Thy Righteousness Is In Heaven
by Petra
“And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”
1 Corinthians 1:30
…
What if I fail to improve—fail to show the sweet fruit of a blossoming Christian? If I am completely honest, I will have to admit that yes, yes, yes, I fail sometimes. Sometimes I fail miserably! This free grace that was and is supposed to make me better, holier…. Oh, I know, I know, it is not God’s sweet, free grace that I dare blame.
Then what? Why is that mirror still showing the same old sinner, or worse? I’ve tried. I’ve prayed. I’ve studied. I’ve believed. If grace cannot fail me, then what? Did I fail grace, or worse, did I fail to get it?
Perhaps you’ve never felt that dread. Great! But, perhaps you have. Perhaps you feel it now. Beloved, we are looking at the wrong thing! Look not at your self but here:
But one day, as I was passing in the field, and that too with some dashes on my conscience, fearing lest yet all was not right, suddenly this sentence fell upon my soul, Thy righteousness is in heaven; and methought withal, I saw, with the eyes of my soul, Jesus Christ at God’s right hand; there, I say, is my righteousness; so that wherever I was, or whatever I was a-doing, God could not say of me, He wants [lacks] my righteousness, for that was just before Him. I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse; for my righteousness was Jesus Christ Himself, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever (Heb. 13.8).
Now did my chains fall off my legs indeed… now went I also home rejoicing, for the grace and love of God. So when I came home, I looked to see if I could find that sentence, Thy righteousness is in heaven; but could not find such a saying, wherefore my heart began to sink again, only that was brought to my remembrance, He ‘of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption’ by this word I saw the other sentence true (1 Cor. 1.30).
For by this scripture, I saw that the man Christ Jesus, as He is distinct from us, as touching His bodily presence, so He is our righteousness and sanctification before God…
Oh, methought, Christ! Christ! there was nothing but Christ that was before my eyes, I was not only for looking upon this and the other benefits of Christ apart, as of His blood, burial, or resurrection, but considered Him as a whole Christ! As He in whom all these, and all other His virtues, relations, offices, and operations met together, and that as He sat on the right hand of God in heaven.
It was glorious to me to see His exaltation, and the worth and prevalency of all His benefits, and that because of this: now I could look from myself to Him, and should reckon that all those graces of God that now were green in me, were yet but like those cracked groats and fourpence-halfpennies that rich men carry in their purses, when their gold is in their trunks at home! Oh, I saw my gold was in my trunk at home! In Christ, my Lord and Saviour! Now Christ was all; all my wisdom, all my righteousness, all my sanctification, and all my redemption.
–John Bunyan, Grace Abounding (Emphasis added)
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Thank you for reading!
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One of the names of God is Jehovah Tsidkenu: The Lord our Righteousness! This is a great post!
So true, Anais! Thank you!
Your post reminds me of Romans 7 where Paul struggles because he finds himself doing what he hates and not doing the good that he knows he should. Seems we all wrestle with it this side of Heaven.
Thanks for your honesty in sharing, Petra.
Blessings!
Pam at http://www.2encourage.blogspot.com
Thank you, Pam! I just found you in my spam folder. Maybe leave the www. out of your URL. Blessings!
As Paul says in Col., Christ is all in all. Thank you for such an encouraging piece. love,susan
Christ is all in all! Glad you were encouraged! Love and blessings!
Exactly what I needed to read today! Thanks so much for your excellent post of the heart. What a blessing you are to articulate what my soul feels. Happy Wednesday, sweet bloggy friend!
PS…Thanks for your encourage words.
You’re more than welcome! Grace and love!
Thanks for this – really encourging and probably destined for a soon to be preached sermon if that’s OK?
Jeff
Glad it encouraged you! I think Christ as our righteousness makes for a great sermon. I need to hear it often! Thanks for your words and visit!
Wonderful quote from Bunyan!
And right on time too!
I love the quote. This is what I needed this week. Thank you.
You are so very welcome!
This so hard for us to wrap our heads around most of time. We tend to make it all about us, it’s not Praise God!
Praise God indeed!
[...] Thy Righteousness in Heaven – Excellent words from Petra. “Why is that mirror still showing the same old sinner, or worse? I’ve tried. I’ve prayed. I’ve studied. I’ve believed. If grace cannot fail me, then what? Did I fail grace, or worse, did I fail to get it?” [...]
What an encouragement-love the part about the good and bad frame but “My righteousness..Jesus Christ Himself.”
Thank you, Sarah! Glad you were encouraged.
This is especially encouraging to me this evening, my friend. I love you.
That makes me glad, Trisha. Love you too!
Petra, this is wonderful! What a great read to start out my day. Thank you! Love & blessings
You’re more than welcome, Hollie! Grace and love!
Ah, dear Mr Bunyan…love this quote, Petra, thanks for sharing! Bless you.
You’re most welcome, Diana!
My sin, o the joy of this glorious thought
My sin, not in part, but the whole
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, o my soul!
How can we not sing at the joy of this glorious though?!
“It is well, it is well, with my soul!”
Thank you so much for the visit and the joy-filled prompt to sing!
So great to read this here and at Pastor Ortlund’s blog. How glorious and freeing it is to know that all my righteousness is in heaven, seated at the right had of God!.
Why…that copycat! LOL
It’s freeing indeed, Charlie. Thank you!