Living an abundant life is what God wants for each one of us, yet so many of us miss out on this blessing. We yearn for the peace, joy, and security that an abundant life brings, but what causes us to pass it up? Is it fear? Could it be sin? What about the belief that we aren’t worth it? If I were a betting girl, I would guess that every one of us fits into at least one of these reasons for passing up on the abundant life God desires.
This month, we are exploring what an abundant life is, what it looks like, and how we can claim it for our own. Our first week of the month, we looked at the forgiveness God offers us through the compassion he gives. When we know and believe this about Him, sin’s power over us is diminished, which leaves room for joy and praise. This draws us closer to experiencing life in abundance.
Justified by Christ
Taking this truth one step further is to look at how Christ justifies and redeems. The Apostle Paul writes, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24 CSB emphasis mine). The word justified, in the Greek, means:
- declared righteous
- to put someone in a proper relationship with another
- acquitted
- freed
- made innocent (Goodrick & Kohlenburger, 1999).
Let’s linger on that a moment. What this shows us is that not one person is righteous on their own, and by God’s grace alone, we are declared righteous and made innocent. Wow! God is so good to us. We could never do enough good things to measure up to the perfection that is required. However, because of what Christ did on the cross, God has freed us from sin and made us innocent. That is simply amazing, but let’s keep going, it gets even better!
Wrapped in Righteousness
Not only does He declare us righteous, He clothes us in His righteousness. The prophet Isaiah, in delight, wrote this beautiful word picture, “my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10a CSB). Can you picture that? Imagine yourself wearing an almost floor-length, thick, and comforting cloak around your shoulders. It may seem strange, but for some reason, I picture it to have a swirling aspect to it. When you and I stand before Him, His righteousness is what He sees, not all of the ways we have fallen short (Romans 8:10)! I just want to burst out with a huge “HALLELUJAH!” This is so freeing! My friend, you can rest in this promise. Hungry for more? Keep going!
Free from Condemnation
Because of this beautiful cloak, not only are we seen in His perfect righteousness, but we also never have to experience the condemnation that our sin deserves (Romans 8:1). To be condemned means:
- to be found guilty
- sentenced to punishment
- pronounced as unfit for service (Dictionary.com, 2018)
Also, in Romans 4:7-8, Paul quotes David when he writes, “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” The word for blessed in the Greek means, “receiving God’s favor, in a position of favor, feeling happy” (Goodrick & Kohlenburger, 1999). To know that we are blessed (receiving His favor and feeling happy) and will never experience condemnation, brings joy to my heart and is a balm to my soul.
Rejoicing in New Hope
When we trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He forgives us of our sin, justifies us, and wraps us in His righteousness. On our own, we can never be good enough or do enough good things to be considered righteous enough to spend eternity in heaven. However, God, in His grace and mercy, reached down from Heaven and provided a way, His Son. Let’s embrace these truths with a fresh understanding and a new hope in our hearts. Praise Him for all He has done! This brings us a step closer to living an abundant life because we can live in the joy that hope brings!
References
Condemn. (2018). In Dictionary.com online. Retrieved from
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/condemn?s=t
Goodrick, E.W. & Kohlenburger, J.R. (1999). NIV Exhaustive Concordance (2nd ed.). Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing Co.