THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

WHAT DOES THE LORD MEANS?

A lord is someone in authority, “Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found; then Judah came near to him and said; “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh” (Gen.44:16, 18), so that the highest Lord of all is the “Lord of lord,” For the Lord Your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe” (Deut. 10:17),   the God of Israel, who reigns in glory, majesty and strength; “Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?” (Exod. 15:11). At the time of the Exodus, He revealed Himself as “Lord,” as Yahweh, the God who is always present, the loving covenant Redeemer of Israel. He called on the Israelites to trust and respect Him; “Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt;  so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses” (Exod. 14:31). The New Testament interprets many of the statements in the Old Testament about the Lord to refer to Jesus even ascribing to Him the title “Lord of lords.” The unique Christian confession in the New Testament is that Jesus Christ is the risen Lord, the only Lord, “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:15-16). The whole of the created order comes under His Lordship. He wants us to confess Him as Lord in our lives. Everyone will someday make this confession, whether willing or not my beloved.

JESUS AS LORD

1.       The Lord Jesus Christ:  Used by Apostle Paul in is final epistle, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen” (2 Cor. 13:14); see also, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:2).

2.       Our Lord Jesus Christ: “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:9). And again, “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen” (Eph. 6:24).

3.       Jesus Christ our Lord: “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:9). To Timothy, a true son in the faith; Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Tim. 1:2).

4.       Designated Lord through His resurrection:  “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9); “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death of the cross. Therefore God also has Highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and those of earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:8-11).

5.       He is the Old Testament “Lord”: “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21); For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13); “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal; “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Tim. 2:19).

6.       He is Lord of all: “The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ- He is Lord of all-“ (Acts 10:36); For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord for both the dead and the living”(Rom. 14:9).

7.       He is the Lord of lords: “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen and faithful” (Rev. 17:14); “And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev.19:16).

8.       He is the only Lord:  “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live” (1 Cor.6): “One Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph. 4:5).

THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

The salvation and security of God’s people is bound up with the person of the great Son of David no less than with His work. This comes with the expression in His name “The Lord our righteousness,” (Jer. 23:6). The mediator between God and man is not only a human being. To be sure, taking the sinner’s place in the Atonement as the only ground for justification requires His humanity. But mere man cannot bear the eternal wrath of God, and one cannot secure infinite righteousness for many. It requires deity to stand up under the hell-like agony that satisfy divine justice and bring about everlasting righteousness for a vast multitude. The Son of David is both man and God. This explains why His name “The Lord our righteousness” can be confidently be attached to God’s people as well (Jer. 33:16). It not only proclaim that the message expressed in the name is the only hope for destitute sinners without merit, credit or claim, but it also emphasizes that deity, and deity alone, guarantees the certainty of the realization of what the name conveys. As it states, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH

“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God” (Rom. 3:10). There are two things which hinder people from submitting themselves to God’s plan of salvation. The first is ignorance of God’s own righteous character. The righteousness of God refers not only to His moral excellence, but is a term in the Old Testament used as a parallel expression for the salvation of God (Isa. 46:12-13; “Listen to Me, you stubborn hearted, who are far from righteousness; I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, for Israel My glory;” (51:5-8); “My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, and My arms will judge the peoples; The coastlands will wait upon Me, and on My arm they will trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, the earth will grow old like a garment, and those who dwell in it will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not be abolished. “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, you people in whose heart is My law; Do not fear the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their insults. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool; but My righteousness will be forever, and My salvation from generation to generation.”(56:1) thus says the Lord, “Keep justice and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come, and My righteousness to be revealed.” The second cause of unbelief and rejection of God’s way of salvation is human pride. Pride excludes from salvation. Salvation can never be “by works of righteousness which we have done,” but is due alone to the mercy of God (Titus 3:5) “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” The next verse is in the previous paragraph “The Lord our righteousness” (Jer.23:6). He gives us His Son who becomes righteousness for us (1 Cor. 1:30), “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God- and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” This imputed righteousness is called “the righteousness of faith” (Rom. 4:13), “For the promise that He would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” None are ever candidates for Christ’s righteousness unless they see themselves to be utterly devoid of all possibility of attaining it on their own merits (Phil. 3:9), “And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.” Jesus said, “I have not come to call [those who think they are] the righteous, but [those who know they are] sinners, to repentance” (Luke 5:32). “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”(Rom. 1:17).

Beloved, may we greatly rejoice in the Lord, and our souls to find joyful in our God; For He has clothed us with the garments of salvation, He has covered us with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. What a wonderful God we serve!

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