Day 41 · Week 6
Passage: Jeremiah 23:5–6; 1 Corinthians 1:27–31; Philippians 3:7–9
Memory Verse: Matthew 5:6
1 Corinthians 1:30 (KJV)
“But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”
When we hunger for righteousness, we eventually discover that our greatest need is not a better version of ourselves. We need Christ.
Paul had once placed great confidence in his religious accomplishments. He had an impressive record and knew the law well. But after meeting Jesus, he counted those things as loss compared with knowing Christ.
He wanted to be found in Him, “not having mine own righteousness,” but the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ.
This protects us from two opposite errors.
One is discouragement: “I keep failing, so God must not want me.” The gospel points us away from our record and toward Jesus.
The other is pride: “I am doing better than other people, so God must be pleased with me.” The gospel again points us away from our record and toward Jesus.
Christ is our righteousness.
And when we belong to Him, He does not leave us unchanged. Paul says Christ is also made unto us “sanctification.” The Savior who justifies us works within us to make us holy.
So the Christian never outgrows dependence upon Jesus. We begin with Him, grow in Him, and will stand before God only because of Him.
How does looking to Jesus protect us from both discouragement about our failures and pride in our successes?
Our confidence before God is not “Look how good I have become,” but “Look at the Savior in whom I trust.”
Thank Jesus for being our righteousness. Ask Him to keep your family trusting His merits while allowing Him to transform your lives.