How To Be Righteous

The righteous shall live by faith. That is a Biblical truth. Do you know who said that? God did. Yes, literally those words came from the mouth of Almighty God Himself and they can be found in the book of Habakkuk. In Habakkuk 2:4 God makes this statement in response to the prophet who was crying out to God for answers. We live in a day quite similar to Habakkuk’s time for we live in a day when evil seems to surround us.

So we know that the righteous must live by faith. But who are the righteous? Many of us struggle with our own sinfulness. We go to church. We’ve been baptized. We read the Word and we pray our hearts out, yet we don’t find ourselves to be very righteous. Maybe we need to step back and revisit the Gospel. Maybe we’ve lost sight of its good news.

This week I began studying Galatians and in it we find Paul bringing a rebuke to Peter, for Peter had regressed in his faith and was leading the church back into the yoke of the law. In this rebuke we find the truth of the Gospel. It is good news.

Galatians 2:16
Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

“By works of the law no one will be justified.” No one. We are not saved by what we do; we are saved by what Christ did. Many Christians do not care much for theology. Some say it’s not important. Well, it is. Unless we understand the truth of the scriptures we cannot apply them properly in our lives and Satan, the master of deceit, will beat the tar out of us. Understanding justification is an imperative in our Christian lives.

To be justified means God has declared us righteous. This does not mean He made us righteous, though there is a different act that will occur gradually over our lives called sanctification that leads us to become like Christ. But to be justified means that God has imputed the righteousness of Christ upon us. This means when a guilty sinner comes before God and by faith alone accepts God’s free gift of salvation, from that point on for all eternity God sees that person as holy and righteous. This is what the blood of Christ does. It washes us clean in God’s eyes forever. While forgiveness is involved; it is more than forgiveness. It is immunity from needing forgiveness ever again because Christ died for all our sins; past, present, and future. If we are Christ’s we can never be seen as guilty again in God’s eyes for we wear His robe of righteousness.

Our faith in Christ not only brings permanent forgiveness, it brings permanent erasure of our sin. Unlike a criminal who gets a pardon and still has a record, we do not. Again hear what God has to say from Isaiah 43:25, "I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.”

And remember that it isn’t “good’ people that God seeks; it is sinners. Who does God justify? Read God’s Word for the answer from Romans 4:5, “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.” We do not nor can we work our way to righteousness in Christ. It doesn’t come from us; it comes from God. Romans 8:33 states that God is the one who justifies. And it is the ungodly He justifies.

We need to preach the Gospel to ourselves every day. We need to remember that it is God doing the work. So maybe you keep failing Him. Maybe you fall back into your addictions. Maybe you cannot stop worrying. Maybe you just feel like a failure in the eyes of God. Well, the good news is that if you are Christ’s then you are forever righteous in the eyes of God. Don’t let Satan tell you different.

No, this isn’t a license to sin. We Christians cannot live out our lives doing what ever we want. If you think that then you are not saved. We have freedom in Christ but that is not freedom to sin; it is freedom not to. But we can live in peace with God knowing that Jesus is there for us even in our human weaknesses. 1 John 2:1-6 says it best.
 

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.  We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.  The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:  Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”

The righteous shall live by faith; faith in Jesus Christ. Don’t put any faith in me. Don’t put any faith in your pastor. Don’t put any faith in yourself. The only sinless man was Christ. Humble yourself before Him and confess your own sinful state and He shall cloak you in righteousness. Live by faith in Jesus and become righteous. It’s our only hope.

Choosing the Right Mirror – God’s Word

The Word of God is our mirror. As Christians we must look into it as the Bereans did. The world wants us to see things from the wrong perspective. The mirror they want us to look into is a trick mirror and will only lead to death and sorrow. That is the problem with this whole LGBT thing. It is the problem with the whole pornagraphy thing and the selling of sex in our world. That is why we allow the business of killing our babies through legalized abortion. This is why we have this terrible tragedy of moral decline in our country.

