"Since a believer is in Christ then their standing before God is based on Christ’s standing. The believer is only viewed in the light of Christ’s obedient life, atoning death and resurrection.This union’s outcome, in terms of a believer’s righteousness, is that God views them not on their own in their unrighteousness, but in Christ with his righteousness. Again, this is not a righteousness within the believer; it is still Christ’s. It is a reality because, as Calvin puts it, we are ‘engrafted into his body – in short, because he deigns to makes us one with him.’
The believer appropriates this righteousness by God counting it to them, which becomes a truth in the context of their union with Christ. When God looks at a believer, because of their positional security in Jesus they actually do have the standing before him that he declares them to have."
Tim Suffield, Clothed in Righteousness. More at TimSuffield.com
3 comments:
Interestingly I posted on this some time ago.
Saints or sinners?
At last prayer and fasting I noted that Terry Virgo used the word 'saint's ' a great deal. In fact I noticed he didn't call us sinners at all. He called us friends and beloved and saints.
I think that pretty much sums up TV's stance on this subject :)
Sounds right to me. I guess the only exception is where Paul would call himself the worst of sinners... but even then, that's with reference to having been saved. On it's own it seems out of place.
Yet, we sin. And that too we must speak of.
Indeed so, Dave. We all still sin, but our STATUS before God has changed. Though the sin has a mortal cost/consequence, and affects the ease in which we feel able to enjoy our relationship with God, for those who are 'in christ' it can no longer separate us forever from God.
The term 'sinner saved by Grace' is wholly appropriate when considering our state at the point of conversion. But once we have been redeemed, we are forever changed, even [what amazing grace is this] when we still sin.
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