CLOTHED IN CHRIST’S RIGHTEOUSNESS!!!

WHAT IS RIGHTEUOSNESS?

Righteousness is the state of being perfect and without sin; to live right with God and with fellow men. So to be clothed in Christ’s righteousness is to live a life like Jesus; meaning, to live a blameless life without sin. In His very essence God is righteous and He always acts in harmony with His righteous character; the same is true with Jesus Christ. The human race on the other hand is unrighteous, unable to conform to the requirements of God’s perfect law, and therefore deserves to experience God’s anger in judgment and punishment. But when we accept Christ, the good news my brethren is that God in His grace gives us the righteousness of Christ, and we are accepted in His sight as clean and innocent. God works in us to make us more and more like Christ, to actually make us righteous people. We who are children of God are called to be “hungry and thirst for justice” (Matt. 5:6) “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”  In order that we might know wrong from right, God has given us His Word. And our final hope is to receive a crown of righteousness from the righteous judge, as we look forward to that day when we will be perfected. 

Apostle Paul’s gospel message centers on righteousness. He wrote, God is righteous and gives His righteousness to us when we belief. Already the Old Testament Law and Prophets speak of righteousness obtained through faith, as affirmed by such saints as Abraham, David, Isaiah, Habakkuk and Joel. The core of saving faith lies in Jesus Christ, who through His death and resurrection restores to us righteousness and life. As a result of God’s acceptance of us as righteous, believers are freed to walk the road of righteousness and holiness, in fruitful lives poured out in gratitude to God. One may ask, “how? can a righteous God freely give righteousness to unrighteous people?” Paul’s answer is this; the love and mercy of God revealed in the cross of Christ- a love so strong that nothing can tear us away from it. We can all become righteous in God’s sight if we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

CLOTHED IN CHRIST’S RIGHTEOUSNESS

The Bible tells us in (Phil. 3:7-9) that, “But what things were gains to me, these I have counted lose for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, and not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteous which is from God by faith.” Personal, perfect and perpetual righteousness is the truth and indispensable condition for acceptance and fellowship with God. The righteousness that qualifies as such cannot be human righteousness, a law righteousness, or a works righteousness. It must be a God righteousness, a Christ righteousness, and a faith righteousness. Man can never be its source. God is man’s only hope. The required righteousness must flow from Him as a love gift. The law cannot produce it; the law is righteous but cannot convey righteousness. Indeed, because the law is perfect, it can only expose man for what He is- a deprived sinner? Christ is man’s only resort, Christ is righteous, and He produces the righteousness man is so desperately needs. He also stands ready to grant it freely. Works cannot constitute it; and all human efforts are shameful rubbish. Faith is man’s only way out. In self- renunciation he casts himself upon God for grace; in self- abandonment he embraces Christ for righteousness. Thus the absolute condition for justification is met. Prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz wrote, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God, for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as bride adorns herself with jewels” (Isa. 61:10).

RIGHTEOUSNESS EXPERIENCED BY BELIEVERS IN CHRIST

When God justifies, He declares believers in Christ to be righteous in His sight in spite of our sin. Christ’s death on the cross pays the penalty for sin and God credits Christ’s life for perfect obedience to believers (Rom. 3:21-24) “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” He accepts us as we had never sinned.  Nothing we do can earn this; we can only receive it as a gift of God’s grace given to believers. And the process of salvation beloved, doesn’t end  here, for those justified inevitable go on to a life of good works  and holiness, leading to God’s eternal glory (1 These. 5:23) “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your  whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” On that basis James is able to speak of justification by works and not by faith alone or a life without works means a dead faith. Apostle Paul had to say this concerning our fore father Abraham; “What then shall we say that our father Abraham has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God and was accounted to him for righteousness.”  Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works; “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin” (Rom.4:1-8).  In another epistle he asked the Galatians “Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been the law.  But the Scriptures has confined all under sin that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe” (Gal.3:21-22).

A CALL TO RIGHTEOUSNESS

This is how Jeremiah the prophet had to warn God’s children during his days. Thus says the Lord, “Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shade innocent blood in this place” (Jer. 22:3). For all practical purposes justice and righteousness is synonymous. One could not have one without the other. This particular word of the prophet is directed to the king of Judah. As such, the king is representative of anyone who has authority in the community. It is this circle of people with influence who might most easily look the other way. After all, can the affluent really feel the concern of the impoverished? Can the steadily empathize with those forced to live on welfare through no choice of their own? Can those whose life and relationships are essentially healthy sympathize with the divorced, the separated, and the lonely? Can we who have more than enough to eat hear the cries of the hungry, or are our ears as stopped as our stomachs are full? We Christians are both sons of the King; we dare not accept less than a full commitment to justice and righteousness in our world. Help for the helpless is a very high priority. The preacher, the son of David; has this to say, “He who have pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what He has given” (Prov. 19:17).  Paul continues to clarify faith, righteousness and justification of our father Abraham to the Romans  as  God credited us with Christ righteousness thus, “He did not waver at  the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened by faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore” it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification” (Rom. 4:20-25).Christ’s Righteousness is as well a gift to the believer, “For if by the one man offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive  abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ”(Rom. 5:17). To the Corinthians Paul wrote that God make who know no sin to become our righteousness “For He made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

RESPONSIBILITIES REGARDING A RIGHTEOUS WAY OF LIFE

1.       Be servants of righteousness: (Rom. 6:13, 18-19) “And do not present yourself members as instrument of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourself to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instrument of righteousness to God; And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.”

2.       Long for righteousness: (Matt.5:6) “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

3.       Perform righteousness: (Matt. 5:20) “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisee, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” And Amos adds (Amos 5:24) “But let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

4.       As believers we are to pursue righteousness by all means:  “Listen to Me, he who follow after righteousness, you who seek the Lord; Look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug" (Isa. 51:1). (1 Tim. 6:11) “But you O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.” And in (2Tim. 2:22) says, “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the name of the Lord out of a pure heart.”

5.       As believers, we are admonished to put on righteousness:  “And that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). Apostle Paul continues, “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness” (Eph. 6:14).

6.       We are to seek  righteousness:  “But seek  first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:33).

7.       We are to bring forth fruits of righteousness: “Sow for yourself righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord” (Hos. 10:12). See also, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, after wards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb.12:11). And also, “Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness” (2 Cor. 9:10).

8.       To live for righteousness: “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness- by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Pet. 2:24).

9.       To do what is right: “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him” (1 Jn. 2:29). John the apostle continues further, “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous” (1 Jn. 3:7).

10.   And God’s righteousness teaches us to shun evil: “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer and non-believer?” (2 Cor. 6:14-15).

My beloved brethren, may we gird our waists with truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, seek His kingdom first with His righteousness and whatever that we need from our Righteous Father; He will by no means deny us. Study the Word of God to show ourselves a proved; for all Scriptures are given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness and that we as His servants may be complete, and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

“Grace to you and Favor from our God and Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen and Amen and Amen.”