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When it comes to showing the
necessity of understanding that God is righteous, no one can say it quite
like John Gill: Essentially, originally, and of himself;
naturally, immutably and universally, in all his ways and works of nature
and grace; in his thoughts, purposes, counsels, and decrees; in all the
dispensations of his providence; in redemption, in the justification of a
sinner, in the pardon of sin, and in the gift of eternal life through
Christ. "And upright are thy judgments." They are according to the rules of
justice and equity. He refers to the precepts of the word, the doctrines of
the gospel, as well as the judgments of God inflicted on wicked men, and all
the providential dealings of God with his people, and also the final
judgment.
When the Gospel is presented as
THE LOVE OF GOD alone, there is no call to repentance (See article
WHO IS GOD). There must be an
understanding that GOD IS RIGHTEOUS
or there is no knowledge of our separation from God. Unless you understand
that GOD IS RIGHTEOUS and you are UNRIGHTEOUS, where is your need to
be saved from the WRATH OF GOD
against all unrighteousness?
If you do not realize that God is
RIGHTEOUS and you are UNRIGHTEOUS, you will be trying to mix
light and darkness and you CANT. Light is light and darkness is the
absence of light. God is light, and in him
is no darkness at all. Men loved
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. I
am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not
abide in darkness.
Jesus said Paul was sent to
open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power
of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and
inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
For
God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our
hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. Giving thanks
unto the Father, who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the
saints in light; who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and
translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; in whom we have our
redemption, the forgiveness of our sins.
William Cowper said, Righteousness
is essential to him, it is himself; and he can no more defraud the godly of
their promised comforts, not let the wicked go unpunished in their sins,
than he can deny himself to be God, which is impossible.
People who claim to be Christians
are deceiving themselves if they live just as those of darkness live.
Perhaps no one ever told them that GOD IS
RIGHTEOUS. If we have friends or family members who live
ungodly lives and yet claim to be Christians, what are we admonished to do
about it? Here is what Paul tells us, Now I
am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself
a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer,
a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
Why, to punish them? No! It is to
show there is a difference. It is that we may truly represent our
RIGHTEOUS GOD. It is not about them or us. It is about HIM. We are to
love and serve our precious Lord, but such an evil life as described above
will put him to an open shame.
All those who call themselves Christians ought to live in such a way that whatsoever
ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. That
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him,
according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul says, Now
we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye
withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly.
This is all that the name of God and his
doctrine be not blasphemed for our God is RIGHTEOUS. And
Let every one that nameth the name of Christ
depart from iniquity.
As for those who do not profess to
be Christians, we want to be as Paul who said, I
am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
But we must balance that with his admonition, Be
ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with
darkness?
There was a time when we were as
these lost ones are, among whom we also all
once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of
the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
And now Wherein they think it strange that
ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be
ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will
receive you because our GOD IS
RIGHTEOUS.
Because our GOD
IS RIGHTEOUS, there is the WRATH
OF GOD against all UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. As for us, Jesus
delivered us from the wrath to come for Whoever
believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not
see life, for God's wrath remains on him" because he has
not reckoned that our GOD IS RIGHTEOUS.
In that Day of Judgment it will be
said, For the great day of his wrath is
come; and who shall be able to stand? Of them who are not
righteous The same shall drink of the wine
of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup
of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb
because our GOD IS RIGHTEOUS.
Please do not think that I am
calling you to religion or religious exercises. No!!! The Pharisees were
the most religious people on earth in the time Christ walked among men. They
were so certain of their own righteousness that they would parade themselves
among people as everyones example. But even when they came to John
baptizing, John had nothing good to say about them. But
when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said
unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the
wrath to come? John referred to the absence of righteousness or
the wrath to come. Since our GOD
IS RIGHTEOUS, all an unrighteous man has to expect is the
wrath to come. Of the Pharisees righteousness Jesus said, Except
your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
So we are not talking about you
DOING SOMETHING to become righteous. NO, NO, NO!!!! We are talking to
those who have RECEIVED A RIGHTEOUSNESS IMPUTED TO THEM THAT IS NOT THEIR
OWN, BUT IS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST.
Paul put it this way; I
am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the
salvation of everyone who believes. For
in the gospel a righteousness FROM God is revealed, a
righteousness that is BY FAITH from first to last, just as it is
written: "The righteous will live by faith."
This righteousness that you must
have is a righteousness that is given, not attained. I
do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law
(or by works that I have done), then Christ
is dead in vain. But that no
man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The
just shall live by faith. For we are Being
filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ,
unto the glory and praise of God.
We can say with Paul, not
having mine own righteousness, which
is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the
righteousness which is of God by faith. But I do think that
it is interesting that in one verse Paul tells us in the Gospel there is a righteousness
from God is revealed and in the very next verse he says, the
wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in
unrighteousness.
In other words, you have a choice:
RIGHTEOUSNESS which is through the
faith of Christ or THE WRATH OF
GOD which is against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.
The Key Word in the Letter to the
Romans is "RIGHTEOUSNESS." For a clear
and concise understanding of the righteousness of God as presented in Pauls
letter, note the fourfold presentation that follows:
- THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD
IS RECTORIAL - we are saying that GOD
DEMANDS RIGHTEOUSNESS IN HIS CREATURES.
- THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD
IS RETRIBUTIVE we are saying GOD MUST
PUNISH THE LACK OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IN HIS CREATURES.
- THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD
IS REDEMPTIVE we are saying GOD PROVIDES
US THE VERY RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT HE REQUIRES.
-
THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IS REMUNERATIVE
we are saying GOD REWARDS US FOR THE
VERY RIGHTEOUSNESS HE PROVIDED.
What GRACE is shown to those
of us who are IN CHRIST. Our
Righteous God, Who DEMANDS righteousness from us, Who MUST PUNISH
the lack of righteousness in us, Who PROVIDES the righteousness He
demands, and then He REWARDS us for the righteousness He provided,
DEMONSTRATES IN ALL OF THIS THAT HIS GRACE IS TRULY AMAZING. From
first to last, our Salvation is of the LORD.
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. Since we are declared to
be the righteousness of God you
may want to rejoice in what the Word says is in store for THE RIGHTEOUS in the Psalms and Proverbs alone. To see all
these Scriptures put together, click on the link below.
Remember, none of the curses in the
Bible are against us who are the righteous.
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of
the law, being made a curse for us. Since we are the
righteousness of God in Christ Jesus that means that no
matter how many promises God has made,
they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by
us to the glory of God. AMEN!
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