YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS.
This has been one of the biggest issues we have in the faith especially with the religious Christians. It is hard for people to believe that they can be righteous without any effort.
A lot of people don't even know the meaning of "righteousness" or what it means to be "righteous".
We would soon go to scripture but before then let us go to the originals (Greek) and check what the writers meant when they said "righteous".
Righteous in Greek is "dikaios" which means to be pure, blameless, accepted by God.
Wow! That's huge, it means I am pure, blameless and accepted by God without effort? God loves me tirelessly? (john3:16)
See this:
John 15:1-3 "I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.(NLT)
Another translation...
John 15:1-3 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
compare the two translations to understand what Jesus meant. The branches that bear no fruit are pruned and made pure by his words. you would notice that Jesus never let the attention of the text be on what we would do?
The purifying of the believer is not his business it is Jesus' Business and the last time I checked, he has done it by his word that dwells in you by faith.
Ephesians 5:26-27
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Notice again, the focus is on Jesus. Jesus does the purifying, and presents us to himself a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle, holy without blemish. Our job is to receive his work! Hallelujah!!
Let us see another scripture:
John 5:38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
We would see here that the way the WORD dwells in us is by faith or by believing in Jesus. The word is in us and has purified us.
Let us not forget that the word is Jesus!
Jesus is in us and has purified us and made us righteous.
Under the old testament before you were made clean or accepted by God, you had to work your way through it. It had to be through your efforts.
You had to present a lamb to be killed on your behalf, you had to be cleansed and you had to keep the laws—613 of them. It never worked. If you broke one law, you have broken all. No man could ever be righteous with the law. They were always breaking them. Always!! That's why Paul said in Romans 3:10 that none under the law was righteous, no not one.
See this...
Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness [come] by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (kjv)
Galatians 2:21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. (NLT)
Actually no one could get right with God by obeying the laws of Moses or by trying to please his way up there.
That's not the law's purpose. It was not given to make one righteous—not at all!
See this:
Galatians 3:23-26 Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law.
We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. Let me put it another way.
The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.
And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (NLT).
Romans 3:21-22 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. (NLT).
Romans 3:28 For we hold that a man is justified and made upright by faith independent of and distinctly apart from good deeds (works of the Law). [The observance of the Law has nothing to do with justification.] (AMP)
Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified (KJV)
As we clearly see here that a man is not made righteous by his works or by obeying the law. The law was established to guide isreal until Jesus came.
Romans 2:14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves.
The law was given to lead Isreal to Christ. After which it's job was done.
The law was also given so that everyone would know how sinful they were and run to God for help. It was given to amplify sin and make it large so people could only but run to God for help!
Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law [is] the knowledge of sin.(KJV)
Romans 7:13 Did that which is good then prove fatal [bringing death] to me? Certainly not! It was sin, working death in me by using this good thing [as a weapon], in order that through the commandment sin might be shown up clearly to be sin, that the extreme malignity and immeasurable sinfulness of sin might plainly appear. (AMP)
Gal 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
But in Christ the law was done away with.
Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Hebrews 8:13 [ In that He says,] [ "A new] [covenant,] [ "] [ He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.]
The old covenant law is obsolete...
Ephesians 2:15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, [that is,] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man [from] the two, [thus] making peace.
Christ has abolished the law in his flesh.
Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
He came to fulfil the laws. Something that is fulfilled has no use anymore.
We are not even righteous by what we do. Not because I don't fornicate or lie or anything...no, I am righteous because of Jesus' death.
I didn't need to do anything to be called a sinner, I just needed to be born from Adam. Same way I became a sinner by just being born into Adam, is the same way I become righteous by being born into Christ.
Romans 5:12-21
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: note
13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
15 But not as the offence, so also isthe free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) note
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. note note
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. (KJV)
how am I righteous?
I am righteous because Jesus died for me....
Let me quickly say this, a lot of people feel that God just overlooked sin. No!! A complete no!!!
Your sins were never overlooked. Someone paid the price for it. God punished him for your sins. Every single sin you would have sinned past, present future were all punished in Jesus and because of that God doesn't see you as a sinner. Someone has paid for that.
What Jesus did was instead of collecting from us the price he paid for us, he forgave us the debt. We owe Jesus a lot, because he paid for our sins—instead he told us to go Scot-free. No hidden charges. You can come boldly and obtain your gift because it has been paid for in full.
It was an exchange. He took my place, I took his.
He became sin for me, I became his righteousness.
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
We are made the righteousness of God in Christ!!!
Hallelujah!!
When we became born again we received this beautiful gift by faith.
Romans10:9-11
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
It is a gift we received the moment we took a life from Christ.
I've typed too much already!
