WHAT IS RIGHTEOUSNESS (PART 2) - Christ: Our Righteousness
Christ was God’s solution to the problem of man’s inability to meet his standard of righteousness. He now gave man his righteousness as a free gift. God’s righteousness can now be attained without man needing to obey any Law but by fulling only one condition. The condition is to believe in whom he had sent to be our righteousness- Jesus Christ. In the real order of God’s dealing with man, this example came before the Law was given but since man does not know that he can never attain unto God’s righteousness by his own efforts, God gave him the requirements (the Law) only so that man can realise this. The righteousness that comes by faith was first accounted to the father of all those who will in the long run enjoy this privilege- Abraham.. “...Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Rom 4:3).
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. (Rom. 10:4).
Now the choice is yours whether you will yet seek the righteousness by Law or you will simply receive this gift of God’s righteousness given to man in the person of Christ. For all those who have received Jesus as their Lord (all Christians) no longer strive to be righteous. They are righteous! They only need to express this God given righteousness in their daily living. The call of believers is not to strive to be righteous in God’s sight but to maintain it by living it out. This is what it means to be born of God. You can only express the nature of your Father. God is righteous and so are his Children.
The error we have in the church of today is in the misconception we have of what it means to “believe in Christ” or as commonly accepted “born again”
So much emphasis is laid on “if thou shalt confess with thy mouth” with little or no concerns for “and shalt believe in thy heart” (Rom.10:9). Many are even now led through the confession or “sinners prayer” without any true personal conviction to do so. As simple as this condition may sound, it is bedrock of our profession. Not fulfilling this condition in the true sense of it puts one in something else other than being a Christian. (I am seriously trying to avoid using the word “genuine Christian” here). The matter of believing is a personal and individual matter. There are no corporate believing neither can a husband and wife have a joint-believe account. We have millions of professing believers by mouth but are far from being one in their hearts. I am saying this not to criticize or judge any but to draw our attention unto this foundational fabric of all Christian living. There are no rooms for assumptions. Such can be costly when the true state of your heart is revealed. Paul declared “...for I know whom I have believed…”(2 Tim 1:12). Therefore, if we believe in Christ we must receive by imputation and by impartation the gift of righteousness.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness…
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