In a video with Mark Batterson, as part of his series called "Trading Your If Only Regrets for God's What If Possibilities," he begin to clarify on what he meant when he talked about Gospel. He references 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (ESV). Then, Batterson spoke about how when we confess our sins they are transferred to Christ on the cross - salvation. Our sins are taken away and they died on the cross with Christ. He took the punishment for those sins and they are more than adequately paid for. But then, Batterson adds that there is a second "transaction" that takes place. The righteousness of Christ is then transferred to us.
To summarize what he seems to be suggesting: when we confess our sins they are transferred to Christ and forgiven and then the righteousness of Christ is given to us in return. Let me just say that this seems simple and carries the "duh" factor with it, but wow does it make such a big difference. At least to me. I totally get the transfer of sins to Christ on the cross. I readily see that in 2 Corinthians 5:21 here (and in other Scripture obviously). What I seem to have missed was this transfer of righteousness. And I think what I am wrestling with here is exactly what that righteousness means...
From what I know and understand of the Greek dikaiosyne (dih-kai-ah-soo-nay), which honestly is not that much, there is a lot of debate surrounding the exact translation of the term. It seems that it is a difficult word to translate because it has two meanings from the Hebraic roots that are separate concepts in English. In the Hebraic/Jewish context the word seems to stand for "judicial approval" as well as "divine approval." (I am simplifying here and have made no attempts at an in-depth word study) It appears that this word means to be in "right standing" with the authorities, to be on the right side of the law, and it means to be in "right standing" with God, as well. In English, there really just isn't a great word that encompasses both of these meanings. Righteousness in English really means closer to the idea of "divine approval." Actually, I am not sure that I have ever thought of the term righteous as having to do anything with "judicial approval."
Let's roll with these ideas, though, just briefly. Jesus was understood to be righteous, obviously. So he was in correct standing with the authorities and with God. Except...he wasn't. As far as judicial approval goes, he was quite far away from the standard presented at the time. Off the map, actually. I don't think that anyone at the time would have argued for Jesus' right standing among the authorities and with the Law, except for his followers. However, we know that Jesus was indeed in right standing with the Law! Not just the Law of the Pharisees but the true Law of God. The Law of Love, which Jesus presented to his followers.
I don't think I need to make the argument for his right standing with God. Jesus is God. I am not sure there is much more I can say without getting into an entirely different, and much longer, discussion.
So, where do we stand now? The Gospel message is entirely about salvation. But it does seem to be in two parts! When we confess our sins and accept the call of Jesus the Christ those sins are transferred to the cross of Christ and are dead and forgiven entirely. But then the righteousness of Christ is transferred to us. This righteousness is his standing with the Law of Love and his standing with God. And by this it means that, upon accepting Christ, our sins are forgiven and we go from living separated from God by sin to being reconciled with Him and then we are immediately gifted with this righteousness that puts us in good standing with God on all levels. It is so much more than salvation as we tend to think about it. This is salvation with even more grace thrown on top. Not only are our sins forgiven, we are given a head start into our new life. I am truly struggling to communicate clearly what I think this means for us and for that I truly apologize. It is a slight nuance but the slightest nuances can make a world of difference.
In my attempt to understand I oftentimes can muddle things up. As always, comments and questions are appreciated in these thoughts and ramblings.
Seeking Truth,
Dylan
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