Jesus Not Only Died for Us, He Lived for Us

We must see that the righteousness of Christ that is transferred to us is the righteousness He achieved by living under the Law for thirty-three years without once sinning. Jesus had to live a life of obedience before His death could mean anything. He had to acquire, if you will, merit at the bar of justice. Without His life of sinless obedience, Jesus’ atonement would have had no value at all. We need to see the crucial significance of this truth; we need to see that not only did Jesus die for us, He lived for us.

 Roman Catholics call this concept a legal fiction, and they recoil from it because they believe it casts a shadow on the integrity of God by positing that God declares to be just people who are not just. In response, the Reformers conceded that this concept would be a legal fiction if imputation were fictional.   Continue at R. C. Sproul

Is Anyone More Holy than Anyone Else? The Missing Category of the 'Righteous Man'

So, what exactly is a “righteous” person? Surely we cannot suggest that all these passages are simply referring to the imputed righteousness of Christ (as important as that is).

“No one is more holy than anyone else.” That was the statement I heard in a recent sermon. At first, I thought I must have misheard it. But, I had not. The point being made to the congregation was clear: abandon your ‘self-righteousness’ and recognize that you are no holier than the person in the pew next to you.

 

Now, statements like that sound compelling at first. Humble, even. After all, we are trained to go after those Pharisees among us (usually defined as anyone who appears to be holier than we are!). Moreover, we have the reformed doctrine of total depravity entrenched in our minds, reminding us that our hearts are wicked beyond what we can imagine. And, above all this, surely Christ is most glorified when we acknowledge that no one is more holy than anyone else. Right?

 

 Well, not really. Although the Bible certainly condemns self-righteousness, and while we are certainly much more sinful than we ever could realize, there is something missing here. What is missing—ironically in many reformed circles—is the clear biblical category of the “righteous man.” Noah is described this way in Gen 6:9: “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.” Joseph of Arimathea was described this way in Luke 23:50: “Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man.” Zechariah and Elizabeth were described this way: “And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord” (Luke 1:6). And there are countless passages throughout Scripture that contrast the “righteous” with the “wicked” (e.g., Ps 1:5-6; 32:1-2; 37:16-17; 75:10).

 

So, what exactly is a “righteous” person? Surely we cannot suggest that all these passages are simply referring to the imputed righteousness of Christ (as important as that is). No, it appears the Bible uses this category of the “righteous man” for believers who display a marked consistency and faithfulness in walking with God. Of course, this doesn’t mean these people are perfect, sinless, or able to merit their own salvation. It simply means that the Spirit is at work in such a way that they bear steady fruit in their lives.   Continue at Michael Kruger

 

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The Rapturous Loveliness of Christ

In the past few days I have been exposed to quotes and excerpts from the writings of the 16th century Scottish reformer, Samuel Rutherford.

I was brought at a wonder, for scarcely have I ever read expressions of heavenly delights from the pen of men, as similar as he was to myself, in desperate need for grace. And yet with much grace and wisdom, he would lift up gems and precious stones from the pages of Scripture almost as if it was God-breathed writing in itself.

If there was ever a man who truly knew what it was that the man in the parable experienced, perhaps one of such a man is Samuel Rutherford.

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field…”—Matthew 13:44

O for grace to know Christ as precious as He really is (2 Pet 2:7). May God grant us the grace and faith to imitate Christ in the writings of dear Rutherford.

I will be reading more of Mr. Rutherford, most notably his “Letters”. Why take the time then to read his Letters in the midst of all the things that must be read and perused? Well, I think Andrew Bonar writes a compelling thought as he closes his sketch of the life of Samuel Rutherford in the excerpt below. It is a bit long than usual, but trust me when I say you would want to read each sentence of it. Read it all HERE

John Piper - The Glory Of Christ

HT: Truth Matters

God Receives Me on the Footing of His Perfection