May 13 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Romans 3:20-31:

²⁰Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
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

Jehovah Tsidkenu, 'the Lord our righteousness', that is the name whereby Jerusalem, that is, the Church of God, shall be called. In Jeremiah 23:5, 6, we read that the Lord "will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth .... and this is his name whereby he shall be called, the Lord our right­eousness."

Then the Church of Christ has the same name as her Lord, because his righteousness is her righteousness. She had no right­eousness of her own. All her righteousnesses were as a polluted garment. But Christ was made "sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." "Christ of God is made unto us righteousness." "All his sufferings and obedience are as certainly ours, as if we ourselves had in our own persons suffered and made satisfaction to God for our sins." Heidelberg Catechism, 79.

Clothed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before His throne.

The polluted garment of our own righteousness is cast off, and we are robed in the glory dress of the righteousness of God. How glorious! "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness." All glory be to Him!

Prayer

O God, holy and righteous, it is only in the name of Christ, Thy Son, that we can approach unto Thee, for we are sinners. We thank Thee that Christ has atoned for all our sins, and has obtained for us righteousness and life. As we approach Thy throne we plead his merits and his righteousness. May we be found in him, not having our own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the right­eousness which is of God by faith. We praise Thee, O God, that we are justified freely by Thy grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Isa. 64:6; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Cor. 1:30; Isa. 61:10.

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