Righteousness...Psalm 14:3, 53:3, Rom 3:10 all say
there is none righteous. Not one.
Rom 3:23 says all have sinned and come short of
the glory of God.
Isaiah 64:6 also says, ...all our righteousness are as
filthy rags.
What does all these mean?
It all started in the beginning. God said in Gen 1:26-
Let us make man in our own image and after our
likeness. This is God speaking to himself declaring
his intention to make man.
Gen 1:27- God created man in his image and
likeness. If God created man like this, then man can
stand before God without feeling guilty or inferior.
This is righteousness.
God gave this man dominion over all that he created.
God put him in charge. But God told him in Gen 2:17
not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, that if he does he will die.
But he ate of it. So he died. We see that in Gen 3.
This was spiritual death.
So Adam died, and of course Eve died.
From Gen 3:8-13, we see that they became 'afraid of
God' as soon as they ate the fruit i.e. as soon as
they died spiritually.
Which means before they ate the fruit they were not
running from God.
When God came around, they would talk with God
freely without hiding until they disobeyed God's
command (Gen 2:17) and died.
But in Gen 3:21, God made coats of skin and clothed
them with it. Why? So that they'll be able to approach
Him. They needed to come covered with blood.
Why were they hiding? Not because they were
naked, or because of what they did wrong
particularly, but essentially because they had
become unrighteous. They couldn't stand before God
anymore.
So God clothed them so they could stand before
him. But without the coats of skin, they couldn't
approach God.
That was the beginning of offerings and sacrifices to
God to approach Him. In Gen 4:4, Cain and Abel did.
Note that Cain and Abel being born of Adam were
born spiritually dead. So is the story of every man
today.
Because of what Adam did. Rom 5:12.
So being spiritually dead is a nature that is
unrighteous.
As soon as Adam disobeyed God's command, his
nature changed and he became one that could not
approach God i.e. Unrighteous. Unrighteousness
was his nature from thence.
Cain didn't have to disobey God to become
unrighteous, he was born like that. Just like every
other man today.
So when the bible says all our unrighteousness is
filthy....,that's the meaning. Not clean before God.
And remember that its not a function of sinful acts
but a function of nature. What Adam did gave every
man a sinful nature.
Its the nature that is filthy. Therefore,
unrighteousness is a nature. So also 'righteousness'
is a nature.
Remember God provided a way in Gen 3:21, by
clothing them with coats of skin, which began
offerings to enable man stand before God.
So also the children of Israel couldn't stand before
God until they killed animals. (e.g. Lev 16 - The Day
of Atonement.)
John 1:29 calls Jesus the lamb of God that takes
away the sin of the world.
Instead of all those animals killed to be able to stand
before God, Jesus came to die (be killed; crucified),
so that all men being unrighteous will be able to
stand before God on the account of Jesus.
Heb 7:26-27, 10:10-14, 9:11-14 make us know that
what Jesus did for us will last forever. He did it once
and for all...
Anyone who believes in Him, has the unrighteous
nature in him taken away, and the righteous nature
of Jesus given to him.
2Cor 5:21 says God made Jesus to be sin (i.e. he
was made that unrighteous nature) for us who knew
no sin, so that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him (Christ).
Anyone who has believed that Jesus died for his sin,
and that he was buried, and that God raised him
from the dead, has the righteousness of Jesus.
That person is the righteousness of God in Christ.
Righteousness is our nature in Christ.
Anyone born again is righteous.
Righteousness is defined as the ability to stand
before God without a sense of guilt, inferiority or
condemnation.
Its the ability to stand before God as though you
have never sinned.
Why? Because Jesus has paid the price for sin
eternally.
Rom 8:1 says there's no condemnation to those who
are in Christ Jesus.
We are not righteous because of what we have
done, but because of what Jesus has done for us.
Righteousness is a nature, a state. Not an act. It is
the righteous man that then acts righteously.
God has paid for all the sins of mankind in Christ. He
is not holding any sin against anyone. He has
punished Jesus. And since he is a just judge, he
won't punish another person again.
Let me bring it home...
Whatever sins you've committed since you were
born till now, those that you might still be struggling
with, and the ones you might commit in the future or
you're even planning to commit, God will not hold
any of these against you because He has paid for
everything in Christ.
This is how to live the christian life.... No fear, no
guilt, no inferiority, no condemnation.
God has placed us above sin in Christ. Rom 6:1-14.
We don't struggle with sin. We have forgiveness in
Christ.
Its not that there's no sin anymore or God now
tolerates sin. No! He has only paid for it for mankind
in Christ.
A believer today will simply receive forgiveness that
is in Christ for any sin. Eph 1:7,Col 1:14.
