God Sees Christ Before He Sees You | Philippians 3 | J.D. Greear

There is a righteousness that God offers There is a righteousness that God offers to the gospel, Paul says, that comes not to the gospel, Paul says, that comes not to the gospel, Paul says, that comes not from obedience to the law and not from from obedience to the law and not from from obedience to the law and not from any kind of human accomplishment. It any kind of human accomplishment. It any kind of human accomplishment. It comes only through faith in Christ given comes only through faith in Christ given comes only through faith in Christ given as a gift to all who will receive it and as a gift to all who will receive it and as a gift to all who will receive it and it gives you a confidence with God, Paul it gives you a confidence with God, Paul it gives you a confidence with God, Paul says, that nothing else can. says, that nothing else can. says, that nothing else can. It is what we call gift righteousness. It is what we call gift righteousness. It is what we call gift righteousness. In fact, let me encourage you to write In fact, let me encourage you to write In fact, let me encourage you to write that down, gift righteousness. that down, gift righteousness. that down, gift righteousness. Because this is the heart Because this is the heart Because this is the heart and center and center and center of the Christian message and what of the Christian message and what of the Christian message and what distinguishes the Christian message from distinguishes the Christian message from distinguishes the Christian message from every other religious message on earth. every other religious message on earth. every other religious message on earth. Christ's righteousness given to us as a Christ's righteousness given to us as a Christ's righteousness given to us as a gift. It is when Christ's record, his gift. It is when Christ's record, his gift. It is when Christ's record, his resume, gets credited to your account. resume, gets credited to your account. resume, gets credited to your account. It is what the Apostle Paul calls in his It is what the Apostle Paul calls in his It is what the Apostle Paul calls in his letter to the Romans imputed letter to the Romans imputed letter to the Romans imputed righteousness. righteousness. righteousness. Imputed Imputed Imputed is a legal term that means something is a legal term that means something is a legal term that means something gets credited to you. A status gets gets credited to you. A status gets gets credited to you. A status gets conferred upon you. It is different, conferred upon you. It is different, conferred upon you. It is different, follow, follow, follow, it is different than you slowly becoming it is different than you slowly becoming it is different than you slowly becoming more and more righteous in your thoughts more and more righteous in your thoughts more and more righteous in your thoughts and behavior over a lifetime.

and behavior over a lifetime. and behavior over a lifetime. That is called infused righteousness and That is called infused righteousness and That is called infused righteousness and it is different from imputed it is different from imputed it is different from imputed righteousness. Imputed righteousness is righteousness. Imputed righteousness is righteousness. Imputed righteousness is when you are positionally put into when you are positionally put into when you are positionally put into Christ so that when God sees you, he Christ so that when God sees you, he Christ so that when God sees you, he counts Christ's righteousness as yours. counts Christ's righteousness as yours. counts Christ's righteousness as yours. Infused righteousness is the process of Infused righteousness is the process of Infused righteousness is the process of Christ's righteousness and his spirit Christ's righteousness and his spirit Christ's righteousness and his spirit slowly infiltrating you over a lifetime slowly infiltrating you over a lifetime slowly infiltrating you over a lifetime until it completely takes you over. until it completely takes you over. until it completely takes you over. Imputed righteousness happens to you all Imputed righteousness happens to you all Imputed righteousness happens to you all at once. Infused righteousness happens at once. Infused righteousness happens at once. Infused righteousness happens over a lifetime. over a lifetime. over a lifetime. In fact, here's a way to see it because In fact, here's a way to see it because In fact, here's a way to see it because I thought this might be confusing. Let I thought this might be confusing. Let I thought this might be confusing. Let me let this me let this me let this jar of water here represent Jesus, the jar of water here represent Jesus, the jar of water here represent Jesus, the righteousness of Christ. And let's let righteousness of Christ. And let's let righteousness of Christ. And let's let this this this represent you. You are baby Yoda, okay? represent you. You are baby Yoda, okay? represent you. You are baby Yoda, okay? When you put faith in Christ, when you When you put faith in Christ, when you When you put faith in Christ, when you put faith in Christ, that is when you put faith in Christ, that is when you put faith in Christ, that is when you accept him as your savior, accept him as your savior, accept him as your savior, you get put into Christ. you get put into Christ. you get put into Christ. That is the language Paul uses in That is the language Paul uses in That is the language Paul uses in Philippians 3, "I've been found in him." Philippians 3, "I've been found in him." Philippians 3, "I've been found in him." So, now when God sees you, So, now when God sees you, So, now when God sees you, he actually sees Christ first.

