The Gospel of Peace
Faith-Righteousness
Paul was the apostle of the Gentiles. He was sent so that to teach them not to mix law and grace.
When the Judaizers came and tried to mix the law with faith, Paul continually confirmed that Christ is in us was the “hope of glory”.
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
We need not trust in any of our good works.
We must find our assurance in Christ Jesus, our one and only hope of glory.
Paul knew that the secret of God’s power was faith-righteousness, a message that still confuses the carnally minded.
Faith-righteousness is a message that is understood only by revelation, yet it is a message that is essential to every believer’s victory.
Without the absolute confidence of right standing before God, there cannot be an absolute assurance of the promises.
It is these promises that we escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.
2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Works righteousness does not bring freedom, but bondage.
What does faith-righteousness do?
- It’s the only way to know Jesus.
- It is the only way to fellowship or share in what was accomplished in His sufferings.
- It is the only way to know the power of His resurrection.
Php 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
People, who never enter into faith-righteousness, never get real freedom from the flesh and the various sins that work in the flesh.
Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Faith-righteousness:
- Places Jesus at the very center of all we are, all we have, and all we can do in God.
- It acknowledges the vanity of our own attempts at righteousness.
- Depends on Jesus’ righteousness to be manifested in every area of life.
- It is the heart of the message of the cross, because on that cross an exchange took place.
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.
It is this message of the cross that will liberate us from sin and deliver us from the works of the flesh.
If we do not believe in righteousness by exchange, there is nothing left but works-righteousness.
By the works of the law or flesh, no man has ever been justified.
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.
Works-righteousness is a life of legalism that leaves out the grace of God, which works in us to deliver us from sin.
It places man and his performance at the center.
Anything we do:
- To earn something from God.
- Apart from faith.
- To make us righteous.
Is in the realm of law, works, and flesh.
It is also sin because it rejects the work of Jesus.
Rom 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
The term flesh is much like the term law. When the Bible speaks of the flesh, it is not talking about our body.
It is talking about a realm where we are trying to be made righteous by our own abilities.
It is the performance-oriented life.
People who try to relate to God on the basis of works of law are in the flesh.
It was essential that we be delivered from law in order to be delivered from the flesh.
Rom 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the passions of sin were working in our members through the Law for the bearing of fruit unto death.
Law or works causes passion to arise in our bodies.
Until we are free from works, we cannot conquer sin.
Rom 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the passions of sin were working in our members through the Law for the bearing of fruit unto death.
In the exchange, we died to the law by the body of Christ.
When Christ died, we died.
Because we are in Christ:
- Now that we are delivered from the law (the realm of law).
- We are able to serve God in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the letter of the law.
- We are no longer doing the best we can and hoping that it will be acceptable to God.
- We are believing that we are righteous because of Jesus and trusting the Spirit of God to change us and empower us to live in righteousness.
Being in the Spirit is when we are dependent on the Spirit to empower us for righteousness, thereby delivering us from the realm of the flesh.
Rom 7:9 At one time I was alive without any connection to the Law. But when the rule was revealed, sin sprang to life,
When we live by the law (works) sin:
- Comes back to life in a heart that has no room for faith-righteousness.
- Thrives where man tries to operate in his own ability.
Even if we are able to conquer a problem by the sheer power of our will, we become self-righteous.
One way or another, sin revives.
Rom 6:14 For sin will not have mastery over you, because you are not under Law but under grace.
The very reason we are free from sin is that we are no longer under law, but under grace.
Grace is God’s ability working in us.
Works and law frustrate the grace of God.
Gal 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
The word frustrate means “to set aside or nullify, make void, disesteem, and neutralize”.
When we enter the realm of works, God’s power to free us from sin is nullified.
Therefore, sin will always dominate the man who lives in the realm of works.
Romans 7 describes the plight of any person who departs from faith and grace and enters the realm of works.
Gal 5:4 Those of you who are trying to be justified by the Law have been cut off from the Messiah. You have fallen away from grace.
Paul is not discussing whether the person would go to heaven.
He was discussing leaving the realm of grace (God’s ability) and entering back into our own ability.
Christ is of no effect in the life of the person bound to works.
We must accept our righteousness in Jesus.
We all look at our own failures and shortcomings and say, “How can I call myself righteous? I have all kinds of problems and sins!”
We will never be really free from those sins until we receive His righteousness.
The power of righteousness comes alive in the person who believes he is righteous in Jesus.
That person has a righteousness conscience.
On the other hand, the person who is operating in law has a consciousness of sin.
Accordingly, the person aware of sin falls into more sin, and the person aware of righteousness grows in a life of righteousness.
You are righteous because you were born of God.
Being righteous:
- Does not mean you never sin.
- Means you have a righteous nature.
- It is now natural for you to live a righteous life.
Even though you may fall, you are not a sinner.
Psa 37:24 Though he stumbles, he will not fall down flat, for the LORD will hold up his hand.
Pro 24:16 for though a righteous man falls seven times, he will rise again, but the wicked stumble into calamity.
Now that we have a righteous nature, when we fall, that cannot change our righteous nature to make us unrighteous.
This is not a permit to sin.
A righteous heart:
- Hates sin.
- Wants to please God.
- Loves righteousness.
And the heart is made righteous only by faith.
Rom 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus the Messiah.
Rom 10:10 For one believes with his heart and is justified, and declares with his mouth and is saved.
There is a fear in us that this belief will somehow make it possible for men to get away with things.
Some could try to use it as a license to sin.
To abandon faith-righteousness is to abandon the finished work of Jesus.
Regardless of how sincere the motive, a departure from faith-righteousness is a departure from truth.
No comments:
Post a Comment