February 15 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Romans 3:21-31:

²¹But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
²²Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
²³For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
²⁴Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
²⁵Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
²⁶To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
²⁷Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
²⁸Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
²⁹Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
³⁰Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
³¹Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Devotional

Christ is our righteousness. Here we must emphasize that Christ is our righteousness. We must not conceive of the matter in such a way, as if Christ had merely obtained righteousness for us, and then imparted it to us; as it were, poured it into us; but He himself is our righteousness. And we have part in him only by faith. All that believe are justified, that is, they are declared righteous before God. We are justified by faith. "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness." So then this righteousness is not inherited, not acquired, not imparted, or poured into us; but it is imputed unto us, set to our account. Just as our sin was imputed unto Christ, so Christ's righteousness is imputed unto us, and we lay hold of it in faith.

It is very clear then, that we must not trust in our own righteousness. All our efforts and so-called good works to obtain this righteousness are of no avail. "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." To try to obtain this righteousness by the works of the law is an insult to Christ, and brings us under the curse. How we are righteous before God is perhaps nowhere more clearly, beautifully and briefly, and yet all-inclusively taught, than in the 60th and 61st questions and answers of [the] Heidelberg Catechism.

Prayer

O righteous God, we all have sinned, and have come short of the glory of God. There is none righteous before Thee. All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Look down upon us in mercy. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and bestow upon us the righteousness of Christ, who is our righteousness, who was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. In his name we pray. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Jer. 23:6; 33:16; Isa. 45:24; 2 Cor. 5:21; Acts 13:39; Rom. 5:1; Rom. 10:10; Isa. 64:6; Gal. 3:10.

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