__WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE BELIEVE THE GOSPEL - (PART 3)__ In our previous two studies, we learnt that when we believe the gospel, all our sins (past, present and future) are forgiven; and also, we become justified ( declared innocent and blameless) by God. Today, we are going to look at another thing that happens to us when we believe the gospel. The moment we believe the gospel, we are declared righteous by God. In order word, God gives us his own righteousness. This is the righteousness that counts in the kingdom of heaven. This righteousness is given to us freely by God himself when we believe that Christ died for all the sins we could not pay for, he was buried and he arose again the third day for our justification. As a result of believing the gospel, God forgives all your sins (past, present and future sins) he justifies you in addition to that. But God knows that you can go on and sin from that time on, and so in order for him to see no sin on your garment at all after believing the gospel, he had to cover you with his own righteousness, which is far above and beyond human righteousness. This is the most perfect righteousness, the visa to heaven. This righteousness cannot be seen with the human eye. It is seen only by God. When God looks at that true believer, he does not see that sinner anymore; he sees his own righteousness covering that believer. This is a great miracle, as part of your salvation. Let us prove this point with some bible verses. In Romans 3:24-26, the bible says: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. When sinners approach God by believing the gospel, he freely justifies them, according to verse 24. In forgiving us our past sins God has to give us his righteousness (verse 25) in order not to remember our past sins. Now, at this time (from the moment we became believers to the moment we depart this world), God still gives us his own righteousness, because he knew we would be faulty and blame-worthy in our human endeavours. In order for him never to blame us at all, he has to give us his own righteousness (the righteousness that makes you perfect and blameless in his sight). Hallelujah! In Romans 4:3-4, the bible says: For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. These verses are explaining what happened in Genesis 15:6. When God promised Abraham of his heavenly seed (the stars of heaven) which is you and I as grace age believers, Abraham only had to believe God. He knew that Gods words were always the truth, and so he took God at his word. God in turn, counted Abrahams faith as righteousness (God gave him his own righteousness) from that time on. Now, according to Romans 4:4, if you worked for someone, you keep the person in debt. The person in turn, had to pay you for the work you did. You could never call this a gift or grace, because you deserved to be payed for the work you did. But according to verse 5, if you did no work at all but believed in God who justifies the ungodly (sinners), your faith is counted for righteousness. This is faith without works. Abraham did no work at all before he was given Gods righteousness. He was not baptized with water, he was not circumcised before getting this righteousness. It was given to him by grace; he did not deserve it. The same applies to you and I. We do not work to have Gods righteousness at all. All we need is our faith in the finished work of the cross (the gospel). Let us look at what God in his sovereignty, did for the prophet Isaiah back in the Old Testament era. In Isaiah 61:10, the bible says: I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. Isaiah said that God has clothed (covered) him with the garment of salvation. But more importantly in this case, Isaiah said that God has covered him with the robe (garment / cloth) of righteousness. Isaiah did not say he (Isaiah) covered himself with the robe of righteousness; he said God covered him with the robe of righteousness. That was the righteousness of God given to Isaiah. Why did Isaiah have to say write this? It was because of what had happened to him earlier in Chapter 6. In Isaiah 6, when you read from verse 1, you would notice that Isaiah said he saw the glory of God in heaven. He saw the very throne room of heaven, with God sitting on the throne. He saw the Seraphims (angels) who were also around, praising the Lord on the throne. When Isaiah saw all these things, he came into himself and realized he was a sinner, a man of unclean lips, living among people of unclean lips. (Isaiah 6:5). But when he acknowledged how sinful he was, the verses 6-7 says: Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. After acknowledging his sins, Isaiah said one of the angels took a live coal from the alter in heaven (which is a picture of the sacrificed blood of the Lamb of God) and the angel laid the it upon Isaiahs mouth and said, because the live coal had touched Isaiahs lips, his iniquity (sinful activities) was taken away, and his sin (the adamic nature) was purged (blotted out completely). Isaiah did not have to repent of his sins; he did not have to organize a big crusade to win souls for God; he did not have to get baptized in the River Jordan; he did not have to keep the law; all he did was to acknowledge the fact that he was a sinner, and all his sins were forgiven and taken away by God. God in turn, had to give him his own righteousness at that same moment, and consequently, Isaiah had to talk about it as we read in Isaiah 61:10. This is true salvation. This is how Gods righteousness comes upon us. Moreover, 2Corinthians 5:21 says: 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. So, the Jesus Christ who was sinless was made to be sin (on the cross), that is, all the sins of the world were laid upon him, so that you and I could have Gods righteousness in Christ. Furthermore, Romans 3:21-22 says: But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference. So, the righteousness of God, according to verse 21, is without the law; in other word, you cannot keep the law in order to have Gods righteousness. This was witnessed by the law and the prophets; Moses spoke about it before he died; Isaiah (53), Jeremiah and others spoke about it, but it was all in unclear language at that time. According to verse 22, whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, the righteousness of God comes upon you by faith, when you believe the gospel. The law can never make you righteous in Gods sight; it is the righteousness of God that counts if you want to go to heaven. This is why Galatians 2:21 says: I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Beloved, if righteosness (Gods righteousness) could be attained through the keeping of the law, then Christ died for nothing; then Christ must have been the biggest fool for dieing on the cross. But God knew we could not become as righteous as he is by keeping the law, so his Son had to die for us in order for us to receive that righteousness by faith in the finished work of the cross. Why did the bible say God made Adam in his own image? It means Adam was as righteous as God himself. Adam was initially sinless and blameless as God himself. In order for you and I to be in Gods heaven, we must be as righteous as God himself; and this he gives to us freely when we believe the gospel. We shall continue next time. God bless us all!
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 00:27:20 +0000
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