James 1:22-25
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Christians, the standard for living is found in God's Word. Look into it to see how you stand up to God's holiness. Judge the things of the world by it as opposed to letting the world dictate what is right and wrong. Satan is the "prince of the power of the air" and he is leading the sons of disobedience.

I leave you with a message from God's Word. Be blessed by it, in it, and live for it.

Ephesians 2:1-10
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

How to Get Up When Life Knocks You Down - Lessons From 2 Corinthians 1

“I am the subject of depressions of spirit so fearful that I hope none of you ever get to such extremes of wretchedness as I go to.” I could have been the author of that quote. How about you? This life is filled with trouble at most every step it seems. I did not write that opening quote; Charles Spurgeon did. Yes one of the most famous and greatest preachers ever to walk this earth struggled with depression and discouragement. If this very day simply getting out of bed was a monumental task for you then at least find solace from the fact that you are not alone. The Apostle Paul, author of a large portion of the New Testament, struggled just as we did. Read what he says from 2 Corinthians 1:8, “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life…” Paul knew what it was like to wonder where his next breath would come from. So he wrote as God inspired him to, and provided hope for each of us in this life.

Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth opens with words of encouragement and a plan for how we can go on. In the first chapter of 2 Corinthians are three reminders in which we can find encouragement.

First Paul instructs us to remember what God is to us. Possibly the greatest weapon against discouragement and depression is praise for God. When you reach the depths of despair it is time to stop and remember what God has provided us. Listen to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.”

God is the father of mercies and all comfort. It is important to understand that the word used here for father means that God is the originator of mercy and comfort. It is also important to understand what Paul means in this. First of all that we have received God’s mercy should be enough to satisfy us for this life. Lamentations 3:22 reminds is that “It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.” And the best news is that as verse 23 says, “His mercies are new everyday.” This is why we can have hope in spite of our continued failings.

We also must understand that when we read that God is the father of all comfort, the word used here for comfort doesn’t speak of a sympathy type of comfort. The comfort we receive from the Lord does more than “feel bad for us” for that doesn’t really change anything. The word used here for comfort is more about giving us strength to handle the situations that we struggle in. The word here from the Latin means “with strength” and the Greek means “to come alongside and help.” This would be the same word used when the Holy Spirit is said to be our comforter. This is powerful for it means that when God comforts us He also empowers us to handle every trial we face.

Paul then goes on to instruct us to remember what God does for us. One of the biggest struggles people have in this life is to try and answer the question of suffering. The truth is God allows suffering for very good reasons. While some suffering is simply the result of our own stupid decisions, a lot of suffering is a result of actually being God’s people. The teachings of scripture say that there is no such thing as luck or of karma. Those teachings are from man, not God. If trials come out of simple fate then we have no hope. If trials are under man’s control then we are equally hopeless because obviously man cannot save us from them. But what if God is actually in control even in the midst of what we think is chaos? God created all things and He put all natural laws in place. God and only God has the power to control this world. It has been said that when God places His children in the furnace, He keeps His hand on the thermostat. God is in control of our trials.

God also enables us to bear these trials. Paul’s writings tell of all the things He faced and in all of them we can see that God also empowered Paul to bear them. But we have to let go of dependence on our own strength as we read of in 2 Corinthians 12:10 where said that “I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

God is glorified through our trials when we let go and let Him work through us. One way or another God delivers us from them. But this requires faith. There is no greater witness to the lost world than to see us praising God in the moments we seem to be drowning.

The third reminder Paul gives in finding encouragement in God is to remember what He does through us.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

The trials we face are used by God, “so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” You see our suffering never goes to waste when we are faithful in sharing our own testimony. And the experiences we gained through our suffering enable us to minister to others.

This life is not easy and honestly, it’s not designed to be. We have a God of mercy and a God of comfort. We were made for more than this life; we were made for eternity. We were made to glorify God. We must grow our faith so that we trust Him, not ourselves or anyone else. It isn’t easy though and sometimes it will be a matter of faith. Remember what God is to you. Remember what He does for you. Remember what God does through you. And when it seems unbearable get on your knees. When it gets unbearable reach out to your brothers and sisters in Christ and let God work through them. Remember story of the Apostle Paul who asked God three times to remove the thorn in his side. Remember what God said to Paul. I leave you with God’s Word.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

God bless those who read and believe God’s Holy Word.

