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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The "Grace" Mystique, #5
The LORD then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation." (Genesis 7:1—NIV)
To say there have been no righteous people in time past reflects an ignorance of the Bible. Noah was spared because God judged him to be righteous. Daniel was blessed because of his righteousness. Abraham became the father of all who believe because of his stern obedience to God.
Of course there is no human righteousness that is equal to that of Jesus Christ. Compared with Christ we all are sinners. But to say that it is useless to attempt to be righteous, or that the Holy Spirit cannot guide us in the ways of genuine righteousness, is to contradict the Scriptures and to follow the vain Christian traditions.
I think God has permitted the overemphasis on imputed righteousness to continue because He was not ready to visit His churches to the extent He is today. We know from Matthew that there will come a time when all that offends God is removed from His Kingdom. I believe the time is now.
The Holy Spirit is approaching us now and pointing out to us our sins. When we become aware of a sin in our life we are to confess it as sin, not as merely a psychological problem. The Bible is about sin and righteousness, not psychological problems and emotional health, as valuable as psychological assistance can be at times.
When a sin comes to our attention, whether it is in the realm of the love of the world, or the lust and passions of our flesh, or our self-will and stubbornness, we are to confess the attitude and behavior as sin. We are to confess it plainly, denounce it, renounce it, and pray until we can turn away from it. When we do this God is faithful and righteous to forgive our sin and then, either immediately or over a period of time, cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We need to think of grace as the power of God in motion. Grace in its ultimate sense is the Presence of God in Jesus Christ that has come to mankind in order to forgive our sins and then break the bondage of our sins.
First we are forgiven. Then comes the issue of the Kingdom of God. There is no sin in the Kingdom of God. We enter the Kingdom of God as Satan is driven from us.
But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. (Luke 11:20—NIV)
God forgives us. Then the Holy Spirit sets about to bring us into God's Kingdom, into the realm where God's will is done in the earth as it is in Heaven. The churches are filled with every conceivable work of the flesh. But there are no works of the flesh in the Kingdom of God. This fact reveals clearly that there is a critical difference between being in a Christian church and being in the Kingdom of God.
To be continued.