DR.QUACK

DR.QUACK

Gal. 3:6-7 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

The righteousness of God is a great mystery. It’s not until we discover how sinful we really are that we actually receive the righteousness of God. Righteousness can never be earned, it is given as a free gift. I remember when this mystery of righteousness began to settle in on me. It was the summer of 1973. At that time I lived by myself in a small shotgun house out in the woods just a short distance from Slidell, Louisiana. Hanging just above my kitchen table was a picture of Jerusalem with Christ hanging on the cross. Every time I ate at that table I would sit and stare at that cross. Gradually, the message began to sink in. I became convicted of my sinfulness. Suddenly, I knew I was a sinner in need of a Savior. That first step toward righteousness had been crossed. Shortly after this I was witnessed to at the lakefront in New Orleans. I was finally ready. I could now receive Christ. I was ready to receive the gift of righteousness. Jesus was washing away my sin. Martin Luther struggled mightily over this word “righteousness”. It was when he discovered that righteousness is a gift of grace received by faith that everything changed. Here is Luther sharing about righteousness from his commentary on Galatians.

“We comfort the afflicted sinner in this manner: Brother, you can never be perfect in this life, but you can be holy. He will say: “How can I be holy when I feel my sins?” I answer: You feel sin? That is a good sign. To realize that one is ill is a step, and a very necessary step, toward recovery. “But how will I get rid of my sin?” he will ask. I answer: See the heavenly Physician, Christ, who heals the broken-hearted. Do not consult that Quackdoctor, Reason. Believe in Christ and your sins will be pardoned. His righteousness will become your righteousness, and your sins will become His sins.
Do you now see how faith justifies without works? Sin lingers in us, and God hates sin. A transfusion of righteousness therefore becomes vitally necessary. This transfusion of righteousness we obtain from Christ because we believe in Him.”

Dr. Quack, reason, says righteousness is what we do. Christ offers the gift of righteousness to all that will receive it by faith. From the moment that we see our sinfulness, Christ’s righteousness, and His offer of salvation; our life is forever changed. No matter what our past looked like we stand clean before The Lord.
Now here is the rest of the good news. He doesn’t leave us in the condition that got us into our mess. He not only forgives us, He changes us. The righteousness of Christ is not only on us but in us. We can now live a different kind of life. We can now live in holiness, the fruit of the righteousness of Christ.