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Mthobisi Dladla

The Righteous Requirement of God

2013

INTRODUCTION The fundamental elements of mans creation have been the study of many since there was ever an exposition of such knowledge. Many have wondered about the fall of man and have imagined a life where man had never fell and how beautiful it would be. Generally, when we talk about the fall of man we are talking about the first sin which a man committed and the consequences which resulted from the event. Paul says 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: (Romans 5:12); it was not just sin that was passed on to all of us because we partook of Adams nature, but also death because we all sinned. When Adam was created he bore the image of God since he was the son of God (Luke 3:38), he was in every way like Jesus was, except that Jesus has become a life-giving spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45). It was when Adam fell that he fell short of the glory and image of God, as the bible also says about all of us, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) - it was that same glory that Jesus came to restore. The bibles speaks of Jesus saying and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (AND WE BEHELD HIS GLORY, THE GLORY AS OF THE ONLY BEGOTTEN OF THE FATHER ), full of grace and truth. (John 1:14), it was the glory of the sons of God that Jesus was clothed with and it was that glory that He was going to restore to us which meant He was to reconcile with the Father once and for all. Additionally, just before He is crucified, John records a prayer that He prayed for His disciples and in that prayer He says something quite extraordinary when He says and THE GLORY WHICH YOU GAVE ME I HAVE GIVEN THEM, that they may be one just as We are one: (John 17:22) this was the glory of the sons of God, the unity of brotherhood and the communion of the Spirit. It was on the sixth day that God created man and man was created after all other creation had come about and God rested on the seventh day the Sabbath Day. Its amazing to just wonder off in thought and imagine the Fatherhood of God who prepares for the coming of His son (Adam) and assures that everything is there when His son arrives in the world, as all fathers prepare for their children and Paul seals this up by saying For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.(2 Corinthians 12:14). In the train of thoughts I am captivated by the fact that God had made everything before the man and then made him a day before the Sabbath, a day of rest, which also signified a day of fellowship with man where He was undisturbed by the work of creation. I remember a story about Jesus and the two sisters of Lazarus, how when the Lord visited them, one (Martha) was busy with serving and the other (Mary) was at the Lords feet, and the Lord says to Martha Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:41-42) sometimes service is what disturbs us the most from our fellowship, and that is why God took care of service before fellowship came.

The Righteous Requirement of God

2013

Nevertheless let us come back to our focal point. It is not so long after a man is created that God brings him to the garden of Eden and then commands him and says Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, FOR IN THE DAY THAT YOU EAT OF IT YOU SHALL SURELY DIE. (Genesis 2:15). This is one of those scriptures that every consistent bible reader reads without forgetting, yet I discovered that God said IN THAT DAY Adam eats of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he will surely die, meaning the day he eats what God commanded him not to eat. However we do see him in the third chapter eating (Genesis 3:6), yet the bible says one chapter after this event Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, I have acquired a man from the Lord. (Genesis 4:1) it appears that Adam was still alive enough to have a son even after he had eaten, in fact it says in the fifth chapter So all the days that Adam lived were NINE HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS; AND HE DIED. (Genesis 5:5). So then what kind of death was God talking about in this instance because even after Adam ate of the forbidden fruit he is not taken up dead immediately, but God said IN THAT DAY - IT IS SPIRITUAL DEATH. It is because of this spiritual death, this separation from God and fallen nature that man couldnt help himself but sin, even as early as Genesis God had seen the wickedness of man, as the bible says Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that EVERY INTENT OF THE THOUGHTS OF HIS HEART WAS ONLY EVIL CONTINUALLY. (Genesis 6:5). Every man was prompted to sin from the deep parts of his corrupted heart, having taken up that nature from Adam and having borne his fallen image and likeness as the bible says and Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son IN HIS OWN LIKENESS, AFTER HIS IMAGE, and named him Seth. (Genesis 5:3). Seth was not conformed to the image and likeness of God as were all of us before Christ came. The scripture has testified and confined all under sin (Galatians 3:22) as Paul says and even David talks about the corruptness of sin and its grip on mankind from the womb saying Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and IN SIN DID MY MOTHER CONCEIVE ME. (Psalm 51:5) and once again he says The wicked are estranged from the womb; THEY GO ASTRAY AS SOON AS THEY ARE BORN, SPEAKING LIES. (Psalm 58:3). Every human being alive was subject to fault before God and that is the reason God brought the great flood upon them and saved Noah and his family because of his righteousness and Noah as a result walked with God (Genesis 6:9). After all man had been destroyed, a new generation came from the loins of Noah, however that generation was just as corrupt as the previous one, if not worse. A time came when people served other gods, yet after many generations a man was born who would impact a great change towards coming generations and his name was originally Abram. This man had found favor and grace with God, being instructed to leave his fathers house and was also told by God that his name would be great and in him all the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3) he was asked to leave his father, Terahs house since his father served other gods as well (Joshua 24:2). God had promised Abraham that to his children He will give the land of the Canaanites (Genesis 12:6-7); these are the later so-called children of Israel.

