Are You Training For Righteousness?

Recently a friend and I discussed the need for a loving, yet truthful sharing of God’s Word that speaks of a salvation that is more than just a “Jesus Loves You” kind of message. Though a few ministries still preach the entire counsel of scripture, for the most part churches have stopped preaching sin. We no longer hear sermons that tell us straight up that we need to repent of our sins. Oh, we all have been instructed on the evils of the very wicked but most of us are not being told that “we” are the sinners. Most church people walk around in their minds with an attitude that Jesus loves us and forgives us so we can just live out our lives in relative comfort.

The truth is we all still have a lot of sin deeply embedded within us. I base that statement on two observations. First of all I am completely aware of my own sin. Daily I read the Bible and whether I am in my morning OT study or my evening NT study I take time to meditate on the Word and I examine myself against it. On my best days I fall really short. The second observation I make is of people. I watch them as they drive, shop, work, and play. I look at Facebook, Twitter, and read blogs as well as other internet writings. I even watch them in ministry and church. Trust me; you guys are sinners just like me. Some of you think because you don’t murder people or steal from them you are good to go. It’s not my job to go around being the sin police but it is each of our responsibility according to scripture that we examine ourselves daily, but that examination has one standard; the perfect holiness of God. You cannot compare yourself to the world or even other Christians and then think “Oh, I’m okay.” Unless we can look in a mirror and see Jesus reflected back then we have fallen short.

This morning as I read my OT chapter I was moved to see that even though in its historical context it speaks of the Jews, the truth is we should be studying it to apply the spiritual principles in our own lives. Guys, we are in a behavioral sense the Jews. When we are in trouble we seek God. When things are good, not so much.

We are living in the age of grace, I hope people understand that. But that is not license to sin. Jesus is coming back and when He returns it WILL be to bring judgment. Sin has consequences and we are beginning to see them in our own culture here in America. Things are a mess. Even confessed and forgiven sin has consequences in our own lives.

So what can we do about it? We can preach the truth. Pastors and teachers must return to preaching against sin and teach the church to look deeply at our own sinfulness. Romans 15:4 says this, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” When that was written there was no New Testament. Obviously God knew there would be a New Testament and He used the Holy Spirit to move the hands of those who wrote it to speak His Word. But we have got to stop teaching the OT as if it is just some nice historical document to be studied like American History. First of Jesus is all over it and even if we never had the NT the OT has everything about Jesus we would need to believe in Him as our savior. Secondly when we read about Israel we must see the spiritual messages that are there to instruct us as Paul stated clearly in Romans 15:4.

I will leave you with one example of an OT message which came from the prophet Jeremiah which in its historical context is obviously a warning to the Jews. I suggest we look deeply at it and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us its meaning to the church.

Jeremiah 5:23-25
'But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; They have turned aside and departed. 'They do not say in their heart, "Let us now fear the LORD our God, Who gives rain in its season, Both the autumn rain and the spring rain, Who keeps for us The appointed weeks of the harvest." 'Your iniquities have turned these away, And your sins have withheld good from you.

Yes, we are saved by grace. There is no one who appreciates that more than me and maybe no one who has received more grace from Christ than I. But the simple truth is that God has so much more for me and for you, but our sins withhold good from us.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

All scripture is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. Are we training for righteousness or we content in just being forgiven by God’s grace? We must ask that question of ourselves. If we want to be like Christ we must study ALL scripture with the goal of teaching, reproof, correction, and most importantly, training in righteousness.