I have hope before God because Christ obeyed the law of God as my Representative. Though I am a sinner, without any ability to produce righteousness, I have hope before God who cannot accept anything less than perfect righteousness. My hope is Jehovah-tsidkenu, “The Lord our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:6). Christ lived in this world in perfect obedience to God as my Representative and brought in an everlasting righteousness. It is this righteousness, the righteousness of God, the righteous obedience of the God-man Christ Jesus, which God has imputed to me and imputes to all who believe on his Son (Romans 5:19).  But before righteousness could be lawfully imputed to me my sins had to be both atoned for and put away. And I have hope before God because the Lord Jesus Christ died as my Substitute under the penalty of God’s holy law at Calvary (Romans 3:24-26; 2 Corinthians 5:21). My God, by a marvelously legal and infinitely wise and gracious transfer, transferred my sin to Christ and punished him for my sin and then transferred Christ’s righteousness to me and rewards me for his righteousness. Christ became what we were so that we might forever be what he is. Christ stood in our place so that we might forever stand in his place. Christ died, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, so that we might live forever with God. And now God is faithful and just to forgive the sins of all who confess their sins, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 1:9).   (Posted on Jan 20, 2019)