Celebrate the Gift of Righteousness by Cookie Puno

Why celebrate Christmas? Now, more than ever, people find it hard to celebrate a joyful occasion. Does the message of Christmas — hope, peace, and joy — still ring true amid instability, crises, and seeming hopelessness? In the Philippines, we were hit by 6 typhoons in one month. There’s so much loss, so much pain, and so much death all across the globe. Some may say, they just can’t feel the Christmas spirit nor find it in themselves to celebrate Christmas. 

It is understandable how some people can feel this way, especially if we find the cause of our celebration in the trimmings of Christmas — the bright lights, the beautiful displays, the Christmas gatherings left and right. For me, the current global situation is a cause for us to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. 

The True Meaning of Christmas: A Gift Through Jesus Christ

What is it that we celebrate? The Bible, particularly the Apostle Paul in Romans, tells us that we received a gift through Jesus Christ when he was born on that first Christmas. 

Romans 3 21–24 But now, independently of the law, the righteousness of God is tangible and brought to light through Jesus, the Anointed One. This is the righteousness that the Scriptures prophesied would come. It is God’s righteousness made visible through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And now all who believe in him receive that gift. For there is really no difference between us, for we all have sinned and are in need of the glory of God. Yet through his powerful declaration of acquittal, God freely gives away his righteousness. His gift of love and favor now cascades over us, all because Jesus, the Anointed One, has liberated us from the guilt, punishment, and power of sin! (TPT)

You might ask me, “Ptr. Cookie, I thought we were talking about Christmas and not Holy Week?” Well, that’s the beauty of it all. We cannot dissociate Christmas from the Resurrection because that’s precisely why Jesus came. Jesus came into the world as a baby, grew up, and experienced every kind of human emotion and experience possible so that when He went back to heaven with the Father, He could be our loving and faithful intercessor. The Christmas story includes the death and resurrection of Jesus and that’s what we celebrate every year!

Righteousness: The Heart of Christmas

In verse 22, we see Paul tell us that we’ve “received a gift.” Every Christmas we celebrate the gift of Righteousness we’ve received through Jesus Christ. Doesn’t sound so exciting?  I pray that at the end of this article, you will be so excited about righteousness and would be looking forward to celebrating it year after year, season after season and even day after day! 

Righteousness is dikaiosuné, δικαιοσύνη, meaning the approval of God (“divine approval”), which refers to what is deemed right by the Lord (after His examination), i.e. what is approved in His eyes. As I was saying earlier, the global situation of sickness, disaster, loss, and uncertainty is a reflection of how we live in a world cursed because of sin. What is happening now is a reflection of how bad and rotten the world is. That’s because of sin. Sin makes everything bad and ugly. It corrupts people, families, even nations and governments. We all see the effect of sin in the world today. And we all know that sin separates us from God. Sin and God can never go together. Sin is the exact opposite of God. 

It is in this backdrop that I want to situate this amazing gift of righteousness through Jesus. Verse 24 says, “His gift of love and favor now cascades over us, all because Jesus, the Anointed One, has liberated us from the guilt, punishment, and power of sin!” You and I both know that we are guilty of sin. We have done many things that can cause God to be so far from us. But the Bible says that we are free from guilt, punishment, and power of sin. How can this be?

God gives us three truths we need to not only remember, but celebrate:

1. Celebrate: You are FLAWLESS in God’s eyes.

Romans 5:1-2 Our faith in Jesus transfers God’s righteousness to us and he now declares us flawless in his eyes. This means we can now enjoy true and lasting peace with God, all because of what our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, has done for us.  What incredible joy bursts forth within us as we keep on celebrating our hope of experiencing God’s glory! (TPT)

The definition of flawless: having no defects or faults, especially none that diminish the value of something; having no discernible blemishes or shortcomings; or simply put perfect. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been described as flawless. It’s so hard to be perfect. So how can it be that in God’s eyes, I am perfect? Flawless, even. I know every flaw that I have, yet the Father sees something different. When we believe in Jesus, we receive the gift of being flawless. And this being flawless before God opens so many things for us. The verse says “we can now enjoy true and lasting peace with God…” God is no longer angry with us. Remember, sin angers God. But because our sin has been removed and forgiven, He is no longer angry with us. We can be near Him! We have a relationship with God. We can say that we know Him and He knows us — by name! 

