A Righteousness in Which Jehovah Himself Cannot Find a Flaw
We must have a righteousness in which Jehovah Himself cannot find a flaw, a righteousness which Jehovah cannot mend, a righteousness which neither sin nor Satan can mar.
William Gadsby preaches about the necessity of having a righteousness that surpasses human capabilities, one that only Jesus Christ can provide through His perfect obedience and spotless righteousness. He emphasizes that those who rely on their own righteousness will never understand their need for Christ's righteousness, but for the broken sinner who recognizes their unworthiness, receiving God's righteousness will bring joy and exaltation. Gadsby highlights how Christ's righteousness, when imputed to believers, covers them with a robe of salvation and enables them to glorify God's name through praise and thanksgiving.
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We must have a righteousness in which Jehovah Himself cannot find a flaw, a righteousness which Jehovah cannot mend, a righteousness which neither sin nor Satan can mar; and unless we have on a righteousness of this nature, we can never enter into the blessedness of the world to come.
Where, then, are we to find it? Eternal praises to the matchless mercy of a covenant God, we have it in the blessed Person, glorious work, and spotless obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ! And, therefore, as it was essential for Him to fulfill all righteousness for His people, He loved the Lord His God with all His heart, with all His mind, and with all His strength. He began at the beginning, and went through holily, righteously, and steadily every step of the law of God and all in justice and righteousness. He fulfilled every iota of it, and gave it immortal glory and honour. The law could only require the perfect obedience of a perfect man, but He gave it the perfect obedience of the God-Man, and stamped forever a holy dignity and majesty on it, in order to manifest that this glorious righteousness is suited to every sinner's case, to all their needs, and to honour and glorify all the perfections of God; and thus He has "forever perfected them that were sanctified," all those who were set apart for Himself. They are perfected forever in His own blessed obedience and spotless righteousness; and this righteousness which God gives shall endure forever. As for you who have a righteousness of your own, you never can feel your need of Christ's righteousness. You do not know your need of it, and it is an insult to your pride to mention it. But, for the poor creature who feels himself to be a loathsome, vile, and ruined sinner, and is brought experimentally to feel what he is before a heart-searching God, and that every iota of the law is against him - for God to give this righteousness to him, to put it upon him and communicate the power of it to his soul, why it will raise and exalt him to such a blessed enjoyment of God's righteousness that his tongue will sing aloud and speak forth praise to the honour and glory of His blessed Name; and he will say, "My soul shall be joyful in my God; I will glory in the God of my salvation; for He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness; He hath adorned me with the garments of salvation."
-William Gadsby, from a sermon preached June 1, 1843
Sermon Outline
- I. The Need for a Righteousness Without Flaw
- A. The impossibility of attaining righteousness through human effort
- B. The consequences of lacking such a righteousness
- II. The Source of a Flawless Righteousness
- A. The Person of the Lord Jesus Christ
- B. His glorious work and spotless obedience
- III. The Fulfillment of Righteousness
- A. Christ's obedience to the law of God
- B. The perfection of His righteousness
- IV. The Application of Righteousness
- A. The need for Christ's righteousness in our lives
- B. The joy and praise that come from experiencing God's righteousness
Key Quotes
“He began at the beginning, and went through holily, righteously, and steadily every step of the law of God and all in justice and righteousness.” — William Gadsby
“He has 'forever perfected them that were sanctified,' all those who were set apart for Himself.” — William Gadsby
“My soul shall be joyful in my God; I will glory in the God of my salvation; for He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness; He hath adorned me with the garments of salvation.” — William Gadsby
Application Points
- We must recognize our need for Christ's righteousness in our lives.
- Experiencing God's righteousness will bring us joy and praise to the honour and glory of His blessed Name.
- Christ's obedience to the law of God is the perfect example of righteousness we should strive for.