For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
Romans 5:19
Have you ever noticed how a moment of failure can affect the way you approach the Lord?
Perhaps you lost your temper, entertained anxious thoughts, or gave in to a habit you’ve been trying to overcome. Suddenly, you don’t feel like praying anymore. You hesitate to ask the Lord for help. You wonder if you’ve somehow disqualified yourself from receiving His blessings.
But beloved, if your right standing with the Lord could disappear every time you stumbled, it was never everlasting righteousness to begin with. Our Lord Jesus did not give you a righteousness that comes and goes depending on how you’ve performed.
The Bible tells us that by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Your righteousness today rests entirely on Jesus’ obedience, not your own. What you received by faith was never based on your performance, and your failures cannot undo it.
That doesn’t mean we take sin lightly. But it does mean we don’t judge our standing by our state. Our emotions fluctuate. Our thoughts are not always consistent. Even our behavior may disappoint us at times. But our standing before the Lord remains secure because it rests entirely on Jesus’ finished work at the cross.
Beloved, what you did not earn, you can never lose. Because Jesus has made you righteous forever in Christ, you never have to run from Him when you stumble. You can come boldly to Him today, knowing that you are completely forgiven, fully accepted, and forever His beloved.
So the next time guilt, condemnation, or the memory of a failure tells you that you’ve fallen out of favor with God, remind yourself that your righteousness in Christ is everlasting. The same obedience that made you righteous is what keeps you righteous today. No failure can take away the righteousness Jesus has freely given you. Joseph Prince