“It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).
What does Jesus mean to me? That is a valid question for any believer. The simple answer is that He means everything to us. In this verse Paul supplies the detailed answer. He is our wisdom, our righteousness, our holiness and our redemption.
Wisdom in the Bible is not a measure of one’s IQ, it is a practical word. It refers to living the right way and making the right choices. That kind of living can be understood in terms of righteousness, holiness and redemption. Paul was showing that Jesus is all those things to us.
There are two ways to approach the kind of life God wants. We can seek it in our own strength, struggling to keep all the rules of right living. That has never worked and never will. Paul repeatedly explained the failure of our rule-keeping to bring about the righteous life God desires. He does tell us what works every time. It is our being “in Christ.”
Do we need righteousness? Do we want to be holy? Are we aware that our sins mean that we need redemption? All of these are available in Christ. Certainly He changes our natures and our behavior patterns. But everything we desire to be comes from Him. In answer to the question, “What does Jesus mean to me?” the short, and totally accurate answer, is “everything.”
