Meditate On
…to finish the transgression, to make an
end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting
righteousness…
Daniel 9:24
Once
Righteous, Always Righteous
You may have seen high-speed video footages
of a caterpillar turning into a colorful butterfly. But have you ever seen a
butterfly changing back into a caterpillar? Of course not! Why? Because it’s
impossible!
It’s the same with your salvation. Once you
are saved, you are saved forever. The righteousness that you have in Christ is
an everlasting one—you cannot become unrighteous again. Once you are born again
as a child of God, it is impossible for you to become “unborn.” Once you are a
saint washed by the blood of Jesus, in God’s eyes, you cannot revert to your
old, unsaved sinner state. Even if you fall into sin, you are still the
righteousness of God in Christ because your justification is not by works, but
by faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16).
Let’s come back to the butterfly. Once in a
while, the butterfly may fly around and land on a rubbish heap, instead of a
pretty, nice-smelling flower. But does that cause it to change back into a
caterpillar? No, and it’s only a matter of time before it leaves the rubbish
heap for the flowers. Likewise, when a Christian falls into sin, he doesn’t
lose his righteousness and transform back into an unsaved sinner. No, he is
still righteous and it is this consciousness of his righteousness in Christ
that will empower him to leave that sin and overcome future temptations (Romans
5:17).
Beloved, the more you believe that you have
this everlasting righteousness from Jesus, the more you will live up to your
new identity and reign in life!
BLESSINGS
JOSEPH PRINCE
