For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those
who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life
through the One, Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:17

We know that Jesus was the second and last representative of mankind – He bore all of our sins and paid for them on the cross. There was an exchange of your sins for righteousness, bondage for freedom, and hopelessness for peace! But some people believe that they need to pray more, fast more, or memorize more scripture in order to receive God’s promises. When you accepted Jesus as your Savior, you were translated into the Kingdom of God and all His promises are yes and amen!

You don’t become right with God by our actions – either right or wrong – but simply by accepting the free gift of salvation. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says,“For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us! (TLB).” In that great exchange, God put your sins on Jesus, and put His righteousness on you. You inherited a broken relationship with God from Adam, the first representative, but in Christ, you receive a restored relationship with your Heavenly Father.

But there is more to the Christian life than just salvation. Jesus died not only to get you into Heaven, but to get Heaven into you right now! As the church, we can show God’s love and power to the world. Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” Many people can quote the first half of this verse, but often forget the second half: “the power that works in us.”

In order to live in the power of God, you need to understand that all of your sin, pain, and brokenness died on the cross and you now carry the righteousness of Jesus. Ask God to show you the righteousness that He offers in Christ!