Length: 4 minutes

When you hear that you have been given a gift of righteousness through Jesus, that doesn’t just mean that you are “right in Gods eyes.” It’s not as if you’re really flawed, but God just sees you as righteous. You’ve actually been created in righteousness and holiness, with real godly characteristics!

Ephesians 4:24 (NKJV) and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Sometimes people think of new covenant righteousness as just having our sin cloaked before the Father. Or perhaps, being righteous is just a “standing” in which God sees us. Not at all. You’ll notice, Ephesians 4:24 says that we have actually been “created” in “true righteousness and holiness.” It’s a way that God has created you, in your spirit (Hebrews 12:23). It’s not just a cloak that he threw over your sin, so that he wouldn’t have to see it anymore. God has actually re-created you inside (2 Corinthians 5:17). Inside of you is every good, pleasing, and perfect quality about God Himself. In your spirit you’ve been given every right characteristic that God has. You are now as loving, bold, wise, and considerate as God is. All of God’s characteristics have been infused into your born-again spirit, as a gift. And that, because Jesus became sin for us at the cross.

Sometimes, even as believers, if we say something inconsiderate, we feel like an inconsiderate person. If we do something impure, we feel like an impure person. If we do something unwise, we feel like an unwise person. But you could’ve felt that if Jesus never came! Although Jesus did come, and if you received him, something has changed that you’re not recognizing.

You need to remember that God created you in true righteousness, not some figurative righteousness or cloak for your sin. God has gifted you the qualities of being loving, considerate, wise, and right, through Jesus. All you have to do is begin to acknowledge all of these good things inside of you for them to manifest in your actions. But if you’ll judge yourself inconsiderate, impure, or unwise, every time you do something wrong, that’s simply not acknowledging the good things inside of you. And if so, how do we expect them to ever become effectual? 

Philemon 1:6 (KJV) That the communication of thy faith [probably speaking about love, in context] may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

So, as you’re renewing your mind, if you say something unloving, remember that, through Jesus, God has given you the gift of being a loving person. If you do something unwise, remember that God has given you the gift of being a wise person. If you think something wrong, remember that you’ve been given the gift of a mind that always thinks the right thing. All these characteristics are real and truthfully in your spirit right now, but they need to be acknowledged to be effectual!These qualities are the Father’s, and through Jesus, they are yours now as well!

2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV) For he hath made him [Jesus] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

You didn’t develop these characteristics because of your hard work. All the godliness that you couldn’t develop yourself, Jesus provided to you as a gift, because He became sin for you. The more you acknowledge who you TRULY are in Christ, the more you will manifest who you TRULY are in Him! 

So, it’s not a matter of you becoming a more loving person, more considerate, or becoming wiser. It’s not a matter of becoming a better mom, dad, son, daughter, etc. It’s a matter of acknowledging the good things Jesus has already put inside of you, so that all of the godly characteristics that are truthfully there, can be let out! 

As sure as Jesus became sin for you at the cross, is a sure as you have his righteousness, holiness, and godliness. That’s not a figure of speech or merely a legal standing before God. You’ve actually been created in true righteousness, with true godly characteristics on the inside. For those who are in Christ, you don’t need godliness. You just need to acknowledge the godliness you already have through Jesus, so that it can come out of you!

2 Peter 1:3 (NKJV) as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him…

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