Advent: The Journey to ChristmasSample

Righteousness Restored

In a prophecy found in Zechariah 9, God promised that the future King would come with salvation and bring His righteousness. This means that on Christmas, God brought us “His righteousness” to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. This is exactly what the world needed (and still needs). In Romans 3:10, the apostle Paul describes the sad condition of humanity: “None is righteous, no, not one.” We are all in the same situation, born with a sin nature and unable to make ourselves righteous. But in Romans 1:17, Paul says, ”The righteous shall live by faith.” Christianity is not about earning righteousness, it’s about receiving the righteousness of Jesus “by faith.” It’s not about who we are, it’s about who He is.

After Jesus was born, He continued to live in righteousness His entire life. He was perfect, staying close to God and following His Father’s plan without hesitation. On the cross, He made a transfer. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” When Jesus died for us, He took on all of our unrighteousness and put it to death, giving His righteousness and intimacy with God to us.

Remember, God’s love for us is not based on anything we do or do not do. It’s based only on what Jesus has already done. Romans 5:8 says, ”God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The Righteous One was born on Christmas to show us God’s love in the most powerful way possible, by making us righteous in His sight.

Prayer: Father, You are full of amazing grace! I receive Your righteousness today by faith in Your Son, Jesus. I realize that You are pleased with me only because of what Jesus has done for me. Thank You, Jesus, for covering me. Strengthen me with the confidence that I am secure in Your Righteousness. Help me remember I haven’t earned it myself so I can serve You with humility and gratitude all my life.