RIGHTEOUSNESS NOT RELIGION

The question of Job that needed to be answered for people to understand is “How then can a man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?” (Job 25:4). The book of James 1:27 has this to tell us, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world”. The answer is, that you are loved, forgiven, and accepted beyond any doubt because of what Jesus Christ has already done. The finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary makes righteousness a possibility. As a result, it is needless to play religion.

What is religion? This is man’s effort at reaching his Maker through personal means – regular attendance in worship places, praying many times a day, fasting, paying tithes, giving alms, having dreams that come true, being very active in church activities, financing church projects or single-handedly building worship places. Others include meditations and leadership positions in large and popular congregations. Pilgrimage to the holy place, dressing in particular ways, etc. (Isaiah 58:1-6; Matthew 23:5-7). Not that these activities in themselves are bad but engaging in them without the transformation brought about by faith in Christ’s atoning work only amounts to empty religion.

There is a vast difference between religion and righteousness: Religion, at its bests is based on externalities – what man does or does not do (Luke 18:10-12). Righteousness on the other hand is by faith (Romans 1:17). Religion makes an individual self-conceited. It is characterized by eye service, hypocrisy, earthly mindedness, vainglory, carnal comparison, and so on. Righteousness, however, promotes only the praise of God (Jude 1:16). Religion seeks to do good in order to entreat God’s favor; righteousness seeks to please God, not because of what is going to get from Him. Religion is largely based on traditions of men; righteousness operates mainly on the grace of God (Mark 7:8; Romans 3:24). Religion can only reform. It controls and modifies the outward man. Righteousness is a product of an inward transformation (Luke 11:39). Religion holds the religious bond; it’s a righteousness that liberates (Mark 7:1-15). Religion is an effort by man to be perfect, but righteousness is God’s nature imputed in man (Romans 4:6). Religion is temporal; righteousness is eternal (Psalm 119:142).

Very clearly then, what really counts is righteousness, not religion. It will therefore be an effort in futility to carry on in religion without the righteousness that comes from God. To have this righteousness, you must acknowledge that you cannot do it on your own. Then, through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, ask the Saviour to come into your heart and make you a new creature.

It is after this has been done that you too can be a partaker of ‘righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe’ (Romans 3:22).

THE HIGH COST OF SALVATION

p>The Bible describes the agony of Christ and His supreme sacrifice at Calvary as the price of our salvation, our passport into God’s presence, the propitiation for our sins, the peacemaker for our reconciliation, the power of the Christian life and the provider of our blessings. The suffering was dreadful, the sacrifice was overwhelming – so much that on the night of His betrayal He told three of His disciples, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death” (Matthew 26:38); and to the Father, He prayed, “O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt…and being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Matthew 26:39; Luke 22:44).

Betrayed into the hands of his enemies by one of His disciples, denied by His foremost disciple and deserted by other disciples Jesus Christ was subjected to unjust and extremely painful trial s before the high priest, the Jewish council, Pilate and Herod; He endured cruel mockery, insults, scourging, and had a crown of thorns spitefully pressed upon His head. At Calvary his place of crucifixion, He was finally nailed to the cross to suffer unbearable pain until He bled to death.

Jesus Christ the son of God and our redeemer bore all the torture and anguish and, above all, the pain of separation from the Father at the time He bore the guilt of the human race. No wonder then that immediately He gave up the Ghost, the veil of the temple tore from top to bottom, the earth quaked, the rocks split, and graves opened (Matthew 27:51-52).

Jesus Christ paid the high price of salvation with His precious blood shed on the cross of Calvary. Nothing but His blood could atone for the grievous sins of mankind. Nothing else could have reconciled man to God. The prophet Isaiah declared the suffering Messiah to be absolute without fault. “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him… (and to) make his soul an offering for sin…” (Isaiah 53:10). Not until Jesus Christ knew He had endured the full measure of God’s judgment against our sins did He cry, “It is finished: and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost” (John 19:30).

Sin separates people from the holy God and it will do so forever unless it is forgiven and washed away. And there is nothing we can do or any amount we can pay or any sacrifice we can offer that could ever atone for our guilt. But the joyful message of the gospel is that God, through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ, has procured our salvation from sin, sanctification, and removal of Adamic nature, healing from sickness, victory over Satan and his demons as well as the assurance of answer to prayers.

Outside of Christ’s sacrifice, there’s no other sacrifice for sin. Every sinner that comes to God, repenting of his sins and exercising faith in Christ’s atonement will be saved (1 John1:8-9). As Spurgeon once said, “if you were to wash your soul in the Atlantic Ocean, you might incarnadine (taint) every wave that washes all its shores, and yet the crimson spots of your transgression would remain. But plunge into the “fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins,” and in an instant, you are whiter than snow. Every peck, spot, and stain of sin is gone, and gone forever.”

Sinner friend, what are you waiting for? The price of your salvation has been paid by the Lord Jesus Christ. He paid dearly so that you can be justified freely. Now pray and confess your sins, repent and ask Jesus to wash you clean with His atoning blood. Believe in Him today and you will be saved from the power and penalty of sin.

And if you are already saved, then take some time to solemnly recall what it cost your Lord to redeem you from the darkness of sin and the world. Ponder on the humiliation and suffering He went through just to make you what you are today; then let this deeper understanding stir you to a life of greater consecration and commitment to Him. The price of your salvation is very great. Do not despise it!

SELF DENIAL IN DESCIPLESHIP

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26) – KJV.

