Our Lord God justifies the ungodly

Believers, stand before God as a sinner with no righteousness of your own, and He will be your Justifier. He justifies the ungodly (Romans 4:5.) In Christ, we have His righteousness as a gift!(Romans 5:17.) As the righteousness of God in Christ, we have the gift of no condemnation, and this gift of no condemnation makes us go and sin no more; much like (but far better than) how ambassadors from rich countries don't go berserk with committing crimes in their host country, even though they have diplomatic immunity and can get away with any crime in their host country! God's grace is not a license to sin. It is the key to right living! Plus every single blessing of the righteous in the bible is ours in Christ, including the blessings in Deuteronomy 28!

But stand before Him as one who has done his best to keep the law and do good deeds in order to get right with Him or earn His blessings and the law will take its course by bringing judgment. Because none can be made righteous in God's sight via law-keeping (Romans 3:20); because God does not justify the 'godly;' because it takes breaking one law to be guilty of all (James 2:10;) because 'all have sinned" and because Christ becomes of no effect in the lives of those that keep the law in order to get right with God (Galatians 5:4,) anyone who tries to keep the law to get right with God comes under the curse! See Galatians 3:

10 "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith." 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”

You see, you have to keep ALL of the law in order to be seen as righteous by God and avoid the curse, and none of us can, not even the holiest daddy or mummy in the Lord! Those under the law can't be picky about which curse will follow them too. Deuteronomy 28:15 "However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:..."

But Christ died for us that we might have His righteousness as a gift. Only His righteousness can give right standing with God. He redeemed us from the curse of the law too (Galatians 3:13) and in Him we are blessed EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly places! Spiritual here means originating from God.

You can't mix the law and grace. You can't have one leg on Mount Sinai and the other on Mount Zion. You cant be lukewarm - neither hot nor cold. You can't put new wine in old wine skins. You will lose both. Believers, you can't say "I will do my best and Jesus will understand and meet me halfway." In Christ, our salvation is either totally by God's grace or nothing at all! This is why in heaven, the saints sing "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain " and not "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain...and Toyin Obire, she also played her part."

Our puny effort at law-keeping only points to pride or inferiority complex - the same coin with different sides. It points to what Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden, trying to be like God when they were already made in His image. Believers, we are not on a journey to be like Christ; we are already as He is because of His sacrifice for us! 1 John 4: 17 "Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world."

2 Corinthians 5:21 says "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Christ bore our sins - past, present and future- in His body that we might be righteous! Let's not ruin it with our own righteousnesses which Isaiah describes as filthy rags!

God has given us His righteousness as a gift! BY HIS GRACE, stop doing and start believing. Accept His abundance of grace and of His gift of righteousness and reign in life through our Saviour Jesus Christ.

See Romans 5:17 "For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)

We are complete in Him. Believe Right. Trust in Him to transform you and not your own efforts. This is Grace- God's undeserved, unmerited favour!

Believe Right and you will Live Right!