YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS AND HOLY

You are righteous and holy

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Mat6:33

This is without a doubt the most important aspect of our new nature in Christ. Everything else is based on understanding this reality. Faith righteousness.

The issue of righteousness is a foundational issue and is really the major issue in all religions. The pursuit of righteousness is a pursuit that occupies the majority of our lives.

Many of us believe that God wants us to be righteous and that this is a precondition for Him to do anything or relate to us positively. Many people don’t believe that God can relate to them if they are living an unrighteous/ unholy life. In other words to most of us righteousness is what qualifies or disqualifies us from God. All of this is well and true.

However, righteousness (especially the one that God wants) is not anything we have thought it is. It is not us behaving well, it is not us ‘not sinning’ (such a thing is impossible, you will always sin!), the righteousness that God is interested in actually has nothing to do with behavior but has everything to do with believing.

The righteousness that God is interested in is not about actions, it is about a person and a nature. You don’t do something to be righteous and holy; you have somebody and become somebody who is righteous. It is not what you do or don’t do that makes you righteous, it is who you have in your spirit and who you are in your spirit that makes you righteous!

Sadly many Christians today think they already have an understanding of this righteousness. They have heard these words so many times that they assume that they understand them. This is a major hindrance to truly understanding God’s righteousness, assuming that you already understand it.  Here are a few questions to tell you whether you know God’s righteousness.

Are you a stable person? Are you at peace (shalom) with God? How is your relationship with God?  How do you feel when you commit one of these so called ‘big sins’? Is God guilty for your troubles? Do you love God? Are you having victory over sin? Are you always thinking about what you have done wrong or what is hindering you? If your answer to any of those questions is no or bad, you my friend don’t know the righteousness of God yet?

Two types of Righteousness

“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:” Phil3:9

Paul the apostle in sharing with the church in Philippi tells them that there are two types of righteousness. There is the righteousness that belongs to us which comes out of us living holy, obeying God’s law and doing what is right and then there is the righteousness that comes through the obedience of Christ and it is God’s righteousness.

In other words there is self-righteousness that has everything to do with us and then there is God’s righteousness that has everything to do with God. It is also referred to throughout the New Testament as the righteousness of faith or faith righteousness.

Self- Righteousness

“For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” Rom10:3

How many of us like Israel are ignorant of God’s righteousness and are going about trying to establish our own? How many of us are seeking to be pleasing and acceptable to God by living a holy life, behaving well and doing good works and not doing bad works. This righteousness is entirely natural and proceeds out of the flesh.

This righteousness is entirely based on our ability to discipline ourselves, deny our lusts and do what is expected of us. Today in the church it is manifested in many ways and customs like water baptism, going to church, tithing, giving, praying everyday, fasting, witnessing to the lost, quiet time, not drinking alcohol, monogamy, living a holy life and several others. Every Christian has their own special way of expressing their own righteousness!

What does God think about our righteousness and good behavior?

He hates all of it;

“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.  And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.” Isa1:11-15

He says it is filthy;

“But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.” Isa64:6

The word used for filthy (ayd) actually means the menstrual flux, soiling. In other words a menstrual cloth!!! Can you imagine!!!!!

He says it is like excrement;

Philippians3

7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 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:

Here is God’s opinion of our self-righteousness

“As it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one." Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit"; " The poison of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known.  There is no fear of God before their eyes."” Rom3:10-18

Did you notice it is in the New Testament, and that Paul is writing to Christians in Rome? It doesn’t matter whether you are a Christian or not, if you are offering to God your righteousness that is how He views it! It is useless and filthy. What then does God want?

God’s righteousness (His righteousness)

There is such a righteousness that comes from God and that is entirely based on His work. This righteousness was prophesied in the old covenant

“Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.” Isa45:24-25

“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.” Isa54:17

Because God knew that it is impossible for us to perform perfectly according to His high standards, He has provided for us a righteousness that belongs to Him, He has fulfilled His high standards and at the Cross provided for us the finished results through Jesus.

All who believe in Jesus receive in their spirit this finished righteousness and are forever pleasing and acceptable to God. This is a righteousness that proceeds from God and is freely given to those who believe and receive it.  It cannot be earned, it can only be received.

The righteousness that God has always wanted can only be found in Jesus. Jesus was the perfect manifestation of the righteousness of God. He is the one with whom God said He was well pleased.

“And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Mat3:15-17

“And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” Mat17:1-5

“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 2Pet1:16-17

Jesus is the righteousness of God. Jesus is the manifestation of everything that God requires, wants and desires, In Jesus we have everything that God requires, wants and desires. Jesus is the perfect fulfillment and manifestation of the righteousness of God. Why is this important to us?

Jesus is our righteousness

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.  In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Jer23:5-6

When we become born again, God imparts to us a righteousness that it is impossible for us to have naturally. He places into us a new spirit that is exactly perfect in the nature and image of Jesus Himself. There is literally no difference in nature and character and unity between the born again spirit and Jesus. The two are one!

“But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” 1Cor6:17

Because of this unity in spirit, the righteousness of the believer is no different than the righteousness of God Himself. The righteousness of the believer is the righteousness of Jesus. Jesus is the righteousness of the believer. THE CHRISTIAN IS AS RIGHTEOUS AS GOD IS BECAUSE JESUS IS HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!! Blasphemy you say? Look at this scripture;

“But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” 1Cor1:30-31

Did you see that verse? That God has made Jesus to become unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. And how about this verse;

“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.” 2Cor5:21

Because we have Jesus who is the righteousness of God, we too have become the righteousness of God in Him. What makes us the righteousness of God is the fact that we have Jesus who is the righteousness of God. It is not because we work hard and behave perfectly; it is because Jesus lives in us and is joined to our spirit as one. We are the garden of God where He has planted His righteousness that produces righteous works and holiness. Holiness is not the root; it is a fruit of who we are in Jesus.

Therefore, we the Christians are to abandon our natural righteousness by which we seek to please God and instead become aware and awakened to the righteousness of God which we have become through the faith of Christ. This is what God calls righteousness and true holiness.

“But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Eph4:20-24