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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Gap of Lawlessness
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Romans 14:17)
Righteousness is defined as upright, just, morally proper, virtuous conduct.
Righteousness always is determined by a set of standards. A set of standards is a law. Some person or persons must decide what is upright and what is not upright, what is morally proper and what is not morally proper, what is just and what is unjust, what is virtuous and what is not virtuous.
The one supreme Judge of the conduct of men and angels is the Lord God of Heaven.
The absence of obedience to law, to the standard of righteous conduct by which the Judge judges, is lawlessness.
Today there is a gap of lawlessness, a gap between two types of expression of the law of God.
The gap of lawlessness is found in the Kingdom of God and also in the kingdoms of the world; for the operations of the world often run parallel to the operations of the Kingdom of God.
The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Righteousness, upright conduct, virtuous behavior in terms of God's standard of virtue, always is first in importance.
In the Kingdom of God, righteousness is more important than peace. Righteousness is more important than joy. Peace and joy follow righteousness, but in the pursuit of righteousness we often are lacking in peace and joy. Yet, these two blessings come to us eventually if we persist in walking in righteousness.
God will not have fellowship with people who are not observing His laws of righteous conduct. The servant of the Lord always is called in righteousness.
Speaking of Christ:
I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; (Isaiah 42:6)
The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to initially approach God apart from righteous conduct on our part. The blood gives us entrance past the holy veil.
The purpose of the blood covering is to give us the opportunity and time to be made new creations in the Lord. We are not to regard the blood covering as a permanent solution to the problem of unrighteousness in man. The blood covering is in actuality a legal device that makes it possible for us to be released from Satan and brought into righteousness of conduct.
The blood of Christ imputes righteousness to us while our behavior is being transformed. The blood sanctifies us legally until actual sanctification of personality can be developed in us. The blood is the basis for the entire work of redemption.
The Lord God never planned that we should continue in unrighteousness after we have received the gift of forgiveness. God cannot have fellowship with unrighteousness. It is impossible for light to have fellowship with darkness (II Corinthians 6:14).
The goal of the working of the Divine redemption is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Righteousness eventually brings peace. Peace brings joy. But righteousness, which is doing God's will so God is satisfied with our behavior, is of first importance in the Kingdom of God.
To be continued.