Righteousness is above sin. This nature makes us
live above sin.
Remember that righteousness is a nature. That is,
the spirit of the believer is righteous. He's not
spiritually dead anymore but alive spiritually in Christ
now.
So 1John 3:9 is saying that this righteous spirit i.e.
The spirit of everyone that is born again does not
know how to sin.
He that is born of God does not commit (produce)
sin. This is very true.
You may now wonder about yourself, then why did I
lie the other time, or why did I commit a sin or why
do I still sin?
The problem is your mind.
For anyone born again, that person's spirit doesn't
know sin because that spirit is born of God now.
1John 3:9, 4:4, 4:6, 5:1, 5:4. He is born of God.
The mind works with knowledge.
Whatever you feed your mind with is what it
functions with. That your spirit doesn't know and
cannot sin, doesn't mean your mind automatically
can do the same.
That's why 1John 2:1-2, says, 'My little children, I
write unto you that you sin not (i.e. I don't want to
you sin, because God has placed you above sin by
the price Jesus paid), but if anyone sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
That is, even when a believer sins because he has
not fed his mind with the Word of God, Jesus always
stands as his advocate.
What does this mean?..... Even before you commit
any sin, Jesus has paid for all your sins in the past,
in the present and in the future.
Your sins are forgiven for His name's sake and not
because you asked for forgiveness - 1John 2:12.
Take a look at Romans 5:17 - 6:4:
they asked Paul whether they could continue sinning
because Paul said where there is a lot of sin, grace
is more abundant in such a place. Paul then said,
I'm not saying you should be sinning since grace is
much more than your sin. I'm saying that grace has
made you dead to sin i.e. Above sin.
So you're to understand what Grace has done for
you such that you stand living without sin because
you've been placed above sin. Don't be sin
conscious, but rather be conscious of He that was
punished for all your wrong doings.
Much more, by righteousness you can wrought
exploits in the kingdom of God. The things of the
Spirit are yours to walk in. When you're sin
conscious, you will not see what God has done for
you.
Your duty is to acknowledge the things that are
yours in Christ - Philemon 6.
Righteousness consciousness makes it easy for
you to walk in these things that are yours.
Be conscious of your righteousness when you pray,
sing, read your bible, preach and so on.
Say, I'm His righteousness, therefore I do the things
of the Spirit. I function more and better in spiritual
things.
+jolayemiadeniji@gmail.com
Rom 3:23 says all have sinned and come short of
the glory of God.
Isaiah 64:6 also says, ...all our righteousness are as
filthy rags.
What does all these mean?
It all started in the beginning. God said in Gen 1:26-
Let us make man in our own image and after our
likeness. This is God speaking to himself declaring
his intention to make man.
Gen 1:27- God created man in his image and
likeness. If God created man like this, then man can
stand before God without feeling guilty or inferior.
This is righteousness.
God gave this man dominion over all that he created.
God put him in charge. But God told him in Gen 2:17
not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, that if he does he will die.
But he ate of it. So he died. We see that in Gen 3.
This was spiritual death.
So Adam died, and of course Eve died.
From Gen 3:8-13, we see that they became 'afraid of
God' as soon as they ate the fruit i.e. as soon as
they died spiritually.
Which means before they ate the fruit they were not
running from God.
When God came around, they would talk with God
freely without hiding until they disobeyed God's
command (Gen 2:17) and died.
But in Gen 3:21, God made coats of skin and clothed
them with it. Why? So that they'll be able to approach
Him. They needed to come covered with blood.
Why were they hiding? Not because they were
naked, or because of what they did wrong
particularly, but essentially because they had
become unrighteous. They couldn't stand before God
anymore.
So God clothed them so they could stand before
him. But without the coats of skin, they couldn't
approach God.
That was the beginning of offerings and sacrifices to
God to approach Him. In Gen 4:4, Cain and Abel did.
Note that Cain and Abel being born of Adam were
born spiritually dead. So is the story of every man
today.
Because of what Adam did. Rom 5:12.
So being spiritually dead is a nature that is
unrighteous.
As soon as Adam disobeyed God's command, his
nature changed and he became one that could not
approach God i.e. Unrighteous. Unrighteousness
was his nature from thence.
Cain didn't have to disobey God to become
unrighteous, he was born like that. Just like every
other man today.
So when the bible says all our unrighteousness is
filthy....,that's the meaning. Not clean before God.
And remember that its not a function of sinful acts
but a function of nature. What Adam did gave every
man a sinful nature.
Its the nature that is filthy. Therefore,
unrighteousness is a nature. So also 'righteousness'
is a nature.
Remember God provided a way in Gen 3:21, by
clothing them with coats of skin, which began
offerings to enable man stand before God.