The Righteous Requirement of God

2013

To Abraham was born Isaac and to Isaac two sons, twins, Jacob and Esau and God speaks of them saying to their mother Rebecca two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, AND THE OLDER SHALL SERVE THE YOUNGER. (Genesis 25:23). Jacob was the younger, and his name is later changed to Israel when he struggles with the Lord in the ford of Jabbok (Genesis 32), this is the man by whom the children of Israel derive its name. Its his children that God delivered from Egypt (having been enslaved in that country for 400 years); these are the descendants of Abraham that were to inherit the land of Canaan and a nation chosen by God.

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD. In spite of all these events, there is one thing that God hadnt set aside which is the sinfulness of man; therefore He still demanded His chosen ones to uphold the standards of righteousness. There was a righteous requirement that God demanded from Israel and the Law of commandments was to achieve that (you can read more about that in the short book, Repentance: Turning Away) . The law was not for the whole world but was for Israel, the Jews alone. It is by the Law that righteousness was to be established in the people of God and it is through it that God intended to produce a righteous and holy nation. The definition of righteousness is the quality of being morally right or justifiable . God put forth His Law to the children of Israel to produce in them a nation of righteous and holy people (as mentioned above), a kind of people who are morally right, innocent, and upright in every way. The Law was the only medium for attaining to righteousness, therefore God says through Moses FOR WE WILL BE COUNTED AS RIGHTEOUS WHEN WE OBEY ALL THE COMMANDS THE LORD OUR GOD HAS GIVEN US. (Deuteronomy 6:25). This meant that the only way one could be regarded as righteous was when and only when they kept the Law of God there was no other way. Even though it reflected simplicity on the outside, it was very difficult to uphold on the inside; it was the heart that needed changing. Additionally, if you have read the short book about repentance you would come to understand that there was absolutely no one who kept or could keep Gods law completely; man kept on sinning even when the Law was given. In fact Paul says that the Law was the strength of sin and that sin received life and more advantage over man when the Law was introduced when he says The sting of death is sin, AND THE STRENGTH OF SIN IS THE LAW. (1 Corinthians 15:56) and also but sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. FOR APART FROM THE LAW SIN WAS DEAD. (Romans 7:8). God expected man to be righteous by the Law; however THE COMMANDMENT, WHICH WAS TO BRING LIFE, I FOUND TO BRING DEATH. (Romans 7:10) is therefore something wrong with the Law or is the Law bad? If not how then did man sin under the Law? Because we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. (Romans 7:14).

