Airport Reflection: The Worth of Christ’s Righteousness
If it works for Adam, will it not work for you?
One of the classic lines in the movie Finding Nemo is when one of the young fish in class with Nemo says that they’re “H2O intolerant”. It’s hilarious because you’ve never heard of a fish to be allergic to the very environment in which it lives. It is equivalent to a human being allergic to the air we breathe.
But, imagine that scenario for a moment. What would it be like to always, constantly, unceasingly have an inescapable allergic reaction? Everywhere you go you would know it. Everything you did would remind you of its presence.
This is a very limited illustration for what I’m about to say. But, can you imagine what it was like for a holy and sinless Jesus to live in a world totally corrupt with sin? Can you imagine for someone who only had righteous desires for the Father that everywhere He went He would never find another sinless person? Can you imagine what it was like to see the effect of The Fall everywhere and in everyone?
It is very clear that The Fall (Gen. 3) was a tragedy. It is the tragedy that brought about every other tragedy. And remember that while it was only one act of sin, it was so heinous that it changed everything and everyone who would come after Adam by natural generation. For thousands of years, every moment of every age in every part of creation has existed in light of The Fall. This would be the one thing that would be a more all-consuming reality than a fish who was H2O intolerant.
The reality I’m seeking to describe here is the truly horrendous nature of Adam’s first sin. And that first sin lives in each of us (Rom. 5:12-21). It is very true that we can look at the world and say that the problem with the world is us. We are not only guilty because of the sins we do. We are also guilty because of the sinful nature we possess and because of Adam’s first sin as our covenant representative.
How could something so bad ever be forgiven? How could something so evil ever be effectually atoned for? How could something so wicked ever have a righteousness to cover it?
We should be astounded at the infinite worth of the righteousness of Christ! We should be stunned at the sufficiency of His atonement!
Genesis 3:21 shows us a foreshadowing of what Christ would do. “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” Christ would be the one slain for all the elect in order to cover them from their guilt and shame. Romans 5:17 says, “For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” This doesn’t merely teach that Christ fills us up with the exact measure that sin took away. This is telling us that His righteousness gives us more than what The Fall took away! Don’t you see His worth? Don’t you see His value?
If this one Christ is sufficient to cover Adam then why not you? If Christ is overly enough to abundantly clothe you once for all with a sufficient righteousness then what other sins of yours could forfeit that? Could anything be added to Christ? Can any of your sin be too much for Him?
Believe in Christ. Rest upon Him. He can take all you have. He can take your past, present, and future. He take cover your guilt from Adams first sin, the guilt of your sinful nature, and the guilt of all actual sins. He doesn’t need any addition from you. He gives you the very faith with which you believe. And it is grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone that you are saved.
This is a Christ worth glorying in! This is a Savior to praise and magnify! This is a Jesus so amazing that it would be utterly offensive to try to add anything to Him.