Righteousness....What is it, how do we get it and where does it take us?

[Christine]

RIGHTEOUSNESS


Many of the puritanical self-righteous religionists who follow the traditions of the so-called church fathers have made it a practice to use such scripture verses as I Cor. 6:9-10 to condemn the just. Verse 9 says “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God?” The verse did not say, “If the righteous commit some sin they shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.” It says, “the unrighteous” shall not inherit the kingdom.

According to the words of Jesus Christ – Mat. 25:46 – the righteous shall go in unto eternal life, the unrighteous have no such promise. Problem! How can one who was born in sin, and possess the nature and condition described by Paul in Rom. 7:14-21 have any possible hope of eternal life? Can a leopard change its spots? Can a hickory tree change its nature and begin producing pecans? Can a wild persimmon tree repent, convert itself and start producing sweet figs?

 How can the sinful, fleshly you, produce righteousness? The answer is, only those who are justified by the faith of Christ – Gal. 2:16 – made righteous by the faith of Christ - Rom. 3:21-22 – and now live by the faith of Christ – Gal. 2:20 – have any hope of salvation which is through righteousness.

Question, how can those such as you and I possess these blessings of God, which are possible by the faith of Christ? Consider what the scripture says about us.

We were born in the sinful likeness of Adam – Rom. 5:12-13

There is not one of us righteous – Rom. 3:10

There is not one good person in the lot of us – Rom. 3:12

We are all liars, cursers, killers, and destroyers – Rom. 3:13-16

Our bodies are vile – Phil. 3:21

We are ignorant and blind by nature – Eph. 4:18

Our worldly wisdom is foolishness with God – I Cor. 2:20

As products of so-called Mother Nature, we cannot receive the things of God’s Spirit – I Cor. 2:14

Our fleshly minds are at enmity with God – Rom. 8:7

Fleshly speaking we cannot please God – Rom. 8:8

Our hearts are deceitful above all other things – Jer. 17:9

Last, we cannot even go to the Lord without the drawing power of God the Father – John 6:44 & 65.

Answer, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ – Acts 16:31.

The Ephesians to whom Paul wrote were in the same condition as we and they were saved, sealed, and given eternal life by trusting in Christ after hearing the Gospel – Eph. 1:13-14. The Gospel of their salvation and ours is described in I Tim. 2:5-6, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” The answer is “trust the Lord”. Quit trying to be a Christian and trust Jesus Christ who died for your sins, was buried and rose again the third day. That which he accomplished at Calvary will be put to your account the very instant that you believe in Him, and you too will be accounted righteous.

Until you have settled the issue of trusting Jesus Christ, believing in Him as your Lord and Saviour, all your religious activities are nothing more than hypocrisies and therefore abominable in the sight of God.

 If you are a preacher, Bible teacher, missionary, or Christian worker, and do not believe in salvation by the free grace of God without works and do not believe in the eternal life and security of the believer in Christ, “STOP NOW” for God is not leading or blessing your so-called ministry nor will he do so until you commit your total salvation unto Christ.

Repenting and confessing your sins and shortcomings will go unnoticed by God until you “trust His Son”. Do it NOW.

Today is the day of Salvation. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved, for in doing so; By His blood you will be redeemed – Eph. 1:7 – By His faith you will be justified – Gal. 2:16 – By His faith you will be made righteous – Rom. 3:22 – By His death all your sins will be paid – Rom. 6:23 – and therefore forgiven – Col. 2:13 – and by God’s Grace you will be saved – Eph. 2:8-9. “Trust Him Now” and be blessed with all spiritual blessings – Eph.

[Christine]

Without the righteousness which God provides, NO ONE is going to heaven...see first post.

[Oasis]

Today is the day of Salvation. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved, for in doing so; By His blood you will be redeemed – Eph. 1:7 – By His faith you will be justified – Gal. 2:16 – By His faith you will be made righteous – Rom. 3:22 – By His death all your sins will be paid – Rom. 6:23 – and therefore forgiven – Col. 2:13 – and by God’s Grace you will be saved – Eph. 2:8-9. “Trust Him Now” and be blessed with all spiritual blessings – Eph.

AMEN!

[Christine]

The Ephesians to whom Paul wrote were in the same condition as we and they were saved, sealed, and given eternal life by trusting in Christ after hearing the Gospel – Eph. 1:13-14. The Gospel of their salvation and ours is described in I Tim. 2:5-6, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” The answer is “trust the Lord”. Quit trying to be a Christian and trust Jesus Christ who died for your sins, was buried and rose again the third day. That which he accomplished at Calvary will be put to your account the very instant that you believe in Him, and you too will be accounted righteous.

Until you have settled the issue of trusting Jesus Christ, believing in Him as your Lord and Saviour, all your religious activities are nothing more than hypocrisies and therefore abominable in the sight of God. If you are a preacher, Bible teacher, missionary, or Christian worker, and do not believe in salvation by the free grace of God without works and do not believe in the eternal life and security of the believer in Christ, “STOP NOW” for God is not leading or blessing your so-called ministry nor will he do so until you commit your total salvation unto Christ.

I thot the above statement was piercingly astute....and yet a high percentage of professing Christendom is still operating in IGNORANCE or in willful unbelief of what God has stated is TRUE.

Do YOU see how dangerous "organized religion" can be, and where it has brought us today?

[Oasis]

Ephesians 4:4-5 is a sticking point for many, such as the Church of Christ religion.  I read  the most "tortured" explanation of what the Holy Spirit is and does that I've ever seen, last week made by a Church of Christ preacher.  Many cofcers cling to the notion that water baptism saves us and the Holy Spirit is a gift that comes after the water.  I've walked them through the differences between Acts 2:38 and Acts 10:44, as God was changing his message, then what Paul said about not water baptising in his message.  It's like I'm down wind in a hurricane.  They can see my lips moving but can't "hear" me for all the cofc garbage that's been stuffed in their ears for years.

Last nights paltalk lesson was very good.  I wrote down all the Scriptures and notes as he talked.  Very useful.

ybiC,
Kab