THE BELIEVER PART 2: FOREVER UNCONDITIONALLY RIGHTEOUS IN CHRIST

THE BELIEVER PART 2: FOREVER UNCONDITIONALLY RIGHTEOUS IN CHRIST

There is nothing ordinary about believing in Jesus. The man in Christ  is righteous by nature, he has the gift of righteousness and God sees him as righteous.  This is because of the new identity he has put on which is Christ. We have seen in part one that when a man believes in Christ, he puts on a new identity called Christ. Now that we are in Christ we share in His character and abilities. Part of what we have is righteousness. We are going  to look at the meaning of righteousness, how a man can be righteous  before God, the gift of righteousness and the nature of righteousness.

WHAT IS RIGHTEOUSNESS? 

Righteousness simply means the act of being right. The word righteousness as used in the Bible is from the Greek word dikaiosunē. It means a state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God, purity, rightness or approval before God. So when you say one is righteous it means it is in the right state as it ought to be. The word was first used in the Greek text(New Testament Bible) by Jesus in Matthew 3.

Matthew 15  And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. This was during Jesus’ baptism by John. John was refusing to Baptise Jesus because he feels he wasn’t worthy. Jesus said he should go ahead because it is to fulfil all righteousness, that is, it is the most proper thing to do at that time. The baptism of Jesus was for John to bear witness of Jesus to the people of Israel. For detail account of this, read the four accounts especially John’s account(John 1:29-34). So when we say righteousness, we are talking of a state of rightness. It is a state where someone or something ought to be. It is a moral state before God.

HOW CAN A MAN BE RIGHTEOUS BEFORE GOD?

You can say one is righteous or did a righteous thing. It just means the person did the right thing. The proper thing. It is a normal word, but when it comes to being moral before God or getting approval before God, it doesn’t work like the way men see it. For we to understand fully this word righteousness before God let's look at the first time the word was used in the entire Bible. The first time a man was called righteous before God was in Genesis 15. 

Genesis 15:

6  And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.(KJV)

6  Abram believed the *Lord. And God said that Abram was *righteous. God said this because Abram believed. (Easy English)

6  And he believed God,  and it was credited to him as righteousness.(NHEB)

God counted Abram’s believing as righteousness. This means to God, believing what  He told Abram was the most moral thing. God equated Abram’s believing to righteousness.  What did God tell Abram it was the facts of the gospel of Christ. Abram being an astrologer, God used the stars  to preach the gospel to Him about Jesus. 

Genesis 15

5  And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

6  And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Galatians 3

8  And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

In the epistles, the explanation of Genesis to Malachi, we see that the seed that was promised Abram was Jesus. 

Righteousness BEFORE GOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN BY BELIEVING not by DOING. This is simple, it is because no matter your doings, you can never ever satisfy God with your actions. God is of a purer eyes that he cannot behold sin. So out of his goodness he has chosen to have man accepted before him as moral by simply believing. Isaiah describes the righteousness that comes by effort before God as filthy(menstrual) rags. 

Even UNDER  THE LAW, no man could be righteous, morally accepted before God by keeping the deeds of the law. The law is made is such a way that if you break one you break all. (James 2:10). So the Jews that the law was given to knew they couldn’t be accepted before God by the deeds of the law. Moses describes the righteousness  of Faith to them. Rom.10:1-10. If men could be made right by keeping laws before God then there would have been no need for Jesus to die. 

Gal 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. 

Gal 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 

9  So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

10  For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written,Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

11  But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

21. Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 

The above verses make it very clear. No MAN can be made right before God by doing right things. All it takes to be right before God is to believe in Jesus.

Romans 10: 4  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

When it comes to righteousness before God, Christ is end of the law. In Christ,  You don’t need laws to be accepted before God. All you need is to believe and receive righteousness.

THE BELIEVER (THE MAN IN CHRIST) AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

Romans 3: 22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference.

