Lasting Joy: Discovering a Clean Slate in Christ As You Relish in What Has Been Credited to Your Account

One of the foundational secular humanistic  messages we are tempted to buy, is finding our purpose, our joy, our meaning to life in our achievements.  If we were to be honest, most of us battle with this thought daily.  This is why we need the truth of scripture.  If for no other reason than to counteract our cultures lies, you need His word to guide and re-orient you on the real goal of life, as to your true identity in Christ and to the source of true joy.  Over and over again in the scriptures you will find a worldview that stands out from what is being taught in our world.  

In our fight back, get even culture it’s so easy to accept this secular humanistic idea that life is all about self.  This falsehood leads one to think that joy and purpose are found in accomplishments and achievements.  Now, these things aren’t inherently wrong.  They do bring joy, but not the kind of lasting joy that never fades that Christ promises.  True joy is found in discovering in Christ your sins are forgiven, your past is wiped out, your guilt and shame are gone.  
 
“and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”  Philippians 3:9
 
 Let me help all of us counteract this humanistic tendency by unpacking the great doctrine that Paul teaches here in this verse.  The doctrine of imputation.  

“imputation:”  refers to crediting something to a person’s account.

A few months ago many Americans woke up with a few extra dollars in their account.  That money wasn’t theirs the day before.  The stimulus package authorized the US Treasury to impute a set amount of funds to each Americans account.  Now, I don’t’ know about you, but when I checked my account that day, I smiled from ear to ear.  It pays to have a large family on days like this.  That was no my money, it was credited to my account.  That’s the same way it works with us when we come to faith in Christ.  In salvation, my sin and guilt are credited to Jesus, and His righteousness is credited to me.

“For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Aramaic Bible in Plain English For he who had not known sin made himself to become sin in your place, that we would become the righteousness of God in him.”  2 Corinthians 5:21
 
Because Paul was now in Christ, everything the Jesus accomplished had been credited to his account.  When the Father looks down on the Christian, He doesn’t see the sin, the mistakes, the faithlessness of that person.  Instead, He sees you and I as behaving and obeying in every way that Christ behaved.  The result of this new relationship is that the power of Christ’s resurrection becomes a present reality for all Christ follower.  This is why we can have true lasting joy.  We rejoice in the Lord and what He has done for us and that will never change.

Friend, if you are in Christ, positionally, you are perfect before the Father.  Take a moments and relish in what has just been credited to your account.