TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS

Dr. Joseph Hazan

“If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him” (I. John 2.29).“ If you confess with your mouth,” Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God saved him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10.9&10).

When we believe in Jesus, we receive him. We then receive the righteousness, which is by faith as a gift. (Rom. 5.17). This means that our faith in Jesus is counted as righteousness. Our faith is credited to us as righteousness. (Rom.4.6).

The psalmist, King David saw this great blessedness and favor, wonderful privilege:

“ Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. (Ps.32.1).

Furthermore, in Jesus Christ we obtain perfect righteousness, in fact “we become the righteousness of God.” (II. Cor.5.21).

With this right standing as our starting point in our Christian walk, we have a new life, a new heart; we become a new creation, created to be “ like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph.4.24).” For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph. 2.10).

So, instead of trying to gain righteousness through works, we who have already become the “righteousness of God” are created in Jesus Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

This distinction makes all the difference in the world. Because the One doing the works is actually Jesus, not us.

“Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

“ If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we no longer are slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”

“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.”

“In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body and do not obey the evil desires of sin. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those that are alive from the dead; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”

“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to whom you obey- whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks are to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves of righteousness.”

“I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom.6.2-23).

THE FRUITS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

We now receive access to God’s presence:

“ As for me, I will behold your face in righteousness.” (Ps.17.15)

“Righteousness is the habitation of his throne.” (Ps.97.2)

“In the way of righteousness is life” (Prov.12.28)

“ The work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever.” (Isa.32.17)

We are to be filled with the fruits of righteousness. (Phil.1.11)

When we endure correction, the result is the peaceable fruit of righteousness. (Heb.12.11)

The heavenly wisdom God gives is “ first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. The fruit of righteousness is sown of them that make peace.” (Jas. 3. 17& 18).“ I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I will make mention of your righteousness, yes yours only.” (Ps.71.16). Praises, glory, honor and power be to the name of Jesus our Lord, our righteousness and peace, the Prince of Peace. This is only possible thanks to Jesus Christ, the “righteous Branch”,” The Lord Our Righteousness”. (Jer.23.5&6), (Jer.33.15&16). We can boldly declare: “The Lord has brought forth our righteousness.” (Jer.51.10)

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The blessings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you and yours always. AMEN!