Salvation is a daily experience with the living Jesus, not the confession of a doctrinal formula.

We have seen, then, that God honors the attempts of the adamic man to act with integrity, with honesty, with compassion. We have seen also that righteousness is imputed to us only as we obey the Spirit of God each day. Imputed righteousness is not a new way in which God deals with man. It dates back to Abraham. Divine grace is not an alternative to moral transformation. Rather it is the wisdom and power to change us from the old adamic nature to the new Christ nature. God's goal is that we be conformed to the moral image of Christ and brought into untroubled rest in the Father through Christ.

The righteousness of Christ. The third kind of righteousness is that which Jesus Christ is. He is our righteousness.

This does not mean we do not need to behave righteously because Christ is righteous. It means as we follow Him each day our inward nature experiences the death of the cross and then is raised to walk in Christ in newness of life. The righteous works we are able to perform as Christ is formed in us are vastly superior to the efforts of the adamic nature to be righteous.

The adamic nature of an individual may be marked by outstanding compassion. But put in the right situation the person's compassion will fail. However, when we receive the compassion of Christ there never is a failure. It is a superior compassion.

A person may be noted for being honest. But put in the right situation the person's honesty will fail. But the honesty of Christ never fails.

How then do we pass from adamic compassion and honesty to Christ's compassion and honesty?

The transfer occurs as we are brought down to death and then raised again. When we perceive we are being pressured past the point where we can respond righteously, we call upon the Lord for help. He then raises the dead, so to speak. He gives us of His compassion, His honesty, His Divine nature. In this way old things pass away, all become new in Christ. This is how the new covenant operates.

God accepts adamic righteousness provided the individual is doing God's will at the time. God accepts imputed righteousness when as yet there is very little righteous behavior on the part of the individual. God accepts the righteousness that comes from Christ's nature as soon as Christ has been formed in us.

In every instance, the righteousness will affect our resurrection. Those who do good, whether by adamic righteousness, or imputed righteousness, or Christ's righteousness, will be raised to eternal life. Those who do evil, whether by responding to their sinful adamic nature, or by refusing God's imputed righteousness, or by not keeping the commandments of Christ with the result that Christ's Nature is not formed, will be raised to condemnation.

To be continued.