Topic: RIGHTEOUSNESS AND NOT SIN IMPUTED TO YOU [Joseph Prince Devotional 1 November 2020]
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RIGHTEOUSNESS AND NOT SIN IMPUTED TO YOU
Romans 4:8
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”
You are blessed today because all your sins are forgiven in Christ. God does not count your sins against you. Instead, He counts you righteous in Christ. That is why you are the blessed man to whom the Lord does not and will not impute sin!
What happens to such a man? Let’s look at the story of Jacob to find out.
The Bible records how Jacob had deceived his father and cheated his elder brother Esau of his firstborn blessing (see Genesis 27:1–41). Yet, in spite of his sin of deception, God chose to speak to Jacob. And no, God did not say to this cheat, “You terrible sinner! How can you deceive your own father? You are cursed!”
No, to deceitful Jacob, God said, “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants…Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you” (Genesis 28:13–15). Here was a man to whom God did not impute sin!
God did not rebuke Jacob at all. Instead, we hear Him telling Jacob, “I will give to you…I am with you…I will keep you…I will bring you back…I will not leave you…” Jacob certainly did not deserve these blessings. This is one man who walked in the truth of Romans 4:8—“Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin”! Now, I am not encouraging you to sin, but I want you to see the love and grace of God toward us.
If Jacob was so blessed, how much more you and I today, who are under the new covenant of grace established by the blood of Jesus. How much more is our blessedness because Jesus has removed all our sins at the cross!
Beloved, because of Jesus’ finished work, God does not impute sin to you. What He does impute to you is righteousness apart from works (see Romans 4:6). And because you are righteous, get ready for His blessings (see Proverbs 10:6)!