Mon., 8/13/18 Devotion (Rom. 3:28)

Today's encouragement comes from Romans 3:28, where Paul, under the in-spiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote these words:

"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law."

How much of our own righteousness do we have? If we answer by saying that we have *any* at all, then we are in deep trouble, and we have blas-phemously denigrated the atonement of Christ. There is not one thing we can do to procure our right standing with God, outside of believing that Jesus Christ Himself has *fully* (and not partly) accomplished all of this for us.

The Fall has left us all with the accursed sense that we still somehow pos-sess Adam's initial "righteousness." The fact is, it is completely gone. If we are going to be justified at all, it must be done in and through Christ alone, apprehended by faith; and Christ’s righteousness is infinitely better than any-thing Adam possessed.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Heaven is ours already, only we strive till we have full possession.” —Richard Sibbes, in, "The Bruised Reed"]