Faith Is Not Our Righteousness

Our faith, that is to say, our believing cannot justify us because it is not our righteousness. For not anything can be our righteousness or justification unto us but that which is made sin and curse for us, only Christ is both these to His, "He hath made him to be sin for us, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." (Gal. 3:13) Therefore He "...bare our sins, and was wounded for us, that he might bring us to God.” (1 Pet. 3:18) Nothing can justify us, but that which is our reconciliation, our righteousness, and peace. Nothing can procure peace to us but that which justifies us and puts away our iniquities that separate us from God, Isa. 57; Isa. 59:2. "For he is our peace, who hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” (Eph. 2:14-17).

Can faith do these things for us? Surely not. Christ became our righteousness by His obedience. Or more strictly by His obedience unto death of the cross: Col. 1:20, Eph. 2:16. God did ordain Him to be our righteousness, 1 Pet. 1:18-20, therefore, we ought to look upon Christ to be our righteousness because God hath made Him so, 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21. Nothing can redeem us and set us free from bondage but Christ, Heb. 2:14-15; Heb. 9:26-28. Nothing can present us holy and unblameable but Christ: Col. 1:22. Therefore, Christ's Testament declares that all the parts of our redemption, justification, reconciliation and salvation, are attributed to Christ's blood, to His death: Col. 1:20; Eph. 2:16; Heb. 9; Heb. 10; Rom. 5:9. The slaying of our enmity, the destroying of our spiritual enemies, etc. is attributed to His cross. Therefore, the Word of the Gospel is called the Word or preaching of the cross, 1 Cor. 1:18-23. The main and special thing the apostle desired to know and drove at in all his preaching, was nothing else but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.