This morning, while on the way to work, I listened to some Arminian minister on the radio give his version of "Morning Thoughts" on this verse. He seemed particularly interested in telling everyone that they had to "get righteous themselves" and still use this verse to try to show that. Jesus Christ is the ONLY One that makes us righteous. This verse is so plain that it takes help to misunderstand this. However, he also pointed to what he called the futuristic aspect of this work. In other words, even though Christ died for us, we must still do something since this is in the future tense. This belief does not understand the difference between vital and legal work. 

If we are responsible for making ourselves righteous "through Christ," then we had to be responsible to make ourselves sinners "through Adam." However, Adam represented all of his heirs in disobedience. Since we had no choice in that matter, it stands to reason that we had no choice in the work of Christ either. If someone does not like the fact that Adam was their natural representative, it should be no mystery that they are not satisfied that Christ is their spiritual representative.   

The aspects of one have to hold true for the other to make the doctrine of representation stand on a true foundation. 1. Adam's transgression made his posterity completely and totally void of all goodness and innocence. Therefore, Christ's redemptive work makes His people completely and totally righteous, through regeneration (soul and spirit) and the resurrection (body). 2. Adam acted willfully in his disobedience. No power forced him to eat of the fruit, and he is completely responsible for those actions. While Christ did the will of the Father, His will and the Father's will were completely harmonious with each other. As such, He gladly laid down His life in death to redeem His ransomed possession. Christ did not grudgingly give His life, but He loved His brethren enough to die for them.   

3. While all of Adam's race had yet to be born under the transgression and law of sin and death, they were still condemned by it. They showed their condemnation by becoming sinners by practice after they entered the world. Likewise, while not all of Christ's people had been born into the world when He bled and died, they were still under no condemnation in their lives at the moment of regeneration when His blood is applied vitally to their hearts. Also, His blood reached back to those that lived before He came. They were regenerated the same way as those coming after and held in covenant promise looking to the day of Christ.   

These things show forth that the tense of the verse means not that the righteousness of Christ being a part of us hinges on our obedience. It hinges upon the time that He sees fit in His sovereignty to make us alive in Him. Covenantly, we have always been there. Legally, we are made there by His blood. Vitally, we are there in newness of life in the new birth. Manifestly, we are there wholly in His presence forever in the resurrection. Even so come, Lord Jesus.

In Hope,

Bro Philip