It is said there is no difference between the best and worst of men by the fact that “all have sinned and fallen short” of God’s standards of perfection. It’s a human tendency to compare ourselves with the worst of humanity to feel a sense of “righteousness,” but God compares us to the Best - the perfections of Jesus Christ, His Son.
No doctor compares a sick person to another sick person to make them feel better. They are measured by perfect standards of health. This is true spiritually as well. God’s diagnosis is… “There is none righteous, no, not one.” But through the Cross, He provided a spiritual transfusion of righteousness into our very core through faith…
“But now… the righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus Christ is given to all and rests upon all those who believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:22,23).
The moment a repentant sinner welcomes Christ through prayer, they are given divine power for living… “Those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17). The Biblical word for this power is “dynamis” from where we get our word ‘dynamite,’ because it’s a dynamically-growing new nature, bursting through the hardest old lifestyles, enabling us to do what is right.
Righteousness is the standard for Christ’s Kingdom. When He returns to judge this world, there will be no comparison with others in His courtroom, only each person’s thoughts, words, and actions, compared to the standard of righteousness the world has been offered through the Cross. When the trumpet sounds, nothing else will matter except being found… “Having the righteousness which is provided by God through faith.”
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