When You're Right

Have you ever told a lie and really tried to stick with it? It's easier said than done! The truth is it's very hard to keep your confidence and consistency when you know that you're wrong.

Or you may have been in an argument with someone over a point of disagreement. Almost always, if the other person is absolutely convinced that they are right, it's impossible to move them from their position.

In the same way, I find that Christians who are absolutely persuaded that they've been made right with God through Jesus, have the strongest and most resolute faith.

One of the most impacting Bible verses in my life has been 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." What makes the message of salvation so amazing is not just that we receive a reprieve from sin, but that God freely gives us His own righteousness in place of our sin!

Here are three things that happen when you know you're right:

1. You Become Confident Before God

We always become tentative when approaching someone to whom we now we've done wrong.

Prior to the Fall, Adam enjoyed a relationship with God that was marked by confidence and peace. He spoke freely with God, he exercised authority over creation and he walked openly in God's presence.

However as soon as Adam disobeyed God, he recognised that something was now wrong. Because of his strong sense of being 'wrong', man hid himself from the presence of God for the first time in history.

It wasn't until God covered Adam that he could again confidently commune with God. In the same way, we can come boldly before God when we see ourselves as covered in God's righteousness.

2. You Begin to Ask of God

It's always smart to reconcile broken friendships a week prior to your birthday or Christmas. You'll never have the courage to ask for anything from a person who you have a broken relationship with.

Sadly, many people never ask great things of God because they honestly don't believe that their relationship with Him is 'right enough'.

Matthew 9 tells the story of a paralytic, to whom Jesus' first words are 'Son, your sins are forgiven.' At first glance it seems that Jesus has missed the real issue. Surely Jesus would heal the glaringly obvious problem before pronouncing forgiveness of sin. Only after He has made right the sin issue in the paralytic's life, does Jesus cause the man to receive healing.

When you realise that you're right with God, you're ready to receive from God.

3. You Experience Freedom through God

Condemnation is the by-product of knowing that you've done wrong. The only way to experience freedom from condemnation is to be convinced that you're right.

An understanding of righteousness makes me to know that I have been made free of all shame, through the work of Jesus Christ.

Freedom, confidence and audacity in asking are three experiences of the person who know's that they are right.