The Life of Christ - Man's Righteousness

      There are several reasons why Christ came to this sin cursed earth.  One was to reveal and justify God's character and law before all the universe.  Also, Christ came to destroy the work and kingdom of Satan.  Further, Jesus came to pay fallen humanities debt of eternal death.  Moreover, the Saviour came to show man how to live in dependence on another, and to prove it can be done.  Finally, Christ came to live the righteousness that justifies and saves.  This final reason is the one of our focus.  In Rom. 5:10 we read,  "for if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."

     Now "the Lord God commanded the man (Adam) saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."  Mankind chose to eat of the tree in disobedience to His Creator, and in that very day, in that very moment, he became mortal - destined to die.  Further in that very moment man became spiritually dead.  Through disobedience or sin mankind became by nature the enemy of righteousness, which means right doing, and the enemy of God.  By the grace and mercy of the God whose character is love, a way of escape was provided.  From times eternal the Word-Christ had covenanted with the Father to pay the debt for sin should or when it should arise.  Christ died for, and thus paid and suffered our just due, while we were  yet enemies, in order to reconcile us to God.  Christ being made what we are in the incarnation and birth, could justly die for us.  Remember, we were created in Christ Jesus so when He died we died in Him.  And by the same token when He lived perfect righteousness we lived perfect righteousness in him.  That is how and why the Holy Scriptures declare that, "we shall be saved by His life."  Christ's life is my life.  Christ's righteousness or right doing is my righteousness or right doing.  It is perfect, and it merits eternal life.  Being that we are created in Christ Jesus, Ephes 2:10, and being that we are members of his body and of his flesh and of his bones Ephes 5:30, we also lived in Him the perfectly holy and righteous life He lived, thus we are saved by His life.  Christ lived my righteousness for me and with me, yet, apart from me.  I was not born, yet, I was created in Christ Jesus by the creative power and infinite foresight of the Father.  Christ's life is the formation of that perfect robe of righteousness that saves.  When I accept by faith the righteousness that I lived in Christ before I was even conceived, it is then imputed to my heavenly record by God, and I stand perfectly righteous and justified in God's eyes.  My account in heaven, or we may say the records in heaven next to my name of what I am, declares perfect righteousness.  This is the status imputed or we may say given to me as a gift.  It is the life of Christ which is our righteousness.

     Now this perfect righteousness is imputed and is in heaven.  And as long as I keep the faith, nothing in earth or hell can rob me of it.  It is safe.  The Word says, "your life is hid with Christ in God.  When Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." Col 3:3-4.  The perfect life of Christ, which is the perfect righteousness that is imputed to us, not only absolutely saves us, but it is absolutely safe, because it is hid with Christ in God.  Thus, we can have confidence at His appearing, because we know that when we see Him we see our own life. Rom 5:18-19 declares, "by the offence of one (which is Adam the father of humanity) judgment came upon all men to condemnation: even so by the righteousness of one (which is Christ the second Adam) the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinner (the Bible says that many in this text means all) so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."  (The Bible says that the word many are those who are of faith)  Though all the world has been made righteous by the obedience of Christ, yet, will not all accept this work and gift of God by faith.

     Now that we have laid the foundation of our salvation, let us look at the reality of living fruit produced without exception if the foundation is genuinely present.  Remember beloved, that our title to heaven is the righteousness, or right doing, or obedience, or we may say the life of Christ.  This is imputed righteousness, and it is perfect and merits eternal life.  However, when one in spirit and in truth believe and accept this living gift of righteousness that justifies, it without exception produces fruit.  If there is no fruit one has no imputed righteousness which is their only right to eternity.  The imputed righteousness of Christ, though historical, and put next to our name in the Lambs Book of Life,  is also presently living.  It is active and has innately infinite power which emanates from itself, and transforms the receiver into the express image of what they are accounted to be.  It is not a lifeless scam of God to save; rather it is the power of God that convinces, convicts, converts, matures, and saves.  By the living power of righteousness imputed, power is imparted which recreates a born again spirit filled child of God.  Faith always works.  Imputed righteousness always bears fruits of imparted righteousness.  The life of Christ put to my account is without exception lived out by this same Jesus in my spirit and soul and body.  If I don't live like Jesus, then I do not have His righteousness imputed to me.  As the proof of the apple tree are the apples;  for apple trees cannot produce bananas as fruit, so it is true that imputed righteousness produces in all cases imparted righteousness.  If I have the righteous life of Christ next to my name in heaven then this same righteous living Christ will come into me and live out His life in me and through me and for me!  There are no exceptions to this truth.

   Christ covenanted with the Father, which is the New Testament, and promised, "I come to do thy will O God",  He not only meant I covenant to do thy will in man's behalf or for man, but He also meant, I come to do thy will in man and through man.  Remember, the new covenant or the fruit of the new covenant is God's promise to write His law of love in our minds and hearts; and further God declares ALL shall intimately know God personally.

   Righteousness-the life of Christ, and being saved, is not just a work for us, it is also a living active work by God in us.  The Bible writer declares in Gal 2:20, "I live; yet, not I, but Christ liveth in me."  When the same Jesus who lived perfect righteousness when He walked the earth genuinely lives in you, this same Jesus will live His righteousness out in your present earthly life.  Phil 2:13 declares: "for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."  Phil 1:11 declares: that we will be "filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ."  Finally beloved, the words of Col 1:26-27 declare, "the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generation, but now is made manifest to his saints, to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."  Remember Beloved, not just Christ's righteous life for you, but God has provided Christ's righteous life lived out in you, this is the genuine fruit of genuine saving Holy Ghost imparted faith.  IT WORKS!!