he actually sees Christ first. he actually sees Christ first. He literally cannot see you without He literally cannot see you without He literally cannot see you without first seeing Christ. That is imputed first seeing Christ. That is imputed first seeing Christ. That is imputed righteousness. righteousness. righteousness. Oh, but something else is happening to Oh, but something else is happening to Oh, but something else is happening to Baby Yoda when he's in the water, right? Baby Yoda when he's in the water, right? Baby Yoda when he's in the water, right? Slowly the water of Christ's Slowly the water of Christ's Slowly the water of Christ's righteousness is seeping into him. righteousness is seeping into him. righteousness is seeping into him. This is infused righteousness. The This is infused righteousness. The This is infused righteousness. The process of Christ's righteousness slowly process of Christ's righteousness slowly process of Christ's righteousness slowly seeping into you. That is called seeping into you. That is called seeping into you. That is called sanctification, sanctification, sanctification, and it is an important part of your and it is an important part of your and it is an important part of your spiritual growth, too. But, it is not spiritual growth, too. But, it is not spiritual growth, too. But, it is not the same as imputed righteousness. the same as imputed righteousness. the same as imputed righteousness. Imputed righteousness is a legal Imputed righteousness is a legal Imputed righteousness is a legal declaration that happens all at once, declaration that happens all at once, declaration that happens all at once, the moment you put faith into Christ, the moment you put faith into Christ, the moment you put faith into Christ, and you get put into Christ. I take and you get put into Christ. I take and you get put into Christ. I take pains to explain this pains to explain this pains to explain this because our Catholic friends often because our Catholic friends often because our Catholic friends often confuse the two, which is why so many of confuse the two, which is why so many of confuse the two, which is why so many of them, frankly, lack an assurance of them, frankly, lack an assurance of them, frankly, lack an assurance of salvation. salvation. salvation. They teach that righteousness gets put They teach that righteousness gets put They teach that righteousness gets put into us little by little by means of the into us little by little by means of the into us little by little by means of the sacraments. It's infused into us over a sacraments. It's infused into us over a sacraments. It's infused into us over a lifetime. That literally is the language lifetime. That literally is the language lifetime. That literally is the language they use, infused. God's righteousness, they use, infused. God's righteousness, they use, infused. God's righteousness, they believe, is like a medicine. The they believe, is like a medicine. The they believe, is like a medicine. The more you go to church, the more you go more you go to church, the more you go more you go to church, the more you go to confession, the more you take the to confession, the more you take the to confession, the more you take the Eucharist, the more righteousness comes Eucharist, the more righteousness comes Eucharist, the more righteousness comes into you. So, they're always going to into you. So, they're always going to into you. So, they're always going to mass or confession, but the problem is mass or confession, but the problem is mass or confession, but the problem is they never know if they have enough they never know if they have enough they never know if they have enough righteousness inside of them to really righteousness inside of them to really righteousness inside of them to really say they fully belong to Jesus and that say they fully belong to Jesus and that say they fully belong to Jesus and that they're assured of heaven, which is why they're assured of heaven, which is why they're assured of heaven, which is why when you ask many of them if they're when you ask many of them if they're when you ask many of them if they're sure they're going to go to heaven, then sure they're going to go to heaven, then sure they're going to go to heaven, then they'll tell you they don't know, and they'll tell you they don't know, and they'll tell you they don't know, and they assume they'll probably have to they assume they'll probably have to they assume they'll probably have to finish the righteousness saturation finish the righteousness saturation finish the righteousness saturation project in purgatory. And that is project in purgatory. And that is project in purgatory. And that is because they confuse infused

because they confuse infused because they confuse infused righteousness with imputed righteousness with imputed righteousness with imputed righteousness. In this passage, Paul is righteousness. In this passage, Paul is righteousness. In this passage, Paul is talking about that moment where talking about that moment where talking about that moment where positionally we are put into Christ all positionally we are put into Christ all positionally we are put into Christ all at once. Where Christ's resume literally at once. Where Christ's resume literally at once. Where Christ's resume literally becomes mine. becomes mine. becomes mine. Martin Luther had a great way of Martin Luther had a great way of Martin Luther had a great way of expressing this. He says, "When you get expressing this. He says, "When you get expressing this. He says, "When you get put into Christ," he said, "you are put into Christ," he said, "you are put into Christ," he said, "you are simultaneously righteous and a sinner." simultaneously righteous and a sinner." simultaneously righteous and a sinner." That is simultaneously I'm fully That is simultaneously I'm fully That is simultaneously I'm fully righteous in God's eyes righteous in God's eyes righteous in God's eyes even while I'm still sinful and dry on even while I'm still sinful and dry on even while I'm still sinful and dry on the inside. Right now, even before I'm the inside. Right now, even before I'm the inside. Right now, even before I'm soaked all the way through with Christ's soaked all the way through with Christ's soaked all the way through with Christ's righteousness, when God sees me, he sees righteousness, when God sees me, he sees righteousness, when God sees me, he sees Christ first and he sees Christ's full Christ first and he sees Christ's full Christ first and he sees Christ's full record as belonging to me. record as belonging to me. record as belonging to me. And like I said, the all that gives me a And like I said, the all that gives me a And like I said, the all that gives me a confidence in him that nothing else can.