Music recording by Ben Doggett. From Amazing Grace by John Newton, 1779. View the Lyrics. Narration by Aimee Riegert.

Devotional by Steve King.

Image: Jeremiah was a historical prophet and a significant figure in ancient Judah. Many people described by Jeremiah have been confirmed through archaeological findings. This includes Jeremiah’s secretary, Baruch, as well as a number of royal and religious officials who are identified in clay seals, tablets, and pottery shards that date to the time of Jeremiah.

Not good enough. We play that mental record, crave acceptance, and strive to be enough. The Bible calls what we crave and strive for “righteousness.” The Bible also tells us the truth about ourselves and gives us hope with two messages: (1) We are not righteous and cannot self-generate it, and (2) God longs to give us His righteousness.¹ The irony is that we must face our “not enough-ness” or we will never receive God’s “more than enough.^2”

Our desire for righteousness and God’s intent to give us His meet in the Good News of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30–31). The prophet Jeremiah predicted the Messiah would move His people to embrace the Lord as their righteousness.³ Five centuries later, Gabriel told Mary that the son in her womb was the Messiah whom Jeremiah predicted. As Mary believed and rejoiced in God her savior, the Lord became her righteousness (see Luke 1).

The angel told Joseph that Mary’s son, conceived by the Holy Spirit, would save His people from their sins: the Lord would be their righteousness (Matthew 1:18–25). Three decades later, Saul, the champion of self-generated righteousness, became Paul, the apostle of “the Lord is our righteousness” (see Acts 9). After meeting the risen Christ, he urged all to join him in finding genuine righteousness only through faith in Jesus Christ.⁴

This Advent, daily replace “not good enough” with “Christ, the Lord, is our righteousness.” In Christ, we are more than enough.

Notes

¹ Romans 3:10,23; Luke 19:10; 2 Corinthians 5:21.
² Romans 1-3 makes us face our unrighteousness and Romans 4-5 urges us to embrace the righteousness of Christ by faith.
³ Jeremiah 23:5-6; 33:14-16.
⁴ Paul’s repeated phrases “in Christ, in the Lord, and in Him” root our acceptance and right standing (righteousness) in our union with Jesus Christ. Colossians 3:1-10; Ephesians 1:1-14; Romans 5:17-19.