True Love - What It Really Is

Love. It’s been sung about, it’s been written about in books and poems, and it’s been acted out in movies and television over and over. Jesus said this in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” The main writer of the New Testament, the Apostle Paul, tells us in chapter thirteen of 1 Corinthians that unless we have love we are nothing. Yes, the Bible is clear; if we say we are Christians then we must love.

But love is a word and unless we truly know what it means to love then we will fail in every relationship. The way we treat our parents, the administration of our marriages and families, and even in how we relate to God, must be built on a foundation of love. But what does it really mean to love?

Paul, under the blessed inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, spells out exactly what real love is in his letter to the Corinthian church. While I pray that each and every Christian take time to study God’s Word for themselves, I offer a simple look at Paul’s teachings from 1 Corinthians 13.

Please take time to read the letter in its entirety, but first consider these things Paul tells us about love.

First of all love is patient. Most of us are not patient, especially in relating to our children. They are immature and too often we expect them to behave above their level of maturity. But in truth we, as Christians, need to be patient with each other. Most of us are still growing in our faith and are yet children. What about the world? A wonderful Christian witness is the act of patience with others as well.

Love is kind. The English dictionary defines this as friendly, generous, and considerate. Kindness is a wonderful virtue.

Love is not jealous. What this means is that we are to be happy for others when they have things we don’t. The tenth commandment is Thou Shall Not Covet. Who of us hasn’t inwardly seethed when we see a co-worker get praised or promoted? Or mumbled something under our breath about our neighbors when the truth is we just are coveting what they have. It’s hard to be kind to someone we are jealous of. Think about it. Let it go and be happy for others because the Bible says all good things come from God. So when we are jealous we are putting ourselves above God.

Love does not brag and is not arrogant. We all want to be right. And we all want to shove it down people’s throats when we are, especially the people we are jealous of. Humility is a lost trait in the world we live in. But it must become our goal because we are to be like Jesus, who was a walking example of humility.

Love does not act unbecomingly. Other translations describe this as being rude, irritable, and the insistent of things being done “our” way. It does not resent others.

Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, it rejoices in truth. What this means is that love is never pleased with unrighteousness and sin, but instead love rejoices in the goodness as seen through a godly life.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. This isn’t talking about being careless in living out life and trusting in things that shouldn’t be trusted in. No, it means that when we love then we never give up on the object of our love even when things get hard. God has the power to change all people and all situations. Jeremiah 32:17  “O Sovereign LORD! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!” God made all things and He can change all things. Love must exist in this truth. Love must live in the sure hope of God no matter how bleak they appear.

Love, real love, is hard. We must stop letting the world affect how we relate to each other and begin to love as God has designed us to do. Love is sacrifice. It is self-sacrifice. Jesus is the perfect example of love. Romans 5:8 is living proof of this example. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Did you catch that? While we were yet sinners Christ died for us. He didn’t wait until we straightened up. He didn’t wait until we stopped sinning. No, He loved us so much He died for us first. Thank God for that or we would all be on a direct path to hell.

But we are not Jesus; this kind of love looks too demanding you say. How could we possibly do it? We can do it by the power of the spirit. Take the time to read Galatians 5:16-25 and make it real in your heart. Walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out fleshly desires but will instead walk with Godly desires.

Love is the answer to everything we struggle with. If we learn to love as Paul teaches us to, then all our relationships will flourish.

Peter gives us sound advice in 1 Peter 4:8 saying, “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.”

Yes, those around us are messed up and filled with sin. I doubt that any of us have become perfect either and sin still shows up in us as well. But the answer is love. It covers the sin. But it must be the true love that God call us to exercise in our lives. It must be love that considers others as more important than self. Love like that shall not fail.

Be blessed in love for God is love.