The Righteousness Through Faith.

“But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (that is, to bring the Messiah down)...... If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with his heart and is justified, and declares with his mouth and is saved.” Rom. 10:6,9-10.

A London businessman told a very important story about one of his warehouse properties. It has been sitting abandoned for a long time. He finally decided to sell off. However, the building has been empty for a long time and has been in a state of disrepair.  Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash around the interior. He decided he was going to give it a serious facelift in order to attract this buyer. As he showed a prospective buyer the property, he took pains to tell him  that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage. He kept reassuring him that he was going to give the building a serious facelift. The prospective buyer kept smiling. When he eventually spoke up, he said “Forget about the repairs,”  “When I buy this place, I’m going to build something completely different. I don’t want the building; I want the site.” That was all he needed to hear to be silenced.

I kind of feel this whole story captures the principles around our salvation. Many believers have in mind the principles of renovation, they want to innovate and give themselves a facelift so that might be acceptable before God. Meanwhile, God has an entirely different package in mind. All our efforts at achieving righteousness are actually filthy rags before God. Submitting to God's righteousness, as opposed to establishing our own, is a foundational aspect of Christian faith that involves surrendering self-effort and relying entirely on the work of Jesus Christ. It means accepting that righteousness is a gift received by faith, not earned by merit. You must cease relying on good deeds, religious rituals, or personal merit to be accepted by God. True submission begins with admitting your own righteousness is inadequate, you must accept the finished works and live now strictly based on the influence, help and leading of God's word and His Spirit.

You must henceforth, study, meditate on, and live according to the Bible to understand God's standard of rightness rather than cultural or personal standards. You must also now pursue holiness by living in accordance with the Holy Spirit's guidance, allowing Him to produce fruit (love, joy, peace, etc.) in your life, which leads to righteous living. You must practice regular repentance and re-alignment. When you fall short, promptly repent and seek forgiveness, allowing God to realign your life with His will, rather than staying in a state of condemnation. Cultivate humility and obedience, approach God with a humble heart, recognizing your need for Him, and maintain a heart of obedience—doing what is right simply because it aligns with God’s character. Selah!

FURTHER READING:

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Isa. 64:6.

“What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith;” Rom. 9:30.

DECLARATION: 

Dear Abba Father, I thank You for the gift of life and the privilege of salvation. I declare that I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I receive the grace to live a life pleasing to You in always things today and always. I keep my focus on God, His grace and the finished work of the Cross. I refuse to be distracted or be led into pursuing those things that are contrary to your purpose and counsel for my life. I declare by your grace I rule and reign in life in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:

Job. 11:1-20.

Job. 12:1-25.

Job. 13:1-28.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY:

 “Our Works Can't Generate Righteousness. It is His Righteousness That Generates Pleasing Works.”