There were righteous men before Jesus came and died for our sins. Noah, Moses, and David were of those men to name a few. Yet even as there were righteous, there were many more sinners during that same time. It was not until the coming of Jesus and His death for our sin that that the righteous were multiplied.
“19For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” – Romans 5:19 (ESV)
Adam’s disobedience flung us all into sin. We stayed there even as God was there. Those who fell into the ways of sin were dealt with accordingly. And those who followed God, were given life eternal. So it was with Noah and Moses and David. As they accepted and followed God, they were spared in their righteousness.
Once Jesus came on the scene, things changed. At His presence, many more were given the opportunity to follow Him. Many more came to know Him. Many more were declared righteous. Through His time in this world, Jesus brought many to know Him and would thereby be declared righteous, but in life, His reach was limited to some degree. Yes, when you met or heard Jesus speak, you were moved. And yes, you accepted Him as the Messiah. Yet, He would only be here for a short period preaching and teaching and reaching the people.
Now came the death of Jesus on the cross as He accepted the sins I had and will commit. He accepted the sins of all, yes all in death. Those there in the time and those who would come. All of the sin was accounted for in His death. As such, many more would know Him and be moved, accept Him as the Messiah and yes, be declared righteous.
Adam sinned and the rest of us followed, save for a few. Jesus came and those few were multiplied through His life, death, and resurrection. I now can be counted righteous by God as He sees the obedience in my heart and the action in my hands.
Righteousness is not something that I can achieve on my own. I am a sinner thanks to Adam’s disobedience. God, through His love, provided a way out of sin for me. He sent His son Jesus to take my sin upon Himself and give me the chance to become righteous. I can get there thanks to the multiplication provided by Jesus life, death, and resurrection and His unconditional love for me.
What is your view of how you receive righteousness? Are you in receipt thanks to your being here? What if you were to see the reason for your chance at being declared righteous a result of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus?
Trevor's Thoughts 