The Full Package
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. I Corinthians 1:30 (KJV)
I love this verse. It explains to us several of the many things Jesus becomes to us when we receive Him. He is wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Any one of those things is wonderful all by itself, but to have all four is huge. Let’s break each one down.
Wisdom
The word wisdom in the Greek is sophia, which refers to wisdom in general, not necessarily spiritual wisdom or worldly wisdom, but both. In other words, Jesus has been made wisdom to us in both the natural and supernatural aspects of life. While knowledge refers to the accumulation of facts and information, wisdom is the understanding of how to use that knowledge. When we know Jesus, we know more than mere facts and figures; we know how to apply the Word of God to our lives. Ecclesiastes 7:12 tells us that wisdom will preserve our lives, and Proverbs speaks of the value of wisdom in protecting us. In becoming our wisdom, Jesus preserves and protects us.
Righteousness
The word righteousness is the Greek word dikaiosune, which means justification or righteousness. Because of Jesus, we have been made righteous, or right with God. It is our position with the Lord. He sees us as just and upright before Him. The shed blood of Jesus has purchased that position for us. We cannot earn righteousness. It has been bestowed upon us because of what Jesus did. And as long as we remain in Christ, we are righteous. We are not sinners saved by grace- we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Yes, we are saved by grace, but we are no longer sinners. To say our identity is that of a sinner is to say that the shed blood of Jesus did not accomplish anything for us.
Sanctification
Sanctification in the Greek is hagiasmos, which means purification, the state of purity, holiness, sanctification. What this tells us is that faith in Jesus Christ is needed in order to be cleaned up and purified. As we walk with Jesus, His Word purifies us more and more each day. While righteousness is an instantaneous change in position that happens at the new birth, sanctification is a process. It is the process of becoming more and more like Jesus. We cannot change ourselves, but we can cooperate by staying in the Word and submitting to the direction and correction of the Holy Spirit. As we do, the blood of Jesus sanctifies us. Without Jesus, mankind cannot ever become pure and holy.
Redemption
Redemption is the Greek word apolutrosis and means to ransom in full. It refers to salvation, deliverance and redemption. Although it is listed last, it is the most crucial of the four words because the other three would not be possible without this one, In order for Jesus to become our wisdom, make us righteous, and work sanctification in us, we must first be purchased out of the kingdom of darkness. Jesus paid the ransom in full with His shed blood. We were slaves to sin, but Jesus paid the ultimate price to redeem us and buy us out of that bondage. He purchased us and made us free. Because we received Him as our redemption, He also became our wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification.
Jesus purchased other things for us besides these four; we have healing, peace, prosperity and so much more. Salvation in Jesus really is the full package deal. Everything we need to prosper and succeed in life is found in one Person- Jesus Christ.
