In Defense of the Faith

Christ’s Righteousness Becomes Ours

“Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by Him all that believe are justified.” Acts 13:38, 39. Now how does this justification come about? How can a man be justified from sins which he has actually committed, and which are recorded against him on the books in heaven? DOF 217.1

We answer: It is by an act of Christ, whereby He assumes responsibility for our sin, and imputes to us the righteousness of His life. He counts that our transgressions were committed by Him, for which He paid the penalty on the cross, and that His obedience was performed by us. Our books of record reveal lives of perfect obedience to the law, since all past sins are forgiven, and His perfect righteousness has been imputed to us. “The Lord bath, laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6. Thus Jesus takes away the sins of the world by taking them unto Himself and placing His righteousness upon the sinner. This He can do without having actual guilt attached to Himself, since He has already paid the penalty for our sins in His death on the cross. DOF 217.2

When the prodigal son returned to his father, his own tattered garments were exchanged for the best robe in the house. The father took away the old garments, and clothed the son in his own rich apparel. It was of a similar experience that Isaiah sang in his day: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He bath clothed me with the garments of salvation. He bath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” Isaiah 61:10. DOF 217.3

This process of justification by faith is clearly stated by the great apostle to the Gentiles in the following language: DOF 218.1

“Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. For there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God bath 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; to declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believes in Jesus.” Romans 3:22-26. DOF 218.2

Thus it is the righteousness of Christ that is received by the sinner when he turns to God for help. God declares Christ’s righteousness to be ours. This righteousness of Christ is declared for the “remission” (margin, “passing over”) of sins that are past. It is imputed to the sinner just as though it were actually his, and he now stands before God with a perfect record of purity and obedience, which he had no part whatever in making, but which he has received as a gift from Christ. The sinner now appears before God as innocent as if he had never sinned. DOF 218.3

Justification, therefore, does not come by “doing” the law, but by faith in Christ. When that faith is exercised, then Christ’s law keeping is imputed to the sinner; and thus by His obedience the transgressor is declared to be righteous. “As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous.” Romans 5:19. It is by Christ’s obedience that we are made righteous. He obeyed for us, and now He substitutes His obedience for our past disobedience; and thus we stand justified before God. DOF 218.4

When a man is converted, two distinct changes take place. One is called the new birth; the other, justification. The first takes place in the man himself, being wrought by the Spirit of God. He is given a new heart; all things become new. The second is his changed standing in God’s sight. This is justification, and this is the change that is wrought by the righteousness of Christ being imputed to him. This brings us to a consideration of the Christian life, or the life after conversion, and the attitude of the newborn, justified man to the law of God. On this point Paul inquires: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Romans 6:1, 2. DOF 219.1

Sin is the transgression of the law, hence Paul is really saying, “Shall we continue to transgress the law in order that God’s grace may be even more abundantly manifested while continuing to forgive and justify us?” To this he makes the most emphatic reply, “God forbid.” DOF 219.2

It is, therefore, not God’s plan that converted men should transgress His law, but rather “that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:4. Sin is no longer to have dominion over the life. “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof.” Romans 6:6, 12. DOF 219.3

But it is impossible for any man to keep perfectly the law of Jehovah in his own strength. What Christ said is verily as true of Him now as before, that “without Me you can do nothing.” How, then, may God’s will be accomplished in the life? The answer is found in the words of the beloved disciple: “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to those that believe on His name.” John 1:12. DOF 219.4

The secret is couched in that expression, “as many as received Him.” Those who receive Him find power. The power comes through receiving Him. Herein is revealed one of the most marvelous and astounding truths of the gospel-that it is God’s purpose that the Christian shall actually receive Christ into his life and permit Him to live and reign, there, perfecting in him the same righteousness that was revealed in the life of Christ nineteen hundred years ago. This is the mystery spoken of by Paul when he said: DOF 220.1

“Even the mystery which bath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is. made manifest to His saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in YOU, the hope of glory: whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: whereunto I also labor, striving according to His working, which works in me mightily.” Colossians 1:26-29. DOF 220.2

“Christ in you,” then, is the secret. This constitutes our hope of glory. Without this experience we are helpless, and for us there is no salvation. But with Christ in control of the life, our strivings and labors are not performed in human weakness, but are-according to His working, which works in us mightily. Again Paul talks of this experience in his epistle to the Ephesians, thus: DOF 220.3

“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, unto Him be glory.” Ephesians 3:16-21. 1 DOF 220.4

Note carefully the expressions used. We “are to be strengthened with might...in the inner man.” This is to he accomplished by Christ dwelling in the heart; and when He dwells in the heart, He is “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.” And this doing is not through our poor weakness but through “the power that works in us.” And that power is Christ in person of the Holy Spirit. Once again the apostle repeats it, this time in his letter o the Hebrews: DOF 221.1

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through he blood of the. everlasting covenant, make you perfect in very good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever.” Hebrews 13:20, 21. DOF 221.2

Here, then, the plan is clear and plain. We can be made “perfect in, every good work to do His will.” This perfection is not obtained by struggle and effort on our part, but through the operation of the power of the indwelling Christ. It is His “working in you” that brings the perfection. Our working is all a failure; His working is always a glorious success. When, therefore, He works in and through us, He brings success and perfection to our lives, just as He worked it out in His own life when here in the flesh. DOF 221.3

Once again the Pauline letters repeat the blessed truth, this time the message to the Galatian church: DOF 222.1

“I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh l live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20. DOF 222.2

This is the glorious result of having Christ live in the heart. The life that is lived is, then, no longer ours, but “Christ lives in me.” It is His life lived over again in our flesh. We have relinquished the throne, and He is in control. Now we can exclaim, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13. DOF 222.3

Christ declares Himself to be “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8. When He was on earth in the flesh, He demonstrated that He was a commandment keeper. “I have kept My Father’s commandments” (John 15:10), He said; and David prophesied of Him: “Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of Me, I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart.” Psalm 40:7, 8. Since, therefore, it is Christ’s desire to do the Father’s will, and since the law of God is written in His heart, the life that He will live today in our flesh will also be a life in harmony with that law. He will literally keep the law in us and through us, and thereby bring our lives into perfect accord with its holy precepts. DOF 222.4

This is what Paul refers to when, he says that God sent His Son to make it possible. “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:4. When, therefore, Jesus was here in the flesh, He kept the law for us. Now He offers to dwell in our hearts by His Holy Spirit, and keep His law in and through us. The first was a work of God for man; the second is a work of God in man. The first we had nothing to do with, but to receive it by faith; the second we cannot accomplish, but it is wrought in us the Spirit through faith. Thus “by the obedience of one” we are made righteous, and justified from our past sin; and also by “the obedience of One” (now obeying in 8) we are kept righteous day by day. This truth reveals what it is that to the Christian “Christ is all, and in all.” Colossians 3:11. We are justified by faith in Christ, and the just must live by faith in Him. Thus we are “saved by is life.” (Romans 5:10.) DOF 222.5