The Righteous Requirement of God

2013

The Jews who seemed to have an advantage over the Gentiles because of the Law found that they had no advantage at all. The righteousness that Israel was to obtain was the righteousness that demanded working to be right with God; doing something to gain ones rightness with God God demanded that they do something to obtain a declaration of righteousness from His part. However, due to a constant failure to meet the agreements of the covenant which was given to Israel after their deliverance from Egypt, a covenant based on such Laws, God speaks of a coming new covenant. There was nothing faulty about God or His covenant but all was faulty about us, and the Scripture proves that when it says For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. BECAUSE FINDING FAULT WITH THEM, He says: Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord (Hebrews 8:7-9) it was fault with us that God found, not with Himself or with His Law. A new covenant was about to come which based itself on a different definition of righteousness and Jesus Christ the Lord, would stand on the position of being testator of this covenant and His blood and death would be the establishment of this New Testament. Righteousness even though defined by such simple expressions represented more in the Spirit World; it represented LIFE for the spirit-man. When a man fell as we have discussed above, he died spiritually, MEANING THAT HE BECAME VOID OF ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS and the Law in its supposed effect to make man righteous was to bring life, as Paul even says THE COMMANDMENT, WHICH WAS TO BRING LIFE (Romans 7:10) however the Law could not bring it because of the weakness of human flesh but instead brought death and Paul concludes this by saying FOR IF THERE HAD BEEN A LAW GIVEN WHICH COULD HAVE GIVEN LIFE, TRULY RIGHTEOUSNESS WOULD HAVE BEEN BY THE LAW. (Galatians 3:21). Therefore since the Law couldnt achieve righteousness, it automatically couldnt achieve life and vice versa. Therefore there was a need for something better, something that could bring life and life eternal and that is the reason for Jesus appearance who is the Light of the world, whcih gives life to every man that comes into the world (John 1:9). For Jesus to be the giver of life meant He also would be the giver of righteousness since they are both connected to each other. Jesus was to be our righteousness and not the Law as Paul says But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and RIGHTEOUSNESS, and sanctification, and redemption: (1 Corinthians 1:30). Jesus said Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. (John 6:47) and john also Whoever has the Son has life (1 John 5:12), implying also that he who has Jesus Christ by believing in Him also has righteousness, well Paul proves this by saying For with the heart ONE BELIEVES UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:10) He is simply saying one believes and he is made righteous and he confesses and he is saved. Now we see two kinds of righteousness, one which came by the Law and the other which comes by having faith in Jesus Christ. What does the bible say about the Law? David says Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your law is truth. (Psalm 119:142), therefore the Law of God remains truth, as well as His righteousness which is now established by faith in Jesus Christ.

The Righteous Requirement of God

2013

Nonetheless the Jews were expected to be righteous by the Law before Jesus died at the cross and we can see that when a rich man comes to Jesus and asks Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life? (Matthew 19:16). Before we come to Jesus answer at this, let us analyze this question; this man asks Jesus WHAT GOOD DEED MUST I DO?, because to the Jewish mind due to the demands of the Law you could only earn your way to righteousness and to eternal life by GOOD DEEDS. Then Jesus answers him and says to answer your questionif you want to receive eternal life, KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS. (Matthew 19:17). Thus before Jesus went to the cross and took our sins, this was the only way a man could have eternal life through the Law. Moreover, there was another problem that the Law imposed on the nation of the Jews and that problem was self-righteousness. Since it required a man to work himself to be righteous in the eyes of God, it also meant that pride will creep in and those who kept the Law substantially more than others felt better about themselves and this is where the sect of the Pharisees began. These Pharisees were a Jewish sect of the intertestamental period noted for strict observance of rites and ceremonies of the written law and for insistence on the validity of their own oral traditions concerning the law - they were extremely accurate and minute in all matters appertaining to the Law of Moses. In many instances they were in conflict with Jesus and they were highly noted of their selfrighteousness and pride. When they come to the place where John the Baptist baptized he rebukes them and says Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Matthew 3:7) Its amazing to think that these very men who held to the strictest position the Law were called a brood of vipers by John. These were the men who saw Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors and asked His disciples why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? (Matthew 9:11). The bible talks about how Jesus wanted to prove to them that they were self-righteous when it says He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank You that I am not like other menextortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess. And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner! I TELL YOU, THIS MAN WENT DOWN TO HIS HOUSE JUSTIFIED RATHER THAN THE OTHER; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 18:9-14) We see the Pharisee of the parable displaying his righteous credentials before God, how he is not like others and he exalts himself through his self-righteousness. Furthermore Jesus warned His disciples about the Pharisees kind of righteousness saying For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees , you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20)

