25 Oct November 6th Daily Devotion

A SERIES OF DEVOTIONS BASED ON PAUL’S SECOND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

 IN JESUS NAME YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS

2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

As you look into a mirror that reflects back to you the life you have lived you do not see a “righteous” person.  You know you are not perfect, holy, and without sin.  A mere cursory review of the Ten Commandments will point out to you any number of times you have fallen short of their demands.  They tell you that you have fallen short of the glory of God.

There is only one way that this situation will change.  Today’s devotional verse says, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)  Jesus, who had no sin, never broke one of the Ten Commandments and always did exactly what they demand.  After taking upon Himself human life, He kept these Ten Laws of God perfectly, not for Himself but in your place as your substitute.  Then, He did the unimaginable.  He took your sins away from you.  He made them His own, paid for you the price you should have paid for your sins with His death on Good Friday.  With His Easter resurrection He defeated all the forces of evil and death itself.

Now, by God’s gracious gift of faith in His Son through your baptism and the power of the Gospel, you have become clothed in the righteous robes of Jesus.  God no longer sees your sins.  He sees you as He sees His Son Jesus, righteous, holy, without sin, and perfect.  As today’s verse says, “. . .in Him (Jesus) you have become the righteousness of God.”

Now, as a baptized believer in Jesus Christ, you are no longer a sinner, but a saint.  Isaiah writes, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall be joyful in my God. For He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation; He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” (King James – Isaiah 61:10)

Now look in the mirror.  What you see is no longer a sinner, but one who is righteous and holy in God’s sight.  This is not because of what you have done but who you are by His grace through faith in His Son.  You are dressed in Christ’ robes of righteousness.

Prayer:  Wash me, O Lord, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Amen.

Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness

My beauty are, my glorious dress;

Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,

With joy shall I lift up my head.

Bold shall I stand in that great day,

Cleansed and redeemed, no debt to pay;

Fully absolved through these I am

From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.

Lord, I believe Thy precious blood,

Which at the mercy seat of God

Pleads for the captives liberty,

Was also shed in love for me.

Lord, I believe, were sinners more

Than sands upon the ocean shore,

Though hast for all a ransom paid,

For all a full atonement made.

When from the dust of death I rise

To claim my mansion in the skies,

This then shall be my only plea;

Jesus hath lived and died for me.

Jesus, be endless praise to Thee,

Whose boundless mercy hath for me,

For me, and all Thy hands have made,

An everlasting ransom paid.

(LSB 563)