September 1

In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness. — Jer 23:6 BSB

What a sweet view this gives of Jesus! Sometimes, we focus so much on Christ’s righteousness that we see it as separate from Christ himself. Let me illustrate: we may look at the garment but forget about the maker and wearer of that garment. We dwell so much on the righteousness that we overlook the one who accomplished it. But we must not separate Jesus from his righteousness. We shouldn’t just focus on the imputed robe and forget the one who made it, wears it, and keeps it for us to this day. When we realize that not only the obedience of Christ but Christ himself—everything he is and everything he has as the head of the Church, the risen Mediator, and the great High Priest over the house of God—is made our righteousness, it broadens our understanding. We see not only the beauty of the robe but the one who made it. We see Jesus, who is alive at the right hand of the Father, always interceding for us. This, to me, is a truly comforting view.

When I sink into my own sinfulness, shame, and guilt, and then see that Jesus has been made my righteousness by God, what more could I need? If God has made him my righteousness, who can undo that? If God has made the Son, the beloved One, righteousness for my soul so that I may stand before him spotless and blameless, who can change it? Can sin? It’s been atoned for. Can the devil? He’s already chained until the final judgment. Can the world? They can’t even touch a thread of that robe or alter a single feature of the Redeemer’s face. If Jesus is my righteousness, what more could I need? If I find protection, refuge, and security in him, what else can shield me from the accusations of men or devils?