Righteous from the Moment We Believe (TMF:1572)

Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Peace to Live By: Righteous from the Moment We Believe (TMF:1572) - Daniel Litton
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       And, what did the writer of Hebrews say? That Jesus, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame” (ESV). I understand; this is uncomfortable. But we do learn and become better people in our sufferings, as I’m sure many of you can testify. Paul said, “the many will be made righteous.” Indeed, he is going to spend the next three chapters talking about how this works—how we become righteous after believing. We gain God’s approval when we believe initially, and interestingly enough, as we continue along following Jesus, God makes us more and more righteous. So, the statement “the many will be made righteous” can have a double meaning. We are righteous from the moment we trust in Christ, and we start the process of becoming more righteous which will have its fulfillment when we actually go to meet Christ after this life. It is certainly true that the Jewish law in the Old Testament showed people where they failed to meet God’s expectations, that they were unrighteous.