April 21

It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” — 1 Cor 1:30-31 BSB

Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption—God has made Christ all of these for His people. He has set Christ up as their eternal Head, their Bridegroom, so that they may receive from His fullness. As they learn two critical lessons—what they are and what He is—they come to receive Him into their hearts as exactly what God has purposed Him to be for them.

Do I feel myself to be a fool? Have I come to know it through painful experience, realizing that all my so-called wisdom is nothing but foolishness? If I catch a glimpse of the risen Mediator, “Immanuel, God with us,” and see that He is made of God unto me as wisdom, then, in that very moment, a measure of divine wisdom flows into my soul.

Am I polluted and defiled? Do I have no righteousness of my own, and is all my obedience imperfect? If by the eye of faith I see that Christ is made unto me righteousness, then in that moment, a measure of righteousness is imparted to my heart.

Am I an unholy, corrupt sinner, with wickedness constantly working within me? If by faith I grasp that Jesus is made unto me sanctification, then in that moment, a measure of sanctification enters my heart. It raises holy affections, curbs sinful desires, and brings my soul into submission at His feet.

Am I a captive, ensnared by Satan, the world, and my own heart? If I see by faith that Christ is made unto me redemption, and I believe that He is my redemption, then a measure of deliverance comes into my soul. What Christ has accomplished for me externally becomes applied to me internally, and I experience that redemption personally.

In short, when Christ is received as wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, He becomes all of these in a living, real way for our souls.