Jesus Died to Complete the Obedience that Becomes Our Righteousness

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Jesus Died to Complete the Obedience that Becomes Our Righteousness

20 October 2009 No Comment

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Philippians 2:8 Being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

As I continue to work my way through John Piper’s wonderful book, “Fifty Reasons Jesus Came to Die”, I am encouraged more and more as I read about the many reasons Jesus came to die for humanity. Reading and summarizing these chapters have increased my awareness of the deepest parts of Christ’s love for us.

What does it mean to complete the obedience that becomes our righteousness? It means that because Jesus was obedient to go to the cross to die for our sin, we now are made righteous. Romans 5:19 says, “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” To sumarize, Adam sinned causing all after him to have a sin nature, but Jesus was obedient, allowing all who believe in him to be made righteous.

To be justified before God means that we are made right before him. Justification is not just having my sins canceled. It is also the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to me.

What does it mean to impute? In simplest terms it means “to credit”. When I put my faith in Christ he credits his righteousness to me. Is that deserved on my part? No. Philippians 3:9 reminds us that we don’t have a righteousness of our own from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ”.

And just as God imputes or credits Christ’s righteousness to our account, he imputed or credited our sin to Christ’s account when he died on the cross. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” What an amazing God we have. He gives Christ what he did not deserve so that we might not receive what we do deserve. And we deserve eternal punishment for our sins. Everyone who believes in Jesus and repents will receive a credit of Christ’s righteousness to their account….no matter what past sins they have committed. Not that’s amazing! This is the heart of the gospel.

John Piper writes that justification means that “God looked on Christ’s perfect righteousness, and he declared me to be righteous with the righteousness of Christ.”

Piper gives 2 reasons that it is not abominable for God to justify the ungodly.
1. The death of Christ paid the debt of our unrighteousness.
2. The obedience of Christ provided the righteousness we needed to be justified in God’s court.

What does understanding these great truths do in our hearts? It should make us love Jesus more and seek to obey and please him with all of our heart. God alone loves us to this degree.