand of the holiness of God, the more we see the necessity of being clothed in the flawless righteousness of Christ. We see that nothing but a perfect righteousness is suitable for our approach to God. Either we are covered in our own sins and failures or by His righteousness alone.
So, let’s look again at Jesus. See Him once more at Golgotha. Look at them, tearing off His clothes, the very clothes the sick had touched for healing. There He is, naked and ashamed!
But why?
It was so that we might be clothed in His perfect righteousness and be un-ashamed. Without His righteousness we would all, as it were, stand naked and exposed before the Justice of God on the Day of Judgment.
Look at Calvary. With angry nails they fastened Him to the cross. They pierced those feet that had carried Him to proclaim the Good News. With hatred, they hammered their spikes into His hands. What harm had those hands ever done? They were the hands of help and healing yet, in their fury, wicked men fasten Him to the cross. Hear the blows of the hammer, listen to His screams, see the blood. As William Rees wrote,
“Here is love, vast as the ocean,
Lovingkindness as the flood,
When the Prince of peace, our Ransom,
Shed for us His precious blood.
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten,
Throughout Heav’n’s eternal days.”
Who nailed Him to the cross?
Was it the Jews for jealousy?
Was it Pilate to show his power?
Was it the soldiers for spite?
No, it was none of these. It was our sins that nailed Him there … yours and mine. As one old-time preacher said, “Our sins struck the hammer.” It was our sins that bruised and wounded Him. It was us who crucified Jesus.
Let me ask, Is Jesus your righteousness? George Whitefield said it like this, “Here’s something we must learn, going to Church and being good will not give us access to God. The only access we can have is if we have the righteousness of Christ? Nothing but Christ! Nothing but Christ! We need Christ alone and Christ only to be our righteousness.”
He went on to ask;
“When is the last time you thought of the love of Christ in dying for you? Is Jesus ever in your thoughts? Do you love Him? If you love Him and He is your righteousness, let the righteousness of your Lord be continually in your mouth. Talk about His righteousness. Recommend His righteousness to others! Think of the greatness of the gift, as well as the sufficiency of the giver! Tell that Christ is your righteousness, and that you are saved, not because you are good but because Christ Jesus is your righteousness.”
Jesus is wonderful! Even though our sins had caused a sinkhole of destruction, He pulled us out of that pit at the cross. In Christ we are brought out of the pit to the Throne, released from bondage and clothed with righteousness.
Now we face our destiny. We have an appointed day, a Day of Judgment: But in that day, He, the Lord Jesus, will present us faultless and flawless before the Throne of Grace with exceeding joy (Jude 1:24-25). We shall hear the pronouncement of “NOT GUILTY”. Is this enough for you? Is there anything you would like to add to the Righteousness of Christ?
His righteousness is perfect.
And that’s the Gospel Truth!
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