Today’s New Covenant nugget is from Romans 5:17
For if by the one man’s sin, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
Because of the grace given to those of us in Christ, death no longer reigns over our lives. Those of us that receive and abundance of grace and the GIFT of righteousness now reign in LIFE, (not death) through Jesus.
Righteousness under the Old Covenant Law had to be earned, people had to work for it, and not one person achieved righteousness. God’s people had to bring sacrifices and shed the blood of animals to atone for their sins. The word ‘atone’ means ‘to cover.’ Their sins were mercifully ‘covered’, but not erased.
Jesus’ blood does not ‘atone’… it does not cover, it ‘remits’… the word remit means to erase. Jesus erased all of mankind’s sin on the cross of Calvary… He paid the price for the righteousness of EVERY person. Those that receive Jesus, receive righteousness along with Jesus… those who do not receive Jesus, do not receive the righteousness available to them… righteousness is available to EVERY person, but can only be received by FAITH in Jesus, by making Him Lord and Savior.
I have heard a teaching on two kinds of righteousness, one given as a gift for salvation, and another that people have to work for to remain in fellowship through leading a holy life. Friends, holiness is good, and we should all die to our flesh, plant the Word in our lives and make every effort to live holy lives, but that does not make us righteous, or restore broken fellowship with God. There is only one kind of righteousness, and it is a FREE gift in our New Covenant of grace.
God does not reject you when you as a believer commit sin, He embraces you, pours more grace upon you, and lovingly empowers you to overcome. (Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound.) God hates sin, but He loves you, and as a believer, He will NEVER reject you, or break fellowship with you.
Salvation is a GIFT, grace is a GIFT, and righteousness is a GIFT! The bible says that the gifts of God are without repentance… in other words once He gives something, He will NEVER take it away!
Romans 4:4-6 (NLT) says, “When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it.”
Friend, as a believer you are declared righteous in Christ! On your worst day, you are in rightstanding with God… when He looks at you, He sees you ‘in Christ’, not in Adam. He sees a perfect, righteous, beautiful, gifted, blessed person, made in His image. You have been made accepted (perfect and righteous) in Christ Jesus! Now that’s true freedom!
In His amazing love, Nick
