"Righteousness Delivereth From Death"

Righteousness delivereth from death.—Proverbs 11:4.

When a poor sinner is brought to judge of himself according to the word of truth, then is he truly wise. When he sees the exceeding sinfulness of sin, he is humbled before the Lord. When he considers "the wages of sin is death," he fears and trembles. But when he is enabled to believe he is righteous in the sight of God, then he is truly happy. His soul rejoiceth, because his eyes have seen the salvation of God; and he hath found a righteousness that delivers from death. It is never well with the soul, but when in simplicity and godly sincerity, it forms its judgment of sin and righteousness from the word of the Lord. For carnal reason and fleshly wisdom pervert and draw it aside from the truth as it is in Jesus. Sin is a transgression of the law, which is holy, just, and good. "Death has passed upon all men." Verily then I am a cursed sinner, and have need to cry daily, "God be merciful to me!" Lord, deliver my soul from death! What is righteousness, but a perfect obedience to the law of God? I have no righteousness in myself. I have sinned. A sinner righteous in himself is a contradiction in terms.

But here is our mercy; as by man sin entered into the world, and death as the curse of sin: so by man came righteousness; and as a blessing of it, deliverance from death. Where can we turn our eyes? to whom can we look for this righteousness, this blessing, this deliverance? To the man, Mediator, surety, and representative of his people, JESUS, ONLY. He is emphatically styled "the righteous,"—1 John 2:1. This is the comfortable testimony the Spirit of truth bears of Jesus, "He was made to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we (who have no righteousness in ourselves) might be made the righteousness of God IN HIM."—2 Corinthians 5:21. So the righteous Jehovah, who loveth righteousness, and whose countenance beholds the thing that is just, is well pleased with the members of Jesus: for they are clothed with his righteousness. The Lord laid their sins upon Jesus. The Lord imputes the righteousness of Jesus to them without any works of theirs. So he delivers them from deserved death; so he justifies them in righteousness unto eternal life: every believer is as perfectly righteous IN Christ as if he had never sinned. Here is thy happiness, O believer! it is thy joyful privilege thus to judge of thyself. To live in this view of thyself is agreeable to the truth of God's word: it is witnessed to thy soul by the comforter, through faith. This makes the soul joyful in truth. This animates to all holy obedience in love. This gives confidence in prayer, comfort in life, deliverance from death, and boldness at the awful bar of judgment. Thus "grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5:21.

- William Mason, A Spiritual Treasury for the Children of God, Volume 1, December 17