So also the children of Israel couldn't stand before
God until they killed animals. (e.g. Lev 16 - The Day
of Atonement.)
John 1:29 calls Jesus the lamb of God that takes
away the sin of the world.
Instead of all those animals killed to be able to stand
before God, Jesus came to die (be killed; crucified),
so that all men being unrighteous will be able to
stand before God on the account of Jesus.
Heb 7:26-27, 10:10-14, 9:11-14 make us know that
what Jesus did for us will last forever. He did it once
and for all...
Anyone who believes in Him, has the unrighteous
nature in him taken away, and the righteous nature
of Jesus given to him.
2Cor 5:21 says God made Jesus to be sin (i.e. he
was made that unrighteous nature) for us who knew
no sin, so that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him (Christ).
Anyone who has believed that Jesus died for his sin,
and that he was buried, and that God raised him
from the dead, has the righteousness of Jesus.
That person is the righteousness of God in Christ.
Righteousness is our nature in Christ.
Anyone born again is righteous.
Righteousness is defined as the ability to stand
before God without a sense of guilt, inferiority or
condemnation.
Its the ability to stand before God as though you
have never sinned.
Why? Because Jesus has paid the price for sin
eternally.
Rom 8:1 says there's no condemnation to those who
are in Christ Jesus.
We are not righteous because of what we have
done, but because of what Jesus has done for us.
Righteousness is a nature, a state. Not an act. It is
the righteous man that then acts righteously.
God has paid for all the sins of mankind in Christ. He
is not holding any sin against anyone. He has
punished Jesus. And since he is a just judge, he
won't punish another person again.
Let me bring it home...
Whatever sins you've committed since you were
born till now, those that you might still be struggling
with, and the ones you might commit in the future or
you're even planning to commit, God will not hold
any of these against you because He has paid for
everything in Christ.
This is how to live the christian life.... No fear, no
guilt, no inferiority, no condemnation.
God has placed us above sin in Christ. Rom 6:1-14.
We don't struggle with sin. We have forgiveness in
Christ.
Its not that there's no sin anymore or God now
tolerates sin. No! He has only paid for it for mankind
in Christ.
A believer today will simply receive forgiveness that
is in Christ for any sin. Eph 1:7,Col 1:14.
Righteousness is above sin. This nature makes us
live above sin.
Remember that righteousness is a nature. That is,
the spirit of the believer is righteous. He's not
spiritually dead anymore but alive spiritually in Christ
now.
So 1John 3:9 is saying that this righteous spirit i.e.
The spirit of everyone that is born again does not
know how to sin.
He that is born of God does not commit (produce)
sin. This is very true.
You may now wonder about yourself, then why did I
lie the other time, or why did I commit a sin or why
do I still sin?
The problem is your mind.
For anyone born again, that person's spirit doesn't
know sin because that spirit is born of God now.
1John 3:9, 4:4, 4:6, 5:1, 5:4. He is born of God.
The mind works with knowledge.
Whatever you feed your mind with is what it
functions with. That your spirit doesn't know and
cannot sin, doesn't mean your mind automatically
can do the same.
That's why 1John 2:1-2, says, 'My little children, I
write unto you that you sin not (i.e. I don't want to
you sin, because God has placed you above sin by
the price Jesus paid), but if anyone sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
That is, even when a believer sins because he has
not fed his mind with the Word of God, Jesus always
stands as his advocate.
What does this mean?..... Even before you commit
any sin, Jesus has paid for all your sins in the past,
in the present and in the future.
Your sins are forgiven for His name's sake and not
because you asked for forgiveness - 1John 2:12.
Take a look at Romans 5:17 - 6:4:
they asked Paul whether they could continue sinning
because Paul said where there is a lot of sin, grace
is more abundant in such a place. Paul then said,
I'm not saying you should be sinning since grace is
much more than your sin. I'm saying that grace has
made you dead to sin i.e. Above sin.
So you're to understand what Grace has done for
you such that you stand living without sin because
you've been placed above sin. Don't be sin
conscious, but rather be conscious of He that was
punished for all your wrong doings.
Much more, by righteousness you can wrought
exploits in the kingdom of God. The things of the
Spirit are yours to walk in. When you're sin
conscious, you will not see what God has done for
you.
Your duty is to acknowledge the things that are
yours in Christ - Philemon 6.
Righteousness consciousness makes it easy for
you to walk in these things that are yours.
Be conscious of your righteousness when you pray,
sing, read your bible, preach and so on.
Say, I'm His righteousness, therefore I do the things
of the Spirit. I function more and better in spiritual
things.
+jolayemiadeniji@gmail.com