***to be continued ***
This has been one of the biggest issues we have in the faith especially with the religious Christians. It is hard for people to believe that they can be righteous without any effort.
A lot of people don't even know the meaning of "righteousness" or what it means to be "righteous".
We would soon go to scripture but before then let us go to the originals (Greek) and check what the writers meant when they said "righteous".
Righteous in Greek is "dikaios" which means to be pure, blameless, accepted by God.
Wow! That's huge, it means I am pure, blameless and accepted by God without effort? God loves me tirelessly? (john3:16)
See this:
John 15:1-3 "I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.(NLT)
Another translation...
John 15:1-3 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
compare the two translations to understand what Jesus meant. The branches that bear no fruit are pruned and made pure by his words. you would notice that Jesus never let the attention of the text be on what we would do?
The purifying of the believer is not his business it is Jesus' Business and the last time I checked, he has done it by his word that dwells in you by faith.
Ephesians 5:26-27
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Notice again, the focus is on Jesus. Jesus does the purifying, and presents us to himself a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle, holy without blemish. Our job is to receive his work! Hallelujah!!
Let us see another scripture:
John 5:38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
We would see here that the way the WORD dwells in us is by faith or by believing in Jesus. The word is in us and has purified us.
Let us not forget that the word is Jesus!
Jesus is in us and has purified us and made us righteous.
Under the old testament before you were made clean or accepted by God, you had to work your way through it. It had to be through your efforts.
You had to present a lamb to be killed on your behalf, you had to be cleansed and you had to keep the laws—613 of them. It never worked. If you broke one law, you have broken all. No man could ever be righteous with the law. They were always breaking them. Always!! That's why Paul said in Romans 3:10 that none under the law was righteous, no not one.
See this...
Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness [come] by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (kjv)
Galatians 2:21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. (NLT)
Actually no one could get right with God by obeying the laws of Moses or by trying to please his way up there.
That's not the law's purpose. It was not given to make one righteous—not at all!
See this:
Galatians 3:23-26 Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law.
We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. Let me put it another way.
The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.
And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (NLT).
Romans 3:21-22 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. (NLT).
Romans 3:28 For we hold that a man is justified and made upright by faith independent of and distinctly apart from good deeds (works of the Law). [The observance of the Law has nothing to do with justification.] (AMP)
Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified (KJV)
As we clearly see here that a man is not made righteous by his works or by obeying the law. The law was established to guide isreal until Jesus came.
Romans 2:14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves.
The law was given to lead Isreal to Christ. After which it's job was done.
The law was also given so that everyone would know how sinful they were and run to God for help. It was given to amplify sin and make it large so people could only but run to God for help!
Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law [is] the knowledge of sin.(KJV)
Romans 7:13 Did that which is good then prove fatal [bringing death] to me? Certainly not! It was sin, working death in me by using this good thing [as a weapon], in order that through the commandment sin might be shown up clearly to be sin, that the extreme malignity and immeasurable sinfulness of sin might plainly appear. (AMP)
Gal 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
But in Christ the law was done away with.
Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Hebrews 8:13 [ In that He says,] [ "A new] [covenant,] [ "] [ He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.]
The old covenant law is obsolete...
Ephesians 2:15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, [that is,] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man [from] the two, [thus] making peace.
Christ has abolished the law in his flesh.
Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
He came to fulfil the laws. Something that is fulfilled has no use anymore.
We are not even righteous by what we do. Not because I don't fornicate or lie or anything...no, I am righteous because of Jesus' death.
I didn't need to do anything to be called a sinner, I just needed to be born from Adam. Same way I became a sinner by just being born into Adam, is the same way I become righteous by being born into Christ.
Romans 5:12-21
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: note
13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
15 But not as the offence, so also isthe free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) note
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. note note
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. (KJV)
how am I righteous?
I am righteous because Jesus died for me....
Let me quickly say this, a lot of people feel that God just overlooked sin. No!! A complete no!!!
Your sins were never overlooked. Someone paid the price for it. God punished him for your sins. Every single sin you would have sinned past, present future were all punished in Jesus and because of that God doesn't see you as a sinner. Someone has paid for that.
What Jesus did was instead of collecting from us the price he paid for us, he forgave us the debt. We owe Jesus a lot, because he paid for our sins—instead he told us to go Scot-free. No hidden charges. You can come boldly and obtain your gift because it has been paid for in full.
It was an exchange. He took my place, I took his.
He became sin for me, I became his righteousness.
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
We are made the righteousness of God in Christ!!!
Hallelujah!!
When we became born again we received this beautiful gift by faith.
Romans10:9-11
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
It is a gift we received the moment we took a life from Christ.
I've typed too much already!
***to be continued ***
Man of God. Only if we will understand that righteousness is a nature and not an act!
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