The Righteous Requirement of God

2013

Even a man like Job, a man of integrity once suffered with the destructive disease of self-righteousness after he lost all that he had and it is after a long striving consolation of his three friends that the bible records of this saying these three men ceased answering Job, BECAUSE HE WAS RIGHTEOUS IN HIS OWN EYES. (Job 32:1). Even today among the prominent Christians this disease is alive; men and women of God who are in the realm of works righteousness, where they feel that they have to work and earn by deeds to be righteous before God - now this gives us a good transition to our second kind of righteousness, the righteousness of faith. THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH. Lets begin by clearly revealing that there are two kinds of righteousness lest by any means we are judged by coming up with our own concept; Paul talks about it when he says For Moses writes about THE RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS OF THE LAW, The man who does those things shall live by them. BUT THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH SPEAKS IN THIS WAY, Do not say in your heart, Who will ascend into heaven? (That is, to bring Christ down from above) or, who will descend into the abyss?(that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). (Romans 10:5-7). Paul talks about two kinds of righteousness, firstly by the Law which is revealed in Deuteronomy 6:25 and secondly the one by faith. The one that is by faith has come through Jesus Christ by grace and John speaks of this reality when he says For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17). The Law of Moses demanded works while the Law of Christ demands grace in connection to faith and Paul contrasts the two as a means of righteousness and justification when he talks about the patriarch Abraham saying IF ABRAHAM WAS JUSTIFIED BY WORKS, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. (Romans 4:2-4). The wages are debt or earnings or obligation. When a person works they are obligated by contract to receive wages or a salary for the work that they do, as it was with regards to righteousness in the Law and Paul says Abraham didnt work to be accounted or declared righteous but believed God and thats the righteousness of faith. The conflict that has arisen in the history of Christendom is that many over the years have felt that the preaching of the righteousness by faith belittles the Law of God or perhaps it makes it void and that righteousness by faith should not be preached rather repentance by faith and righteousness by works which in turn really belittles the righteousness that God demands. Actually we are currently involved in writing an article which we have titled The Laws Purpose, which will deal in detail with many of the questions and uncertainties that Christians have about the Laws standpoint in modern and ancient Christianity, and we will try to the best of our ability to answer common questions of antinomianism, legalism and the Law of Moses. Nonetheless be assured as a believer that the righteousness of faith doesnt make void the Law and Paul asserts Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law. (Romans 3:31). We through faith establish the Law we uphold what the Law intended to do yet was powerless to achieve because of the weakness of our flesh.

The Righteous Requirement of God

2013

We need to understand the effect that was intended by the Law which was righteousness and if we through faith meet that effect then faith is accepted. If you have a normal fan and an air conditioner and the main objective for both instruments is to produce a cooling effect, however in starting them both you realize that the fan is ineffective in meeting the requirement but the air conditioning is, then you put aside the fan and use the air conditioning instead; IT IS NOT THE INSTRUMENT THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED WITH, IT IS THE EFFECT. Paul gives us a practical understanding of this when he compares the lawful Jew and the Gentile in Romans saying for circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision . THEREFORE, IF AN UNCIRCUMCISED MAN KEEPS THE RIGHTEOUS REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW, WILL NOT HIS UNCIRCUMCISION BE COUNTED AS CIRCUMCISION? And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? (Romans 2:25-27). We need to remember that every Jew was required by the Law to be circumcised, therefore the person who is called uncircumcised here is the Gentile, Paul also speak something to the Ephesians (who were a Gentile nation) confirming this saying Therefore, remember that FORMERLY YOU WHO ARE GENTILES BY BIRTH AND CALLED "UNCIRCUMCISED" by those who call themselves "the circumcision (Ephesians 2:11). Therefore we see a Gentile (the uncircumcised man) keeping the righteous requirement of the Law without the Law, since the Law was only given to the Jews and HIS UNCIRCUMCISION IS DECLARED AS CIRCUMCISION. For this reason, we in like manner dont have the Law but we keep the righteous requirement of the Law by faith in Christ Jesus, and this is the righteousness of God to all. Since Christ Jesus, the blameless and spotless Lamb of God kept the whole Law without stumbling and was without sin as even Paul says FOR HE MADE HIM WHO KNEW NO SIN(2 Corinthians 5:21), we are therefore made righteous by believing in Him. Every Christian by believing in Jesus is reckoned to have kept the whole Law in Christ and also since Jesus paid the demands due for our sins, we are considered without debt in the sight of God and even Paul states having wiped out the HANDWRITING OF REQUIREMENTS THAT WAS AGAINST US, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (Colossians 2:14) The handwriting of requirements is the document of debts which in Christ is wiped out. The writer of Hebrews says And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, PAID TITHES THROUGH ABRAHAM. (Hebrews 7:9) We likewise fulfill the Law in Christ and pay all the debts of sin through Him, For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, THAT WE MIGHT BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM. (2 Corinthians 5:21) We are the righteousness of God in Him AND ONLY IN HIM, NEVER APART FROM HIM. Paul says But to him who DOES NOT WORK BUT BELIEVES ON HIM WHO JUSTIFIES THE UNGODLY, HIS FAITH IS ACCOUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Romans 4:5), AND TRULY we are those who dont work but have faith in the One who justifies the ungodly and our faith is accounted for righteousness.

