1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Jesus Christ bore the full price of our sins on the cross. He bore our sins in His own body on the tree of Calvary. Nothing more can be done to atone for our sin debt. It truly is finished. We are not saved because we are righteous; we are unrighteous before God by birth and by nature. But, once we come to Christ and trust Him for the salvation of our souls, our purpose in life is to live righteously. This righteous living is according to the power of the indwelling Spirit of God. In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul wrote in chapter 5 verse 9: “For the fruit of the Spirit [is] in all goodness and righteousness and truth.”
Man-centered religion is all external and is measured by the observation of rituals and holy days. God-centered, gospel living stems from that work of God’s Spirit deep within our hearts. Jesus made this crystal clear when He declared, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20) The word exceed here means deeper than. When a person, by God’s grace, trusts in the atoning work of Jesus as full payment for their sins on the cross, a divine work of God regenerates their dead spirit and declares them righteous before God. Being righteous, they begin to live righteous lives, not to earn their salvation, but for the glory of God. The redeemed of The Lord will live righteous lives. Selah
