The Supplied Life Devotional for July 25
One in the wounds of Jesus
"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been made near by the blood of Christ." Ephesians 2:13
As believers we all receive the benefits of the transactions that took place on the cross. On the cross there was a double transfer. Christ became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). Sin was transferred to Christ, and righteousness was transferred to us. On the cross this glorious double transfer took place. Now we can shout, "He has the sin, and I have the righteousness!" When sin shows up in our flesh in the form of negative reactions, and the devil comes to accuse us, we can say, "Sorry, Satan. My Christ has the sin, and I have the righteousness." This double transfer accomplished on the cross is now made real to us in our union with Christ in our spirit. All of us can enjoy this double transfer. No wonder Paul speaks of being near in the blood of Christ. Brothers and sisters, we are one in the wounds of Jesus! We are near to God, and we are near to one another. This is all because of the righteousness of God, which is a major factor between us. We are linked together in God's righteousness.
Not only in Romans but also in 1 Corinthians, Paul brings in righteousness as the factor for the saints to be linked together. In 1 Corinthians 1:29-31 he says, 29 "That no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—that is, righteousness and sanctification and redemption—31 that, as it is written, He who glories, let him glory in the Lord." In these verses, the common factor between us is Christ as our righteousness. This is the factor of our boasting and glorying. We are boasting in the Lord. This kind of common boasting links us together.
It is of God that we are all in Christ Jesus. God's wisdom was to put us all in Christ. Now, Christ is our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Every Christian has this boast. Our boast is nothing but Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2; Gal. 6:14). When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he was dealing with a church problem of division. But the way he handled this problem was not by dealing with the issue of the church. He did not discuss how to organize the church, how to set up the church in an outward way, or even how to properly stand on the ground of the church. Paul did not touch those kinds of matters. Rather, he turned the saints to Christ: "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?" (1 Cor. 1:13). It is "Christ the power of God" and Christ "the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:24). It is as if Paul was shouting, "Saints, come back to Christ!" His burden was to reconnect the divided saints by a major factor in God's New Testament economy—Christ our righteousness.
- Bill Freeman, The Supplied Life