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THE POSITIONAL AND ACTUAL RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRISTIANS
An apparent
truth in the Christian life is the reality of the battle between spirit and
flesh. Similar to the Apostle Paul, Christians find themselves constantly
fighting and waging war on the flesh. Thankfully, God’s righteousness has
already been imputed to believers making them positionally righteous; yet,
actual righteousness is also a reality and one day will be complete. In
consideration of Christ’s mediated atonement, believers should understand the
importance of both positional and actual righteousness and live their lives
according to the grace God has placed upon his people.
God’s People Are
Positionally Righteous in Christ
Paul says
that Christ became sin on his people’s behalf so that they might be the
righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21). The latter part of the verse is often
missed, for the magnitude of God’s righteousness is something that the human
mind cannot truly fathom; yet, the purpose of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross
and indeed the purpose of salvation is conformity to the image of Christ (Rom
8:29) rather than a mere ticket out of hell. Still caught in a battle between
flesh and spirit, however, God’s people face the real struggles with sin, i.e.
perfection has not yet been achieved; Christians will not be truly like Christ
until the day of completion (Phil 1:6) when they are with him in both spirit
and flesh. The hope Christians now hold, nevertheless, is the hope of
positional righteousness, i.e. believers are seen by the Father as the
righteousness of Christ. 1 John 2:2 says that Christ is the propitiation for
his people’s sin. Said another way, because the Son has appeased the price for
sin, the church now stands as if she were the righteousness of Christ.
Positional righteousness then is a key component and truth of Christian life.
No longer should God’s people see themselves are wretched and dirty sinners but
rather as the redeemed people of God, for Christ’s righteousness not only
covers his people’s sin but atones for and cancels it.
God’s People Are
Being Made Actually Righteous in Christ
Additionally,
God’s people are being made actually righteous. One day all Christians will be
actually righteous. While the redeemed people of God live in positional
righteousness now, however, the Lord is also making them actually righteous.
Paul says that believers are being transformed from one degree of glory to another
(2 Cor 3:18); this is known as progressive sanctification. Though the people of
God are not there yet, they are being made and one day will be like Christ. Consider even Paul’s use of language when he
says that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Rom 3:23); the sin
to which he refers is past-tense. The current state of believers is redeemed.
Moreover, Scripture teaches that Christians have the mind of Christ (1 Cor
2:16). Actual righteousness then should not be viewed as an impossibility but a
reality for God’s people. Positional righteousness is astonishing in itself;
yet, actual righteousness is a reality for which Christians should be thankful.
God’s People Are
Responsible for Their Sin
Christians
subsist in a dual reality of both positional and actual righteousness where one
is complete and one is progressively occurring. Still, God’s people are
responsible for their sin, i.e. the mere fact that believers still operate in
the flesh and in a fallen world does not excuse sin. The good news, however, is
that Christ has atoned even future sins so that all evil deeds are canceled and
believers viewed through the lens of righteousness. One might wonder, in this
discussion, if perfection is possible. An argument could be made that because
of fallen human nature, perfection is not possible; certainly, it is not apart
from Christ. Nonetheless, another argument could be made that Christians
possess the empowering Holy Spirit so perfection is possible; any deviation
from perfection then is the result of one’s lack of responsibility to operating
in Christ. When one walks by the Spirit, sin does not happen so if sin occurs,
such a person is not, at that moment, walking by the Spirit. Even in a fallen
world, Christians are responsible for their own sin.
The Result of
Positional Righteousness Is Actual Righteousness
Positional
righteousness is not an end in itself but leads to actual righteousness.
Believers should not grow discouraged by mistakes but should understand that
the pattern of life should reveal a process of sanctification. Without such
progression, people are right to question whether a person belongs to Christ. Sanctification
does not stop with a mere decision but continues to the point of perfection in
Christ, which is a lifelong process, the end of which is actual righteousness.