The Righteous Requirement of God

2013

Its astonishing when you look into the Law and the bible talks about the children of Israel at the time when they were in Acacia Grove, how they committed harlotry with the women of Moab and were joined to Baal of Peor and a decree from God comes out to Moses saying take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the Lord, out in the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel. (Numbers 25:4). And indeed a man of the children of Israel and a Midianite woman are found to be offenders and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron takes a spear and rushed after the man into his tent. He thrust the spear all the way through the mans body and into the womans stomach. (Numbers 25:7-8). Remarkably David years later writes about this same story in one of his psalms (we will just focus on Phinehas) saying Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stopped. AND THAT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS to all generations forevermore. (Psalm 106:30-31). We see Phinehas working and his work is accounted to him for righteousness but on the other hand we see Abraham who believes and IT IS ACCOUNTED TO HIM RIGHTEOUSNESS.

THE END OF THE LAW FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. The coming of this new way for righteousness which is part of this new covenant has by all means put to an end the old way which was by the old covenant, and the book of Hebrews testifies saying BY CALLING THIS COVENANT NEW, HE HAS MADE THE FIRST ONE OBSOLETE; AND WHAT IS OBSOLETE AND OUTDATED WILL SOON DISAPPEAR. (Hebrews 8:13). Henceforth the righteousness that comes by faith in Christ makes an end to the righteousness of the Law and Paul says FOR CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS TO EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES. (Romans 10:4) It is Christ who puts an end to works righteousness and establishes righteousness by faith and it is the Lord Himself who said This is the work of God; THAT YOU BELIEVE IN HIM WHOM HE SENT. (John 6:29). The righteousness of God is the righteousness that is imputed by God to each one through faith, so that grace might be active for all and Paul says FOR BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED THROUGH FAITH and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9), meaning salvation is by grace, accessed through faith and not by works. Its truly a bold statement that Paul makes, which shines as a light in our hearts relating to the righteousness of faith saying BUT NOW THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD APART FROM THE LAW IS REVEALED, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, EVEN THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, TO ALL AND ON ALL WHO BELIEVE. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, BEING JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS GRACE through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, TO DEMONSTRATE AT THE PRESENT TIME HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, THAT HE MIGHT BE JUST AND THE JUSTIFIER OF THE ONE WHO HAS FAITH IN JESUS. (Romans 3:21-26) Let us analyze this portion of scripture by looking at important keywords and phrases.