Romans 5:9 … For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in my sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God. (TPT)

What’s more is because we have peace with God we have PERMANENT ACCESS to Him and His grace. We are allowed and permitted to approach and talk to God anytime — no holds barred. The Living Bible says it this way — “..he has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand…” This is why we can really claim access to heaven. Righteousness is what qualifies us for an open heaven!  We are approved. We are flawless because we believe in Christmas’s promises — God became flesh to die and save us from our sins!

2. Celebrate: You are FILLED with the Holy Spirit

Romans 5:3-5 But that’s not all! Even in times of trouble we have a joyful confidence, knowing that our pressures will develop in us patient endurance.  And patient endurance will refine our character, and proven character leads us back to hope.  And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us! (TPT)

Christmas leads to the passion of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to us. When we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate everything that Jesus’ coming has given us. I love what Romans 5:3-5 says. Even in times of trouble we can celebrate. Why? Because we have the Holy Spirit with us. The Holy Spirit is proof that God loves us beyond measure. In the NIV version it says, “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” In other words, in a time when you think you lack and don’t have enough, God is saying YOU ARE FILLED! Let that truth sink deep into your hearts and spirits. You are loved, you are cared for, you are not forgotten. What is your proof? The Holy Spirit is with us! We are not alone; we have the Spirit of God with us wherever we go. Even if we lose something or someone, we will be and are FILLED!

The MSG version says it this way, “In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling short changed. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!” God GENEROUSLY poured out the Holy Spirit into our lives! You don’t even have enough containers for the overflow. 

Earlier we talked about how we are flawless before God. It’s positional righteousness. Meaning, we are no longer enemies of God. But that doesn’t mean we will no longer sin. We all know that we still sin – and God covered that too! Through the Holy Spirit we have the power to be righteous!

Romans 8:9 But when the Spirit of Christ empowers your life, you are not dominated by the flesh but by the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit helps us to say “no” to ungodliness and “yes” to holiness! We can continue in our righteousness — a progressive righteousness — where we are better than we were yesterday. The Holy Spirit helps us to live just like Jesus did — holy and obedient to the Father.  God took care of our POSITIONAL RIGHTEOUSNESS and our PROGRESSIVE RIGHTEOUSNESS.

3. Celebrate: You are FAVORED because of Christ!

Romans 5:10 So if while we were still enemies, God fully reconciled us to himself through the death of his Son, then something greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, and because we share in his resurrection life, how much more we will be rescued from sin’s dominion! (TPT)

10 If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! (MSG)

Favored means you are “preferred or recommended.” I don’t know about you but I like being preferred. You don’t have to line up. You’re always top of mind. You matter. It’s the same with God. We have VIP access to God. Imagine – we even have an open heaven. 

In Christ, There Is More

The world around us can seem dark and painful, beckoning us to look only at our own tragedies and shortcomings.  It is not the twinkle of the trimmings, but rather God’s light which reminds us to look up and celebrate this gift of reconciliation.  If when we were sinful and deserving of God’s anger, Jesus gave Himself so that we can be restored to God, how much more now that we belong to him? HOW MUCH MORE! We have so much to look forward to. 

Romans 8: 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (NIV)

32 For God has proved his love by giving us his greatest treasure, the gift of his Son. And since God freely offered him up as the sacrifice for us all, he certainly won’t withhold from us anything else he has to give. (TPT)

32 Since he did not spare even his own Son for us but gave him up for us all, won’t he also surely give us everything else? (TLB)

In other words, THERE IS SO MUCH MORE! Righteousness is a gift that keeps on giving. It didn’t stop when Jesus was born. It didn’t stop when Jesus died for us and rose again. It didn’t even stop when the Holy Spirit was poured out unto us. God’s gifts are more than we can imagine.  More has come and will keep coming! 

This Christmas, whenever life gets you down, remember — In CHRIST, THERE IS MORE!