“Support 10. That your persons stand not before God in your own righteousness, but in the perfect, spotless, and matchless righteousness of the Lord Jesus.
Weak hearts are apt to sit down troubled and discouraged, when they look upon that body of sin that is in them, and those imperfections that attend their chiefest services; they are ready to say, ‘We shall one day perish by the strength of our lusts, or by the defects of our services.’
Oh but weak souls should remember this, to strengthen them against all discouragements, that their persons stand before God, clothed with the righteousness of their Saviour, and so God owns them and looks upon them as persons wrapped up in his royal robe.
Hence it is that he is called, Jer. 23:6, ‘JEHOVAH TSIDKENU, the Lord our righteousness.’ And so in 1 Cor. 1:30, ‘He is of God made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.’
Though weak saints have nothing of their own, yet in Christ they have all, for in him is all fulness, Col. 1:19, both repletive and diffusive; both of abundance and of redundance; both of plenty and of bounty.
He is made to weak saints wisdom, by his prophetical office; and he is made to weak saints righteousness and sanctification, by his priestly office; and he is made to weak saints redemption, by his kingly office. So in Col. 2:10, ‘And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.’
Varro reports of two hundred and eighty-eight several opinions that were among the philosophers, about the complete happiness of man; but they were out in them all, one judging his happiness lay in this and another in that.
They caught at the shadow of happiness, but could not come at the tree of life, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is weak saints’ complete happiness. Rev. 14:5, ‘And in their mouths was found no guile, for they were without fault before the throne of God.’
Though men may accuse you, judge and condemn you, yet know for your support, that you are acquitted before the throne of God. However you may stand in the eyes of men, as full of nothing but faults, persons made up of nothing but sin, yet are you clear in the eyes of God.
So in Song of Songs 4:7, ‘Thou art all fair, my love, and there is no spot in thee.’ There is none, such as are the spots of wicked men, nor no spot in mine account.
God looks upon weak saints in the Son of his love, and sees them all lovely; they are as the tree of Paradise, Gen. 3:6, ‘fair to his eye, and pleasant to his taste.’ Or as Absalom, in whom there was no blemish from head to foot.
Ah, poor souls! you are apt to look upon your spots and blots, and to cry out with the leper not only ‘Unclean, unclean!’ but ‘Undone, undone!’ Well, forever remember this, that your persons stand before God in the righteousness of Christ; upon which account you always appear, before the throne of God, without fault; you are all fair, and there is no spot in you.”
–Thomas Brooks, “The Unsearchable Riches of Christ,” The Works of Thomas Brooks, Volume 3, ed. Alexander Balloch Grosart (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1866/2001), 3: 69-70.
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