“…not having a righteousness of my own
that comes from the law,
but that which is through faith in Christ—
the righteousness that comes from God
on the basis of faith.”
Philippians 3:9
I recently searched online for houses of similar size and style. I found two 3-bedroom, 2-bath, ranch style homes – but the similarities ended there. One is located in Newport Beach, CA; the other in Bay St. Louis, MS. Their prices: $2,335,000 and $139,900, respectively. That’s $1,474 per square foot vs. $89 per square foot!
A supply list of how many 2″ x 4″ boards, windows, doors, and shingles required to duplicate each house would, most likely, be roughly the same. The value has more to do with location. One home is declared more valuable, because of where it is.
We are all fixer-uppers. We are all in need of some changing out and some updating. And it is our location at the foot of the cross that has us declared righteous. As Paul says, we have no righteousness on our own – it is all imputed to us through Christ.
You and I may not feel righteous. We may not always behave like women of God…but if our identity is in Christ, that’s exactly what we are. Our location at the foot of the cross means we are sinners, but we are declared righteous.
Our location at the cross changes everything!
We know we are unworthy, but are declared worthy because of Jesus. In Christ, we are made righteous. In Romans 3, Paul reminds us:
This righteousness from God comes through faith
in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and all are justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
We are justified – we are declared righteous – in Christ. That’s a game changer!
When you look at yourself (or when the world looks at you), what do you see? A woman who has messed up…again? A less-than-perfect wife and mom? A woman who is less-than striving and trying to be more-than? To get it right?
When God sees you, you are viewed through the completed work of Jesus. You are loved and forgiven. You are righteous.
Because we have been declared righteous, we get to live righteous! No more striving – just resting in our identity in Him and free to live loved.
You are not who the world says you are. You are more than what you see when you look at yourself in the mirror. The world may see a sinner with a past, but God declares you to be a saint with a future! Go ahead – live like the righteous woman He declares you to be!
In this week’s teaching video, Laura addresses a topic from I Corinthians 14 that many may view as controversial: tongues. We hope you’ll watch as she lays this out – and then make some time to pray over your questions, asking to allow love to lead out as you exercise your own God-given spiritual gifts.
If you have not yet downloaded your own copy of our free Write the WORD bookmark, it’s not too late to join in as we read, write, and study verses with the word RIGHTEOUSNESS this month! Visit our Downloads page for the March bookmark, S.O.A.P. Bible study pages, and other free resources.
