28. Made Righteous
Romans 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Many shall be made righteous by the obedience of Jesus the Christ, the Second Adam. The First Adam’s disobedience made sinners of many. “Many” does not mean most of the group but the entire group, and there are many in that group, the race of humans. “Made” sinners or “made” righteous” does not mean to change the substance or essence of the person; it does mean accounted, considered, reckoned or declared to be so.
The “sinner” that was made was so all-pervasive that the person was corrupted totally and to such an extent that the “sinner” in a man influences and leavens everything about him so much that nothing good remains. The good that God created in the image of God is so covered and distorted and darkened that it cannot be seen. In the same all-pervasive way the “righteous” in a believer influences and leavens everything about him so much that no sin remains in God’s sight. God sees the righteous man, not the sinner man. The evil that Adam made in his own image is so covered and enlightened that it cannot be seen.
However, the believer is still a sinner and sin still remains, and it still bedevils us constantly. By the way, the sinner is very perceptive and quite adept at seeing the sin in others, and we are pretty good at pointing it out. We are indeed completely sinner and completely saint at the same time and all the time, until we die; then the sin is gone, the sinner passes away, and we are changed in the twinkling of an eye. Meanwhile, flesh and spirit struggle. The Law energizes the flesh in this battle, while the Gospel empowers the spirit. So which should we emphasize?
Our constant focus is channeled by daily remembrance of Baptism in which the old man (the sinner) is drowned and dies and the new man (the righteous) arises to walk in newness of life. The Christian life is one of continually refocusing on Jesus, the One who made us righteous. Christ was obedient to the perfect Law of God and also obedient unto death, fulfilling the will of God (dying for people). Thereby the amazing promise comes true: I am one of the many who are made righteous. That righteousness is so pervasive that it covers and blots out the sinner; that is how faith looks at myself; that is what happens when I “die to myself” that Christ might live. When we take hold of the “made righteous” promise we view life and self in a whole new way.