DAVID DECLARES IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS Devotion 23 of 28 Now, here is a truth that brings great gladness to the heart. The individual whose iniquities are forgiven is the same person to whom God has imputed righteousness! The person whose sins are covered is the very one who has been made righteous "WITHOUT WORKS." The point is that speaking of our "works" necessarily includes our transgressions as well as our efforts to "do good." Outside of Christ, it s not possible to assign goodness to one category of human works, admitting the gross inferiority of the remainder of them – and yet call the person "righteous" because of a few of his works. This is precisely why salvation is "not of works' (Eph 2:9), and righteousness is imputed "without works." – Tomorrow:
"But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 'Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin." (Romans 4:5-8, NKJV)
It is not possible to be "forgiven" and remain unrighteous. Neither, indeed, is it possible to have your sins "covered" and NOT be righteous before God. Thus, the person who really knows they are forgiven, can also know they are righteous. The one who is convinced his sins are covered, can also be convinced God has received him. Further, faith is fully able to convince those who believe that they are forgiven, and their sins are covered.
Faith can teach a person to reason in such a manner as to produce joy and gladness. It says to the believer, "If my sins are gone, God has given me His righteousness." With joy it enables the saved to shout, "If God cannot see my sin, then He has accepted me in the Son."
When David spoke of God hiding His face from his sins and blotting out his transgressions, he spoke of it as hearing joy and gladness. "Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which Thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide Thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities" (Psa 51:8-9). This is precisely why "The righteous shall be glad in the Lord" (92:4). Gladness and guilt cannot cohabit in a person. Further, the "gladness" with which we are admonished to serve the Lord (Psa 100:2) comes from the awareness of forgiveness and the knowledge of being made righteous. Such gladness is sanctified by the persuasion of the magnitude and effectiveness of the working of the Lord.
The "gladness" in which the "ransomed" approach to the Lord (Isa 35:10) is not pumped up by live music, a drum beat, or a some other form of fleshly regimentation. Rather, it is an aspect of faith, which comprehends the great salvation of God. That is precisely why the Spirit relates "joy" to faith, not to mere feeling. "Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand" (2 Cor 1:24). "And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith" (Phil 1:25).
When the heart acknowledges these things, and the mouth confesses them, a certain spiritual exhilaration is experienced. It enables the person to draw near to God "with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water" (Heb 10:22). It is then that you can "know you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13), and that God is working "all things together" for your good (Rom 8:28). Joy faithfully follows in the wake of our persuasion of these realities.
PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You through Jesus Christ for a joy that has deep roots, sustaining and strengthening the soul.