We have established so far that righteousness BEFORE GOD IS ONLY by Faith, not by actions.  It is by believing in Jesus Christ that one is made righteous before God as stated in the scripture above. The man that believes Jesus died for his sins and receives the life of God has received the gift of righteousness, the nature of righteousness and has God as his righteousness. 

WE HAVE THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IN CHRIST 

Romans 5

15  But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

16  And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

17  For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) note

18  Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 

Adam sinned and brought sin into the world. He sinned in unbelief which is disobedient to what God told him. Any one in unbelief is in sin. But, by the obedience of Jesus is THE FREE OF GIFT of righteousness. Notice gifts generally are free. The Bible added free again to it for emphasis. You will have to be blind not to see that this righteous in Christ is free. One major benefit of salvation is that one is forever righteous before God outside one's deeds.  We are ordained righteous in Christ. We accept our righteousness in Christ is so strong that, for you to say a believer is not righteous is to say God is not righteous. It is actually insulting the nature of God. In CHRIST, we have GOD AS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. He has become our nature. His identity is our identity.

2Corinthians 5

21  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.

Christ  was made sin so we can be the righteousness of God. How was Christ made sin? By becoming our  sin sacrifice. He became our lamb that took away our sins forever. This is so we can be the righteousness of God. What does it mean to be the righteousness of God?  It means to be THE PROOF AND EVIDENCE that God is righteous. So if they ask God, how righteous are you? He will say, look at that man in Christ. He is the proof  that I am just and righteous in that I made him righteous even in his ungodly acts. The God we serve is the justifier of the ungodly.  When God wants to deal with a sinner, he makes him get saved so he can be righteous.

Romans 4

1  What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

2  For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

3  For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

4  Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

5  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 

What Abraham found about God is that He justified the ungodly. Any man that believes in Christ, his Faith is counted as righteousness. 

Our nature is now righteousness. In that we are IN CHRIST, we have put on an identity which  is righteousness. 

1 Corinthians 1

30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.

Therefore, a believer can never be said to be unrighteous or to be a sinner. Being a sinner is in unbelief of the sacrifice. Jesus paid for sin. If a believer  sins,(which  he should not) it is a righteous  man who is sinning. That is why he is not comfortable doing that. His nature of righteousness will be telling him, you are better than this. If you know how white you are, you won’t go about staining yourself. WE ARE ADMONISHED TO LIVE RIGHT BECAUSE WE ARE ALREADY RIGHTEOUS IN CHRIST , NOT TO BECOME RIGHTEOUS. 

Glory to God in the Highest. He made us forever right with Him in Christ. We can now boldly come before God. No sin can separate us from God. But man of God, you say God answer prayers even when we sin, what of Isaiah 59 that said Our inequities has separated us from God? Let’s look at the scripture.

Isaiah 59 

1  Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

2  But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

3  For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

4  None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

16  And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

17  For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

If you look at this verse it tells us that God answers prayers. Why there seems to be a separation is because of sin and the law which inputs sin.  It is the law that caused a separation between God and man. This is because no man can fulfil all  the requirements of the law to become right with God. The same chapter tells us how sin will be dealt with.  It is describing the struggle of the man under sin. Look at verse 16 and 17. It provided the answer. His arm has brought salvation and righteousness. There was no intercessor then. Thanks be to God who has removed sin in Christ by His death. Christ came and paid the full penalty for sin. His intercession  is what he did on the cross. He died for our sins so we have the nature of righteousness.

Dear Believer, you are righteous in Christ. God gave you the gift of ‘Okness’ in Christ.  You have done the most moral thing to God which is to believe in Jesus. Never you come to God again base on what you do. Never you  feel unaccepted before God. You have been MADE RIGHTEOUS.  

Are you still doubting your acceptance before God as a believer?  PLEASE READ the entire book of Galatians, Romans and Hebrews. You can use the comment button to drop your questions and comments.

BY EMEKE MODESTY OBIAZIKWOR 

www.emekemodesty.com