Righteousness

As we come into this busy Christmas season with everyone rushing around buying presents sending greeting cards, buying extra food for that wonderful Christmas dinner, I wonder how many people stop and think ‘What is it all about?’, ‘What are we celebrating?’. I just want to shout out and say to them ‘it’s all about Jesus, whose birthday we celebrate in a couple of weeks, who came to earth as a baby, lived for 30 years a pure and sinless life, preparing himself for the greatest sacrifice that anyone could do. After just 3 years in ministry He went to the cross, He was separated from His Father because of the weight of the sins of the world laid on Him. He suffered and died so that we could be set free from sin and death and receive a place in heaven. Once we accept Jesus into our lives as Lord and Saviour, we receive that precious gift of eternal life.

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin so that we could be made right with God through Christ

2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT

Isn’t that a powerful verse – the greatest sacrifice a man could make for anyone, He made, because He loves us so much. The more I repeat that verse the greater the message becomes. Romans 5 v 17 sums up the whole gospel message ‘The sin of this one man Adam, caused death to rule over us, but all who receive God’s wonderful gift of righteousness will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man Jesus Christ.’ Or put another way in v 18 ‘Yes Adam’s one sin brought condemnation upon everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness makes all people right in God’s sight and gives them life’ isn’t that the most wonderful gift we could possibly receive this Christmastime? You notice it says ALL people?

Let us shout it from the rooftops or at least tell someone who doesn’t know Jesus just how He gave the greatest gift of all. All we have to do is receive it.

Ok so what does righteousness actually mean: right standing with God, living by a divine or moral law, free from guilt or sin, justified or as Derek Prince used to say, ‘Just as if you have never sinned’. We deserve judgement for our sins but because of Jesus we can trade judgement for forgiveness. If we do nothing, we receive death through Adam, but if we repent and come to God by faith, we receive everlasting life through Jesus Christ and are made right with God.

Many of you have already accepted Jesus into their hearts, but for those who haven’t now is the time to really celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

: Terry Walmsley :