The Conviction Of Righteousness

John 16:10

When the Spirit of God comes in saving power to a sinner, he convicts the sinner of righteousness. The basis of this conviction is the fact that Christ has ascended back to his Father in heaven. What is this conviction of righteousness? It is the conviction that God demands righteousness, that I cannot produce righteousness, and that the Lord Jesus Christ has brought in an everlasting righteousness by his obedience to God as the sinners' Substitute. Blessed be God, our Savior's name is JEHOVAH-TSIDKINU, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS!

Behold the crucified Christ, slain under the penalty of sin imputed to him, buried, risen again, ascended back into heaven, exalted to the throne of everlasting glory, and be convinced that he has brought in an everlasting, all-sufficient righteousness for all who trust him. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus...For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us...Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us" (Rom. 8:1, 3, 4, 34).

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST FULFILLED ALL THE REQUIREMENTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS BY HIS OBEDIENCE TO GOD AS OUR REPRESENTATIVE (Rom. 5:19). As a man he did all that God in his law requires of men. And he did it for his people, to work out a righteousness that God might impute to his elect.

IN HIS DEATH AS OUR SUBSTITUTE CHRIST SATISFIED RIGHTEOUS AND JUST PENALTY OF GOD'S LAW DUE TO OUR SINS (Gal. 3:13). He redeemed us from the curse of the law by being made a curse for us. He was made to be sin for us. And when our sins were imputed to him God punished him, to the full satisfaction of justice, for our sins, so that he might in justice forgive our sins (Rom. 3:24-26).

NOW GOD IMPUTES CHRIST'S RIGHTEOUSNESS TO ALL WHO TRUST HIM. Just as he was made to be sin for us, we are made the righteousness of God in him by divine imputation.

Don Fortner