The Righteous Requirement of God

2013

Paul talks firstly about the righteousness of God that is apart or separate or distant from the Law being shown, revealed or disclosed which was testified by the Law and the Prophets. One prophet Isaiah talks about the future Israels righteousness (read up an article in the blog titled The Real Israel) saying No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS FROM ME, says the Lord. (Isaiah 54:17) God says their RIGHTEOUSNESS is from Him. Secondly, Paul makes it plain that this righteousness apart from the Law is achieved through faith in Christ Jesus to everyone who believes since all have sinned (including the lawful Jew) and fallen short of the glory of God. Thirdly, this whole concept represents Gods gracious and free justific ation to all mankind by the redemption in Jesus, who was made a ransom and a sacrifice so that God might be the justifier of ALL who HAVE FAITH in Jesus and not those who have the deeds or works of the Law, for BY THE DEEDS OF THE LAW NO FLESH WILL BE JUSTIFIED IN HIS SIGHT, (Romans 3:20). Essentially, Jews and even Christians to this day battle with this kind of righteousness; according to them it just doesnt make sense that people can become righteous by faith alone. Paul talks about this great staggering of the Jews when he compares them to the Gentiles who believed saying What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, HAVE ATTAINED TO RIGHTEOUSNESS, EVEN THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH; but Israel, PURSUING THE LAW OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, HAS NOT ATTAINED TO THE LAW OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. Why? BECAUSE THEY DID NOT SEEK IT BY FAITH, BUT AS IT WERE, BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. (Romans 9:30-32). Paul who was also a Jew by nature and a Pharisee by sect, talks about two different kinds of righteousness that transpired in his own life. He says he was circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; CONCERNING THE LAW, A PHARISEE; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; CONCERNING THE RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS IN THE LAW, blameless. (Philippians 3:5-6) This man says that according to the righteousness which is in the Law, he was blameless; what a zealous man this was. Nonetheless he adds on something so touching yet so powerful when he says But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, THAT I MAY GAIN CHRIST AND BE FOUND IN HIM, NOT HAVING MY OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, WHICH IS FROM THE LAW, BUT THAT WHICH IS THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS FROM GOD BY FAITH; (Philippians 3:7-9). Paul defines his own righteousness or in essence self-righteousness to be the righteousness of the Law after Jesus comes and in opposition the righteousness which is from God as THE ONE THAT COMES BY AND THROUGH FAITH. To further emphasize, our righteousness according to Isaiah are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) and there is truly nothing that we can achieve by our own righteousness but Gods righteousness establishes us in His sight and grants us peace with Him, Paul says Therefore, SINCE WE HAVE BEEN MADE RIGHT IN GODS SIGHT BY FAITH, WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD BECAUSE OF WHAT JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD HAS DONE FOR US. (Romans 5:1-2) This is such a beautiful scripture.

The Righteous Requirement of God

2013

In conclusion, we are called to the righteousness that comes by faith; it is Gods righteousness which He sought to establish upon all of us. The reason that God brought forth this righteousness was so that no man should work and in turn boast in his Presence, so that He might be the justifier of all and no man of himself. Secondly, since God had always been interested in the fellowship which sin made difficult and we were unable to succumb to Gods righteousness on our own, God had to establish righteousness in order to re-establish fellowship with us. Nevertheless, the righteousness of works has always been in battle with the righteousness by faith and we can see that in the beginning stages of mankind, when Adam was made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26) and by faith he knew this, together with Eve. Yet in the appearing of the devil, that serpent of old we see an imposed idea by the serpent which stated God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, AND YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD (Genesis 3:5) and Eve finds herself having to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or work to be like God whereas she always had been like God by virtue of her creation but she didnt have faith enough to believe it. Satan is the founder of self-imposed religion which connotes that one has to work or do something to be righteous and that is what we see in the beginning when he deceives Eve. Unfortunately self-imposed religion and righteousness will never be enough to get us to the place of Gods standard for righteousness, God has to be the one imputing righteousness upon us and once again we see that in the garden of Eden after Adam and Eve had sinned and they PUT ON LEAVES TO COVER THEMSELVES (Genesis 3:7) (which presented works and self-righteousness) which were not enough to cover them completely and God in His grace saw that the leaves were not enough SO HE MADE FOR THEM TUNICS OF SKIN (Genesis 3:21) by the sacrifice of animals, which later represented the sacrifice of Jesus Christ TO COVER OUR NAKED SHAME WHICH THE SEWN LEAVES OF THE LAW COULD NOT. Therefore now that we know that we can be freely justified by His grace and not by our works, let us come to Him with assurance of our justification and sorely rely on His grace which shall be revealed at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. If you have been reading this and have not yet given your life to Christ and you are touched by God to give your life to Jesus and receive the righteousness that comes from God by faith then please do not hesitate to pray the prayer that is provided in the next page, may God bless you as you journey into a life of righteousness, Amen.

The Righteous Requirement of God

2013

THE SALVATION PRAYER

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness. I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin. You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess the Lord our God and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved. Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved. Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself.

Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life. Amen.

Reference: http://www.salvationprayer.info/prayer.html

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