One of the conditions of discipleship mentioned by the Lord Jesus Christ is self denial. It is the first thing we must do before taking up the cross and following the Lord. Though self denial at times may seem difficult, it is a great source of blessings. Every Christian should resolve from the very beginning to whole-heartedly deny himself in accordance with the terms of his calling.

To deny self is the very opposite of pleasing self. We deny ourselves to please the Lord. We give up self glory and recognition that Christ may entirely be enthroned in us. We give up the right to live by our own rules to the will of God, His glory, and the salvation of man overrides self interest and pleasure. Self involves crucifying self, the old man and its interest. Like John, we decrease, so that Jesus can increase.

We are to deny ourselves to meet the needs of our brethren. Joyfully we give up our rights and comforts even where these will place them at a better advantage over us. We should constantly remind ourselves of the command: “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves… For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me: (Romans 15:1,3).

Self denial covers every aspect of our life. It was so with our Lord Jesus Christ and so it must be for anyone that longs to follow him perfectly. Self denial is not in relation to what is sinful and unlawful. No, those have been dealt with at the point of conversion. Self denial is in relationship to what is legitimate and lawful. It must be exercised in our eating, drinking, and dressing. Our desires and appetites must be brought under subjection.

We do not give the flesh all it craves for but the limit that is required so that the inward man may be properly nourished. We regulate our sleep, the way we spend our time and resources and our pattern of living so as not to lose sight of the purpose of our calling. The will of God becomes the first choice in everything we do. And any desire that conflicts with God’s will is immediately crucified. How wonderful it will be when every member of the church lives this glorious life of Christ daily in this present world. “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).

THE SUPERIORITY OF GRACE TO THE LAW

"Therefore by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin…For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (Rom. 3:20, John 1:17). The book of the law was delivered to Moses by God and was defined for the Israelites how and when God would bless their nation based on their ability to keep the Law (Exodus 19:5) and obtain the righteousness of God which no one was able to attain. Whereas grace is the Hebrew word chanan or the Greek word Charis, meaning “the state of kindness and favor toward someone, often with a focus on a benefit given to the object.” (Strong’s Greek 5485). Grace is the plan of God from eternity past, and the truth is the doctrine that expresses it in time and this grace excludes man’s merit, ability, and talent.

The law is synonymous with Moses; grace is synonymous with our Lord Jesus Christ. Our relation to Christ is by faith in His atoning blood in the new covenant. Every unsaved man is under the law in that he’s seeking to establish a righteousness of his own rather than to accept God’s righteousness through Christ. To attempt to earn righteousness by keeping the Old Testament law or any other set of standards is to reject the principles of grace and salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Even though the Mosaic law was good, the main problem was that it was weak through the flesh. It told men what God require from them but could not empower them to obey it. But through the gospel of grace, the human nature of sin can be crushed, and the heart sanctified to obey God. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11-12).

For the non-Christians, the only power they possess is the power of their sinful nature and they are thus helpless and hopeless, lacking the required strength to keep the law. “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4). We recall that Moses begged God to see “see his glory” (Exodus 33:18). God made it clear that Moses could not see the face of God (Exodus 33:20,23). This greater glory, which we (born again Christian) enjoy is the glory we see “In the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

“For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious… But we all, with open faces beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:11,18). The Spirit of God is the One who lifts the veil and enables us to behold the glory of God in the face of Christ. The Holy Spirit is the instrument by which the greater glory of Christ, and thus of the new covenant, is beheld. The Old Testament spoke of the New Covenant (Jeremiah (31:31-34) and of the ministry which the Holy Spirit would play in turning the hearts of stone into the hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19). It is the Spirit of God in us who mediates the presence of Christ to us, and Christ in us is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). This glory we experience in the measure now and in a greater measure than Moses. It is also the glory we shall experience to the full in eternity. Therefore, we are being transformed from (present) glory to (ultimate) glory. This hope of glory gives us great boldness in our proclamation of the gospel.

Finally, God's grace is truly amazing and glorious. Not only does it provide for our salvation, it enables us to live an abundant life in Jesus Christ. It is faith in Christ that is sufficient to save sinners from their sins.

WHO IS ON THE LORD’S SIDE?

Exodus 32:25-28; “And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:) Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men”. There are two sides to a coin, as well as two sides to many things in life, such as good or bad, saints and sinners, righteous or unrighteous, heaven or hell. Likewise, there’s the side of the kingdom of God and kingdom of Satan.

Those in God’s kingdom are saved by grace with manifestation of the fruit of spirit – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22). But those on the side of Satan are filled with the work of the flesh and bad characters – rebellions, cheating, disobedience, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, and revelling (Galatians 5:19-21).

We need to understand that those on the side of Satan will go and live in hell with him forever. You don’t need to worry if you are on the Lord’s side, heaven is guaranteed if you remain and continue in the Lord. Now, let me ask you the same question Moses asked the children of Israel. “Whose side are you today? Are you on the side of God? Have you repented of your sins, Is your sins washed in the blood of the Lamb? Remember that God is not willing that all should perish but every one to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9-10). For you to be on the side of God’s righteousness, you must be born again by turning away from sins through genuine repentance (Acts 17:30; John 3:3,7), accept and confess Jesus Christ as Lord (Romans 10:9-10).

“Then the spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the captains, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band… (Likewise, Jesus said) If ye love me, keep my commandments” (1 Chronicles 12:18; Matthew 12:30).