The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Righteousness of God, #8

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: (I Corinthians 1:2—NIV)

Being a saint is a full-time calling. We have to make our walk with the Lord the chief occupation of each day, even when our secular employment is very demanding. The Spirit of God will show us how to do this.

The average American Christian is not close to being the righteousness of God. He has been taught that he is "saved by grace" and any moment he is going to be raptured into Paradise so he can lay around in his mansion and do nothing except talk to his friends and rest.

He is deceived. The truth is, unless he turns and begins to serve God as the New Testament directs, he will face an angry Christ. His talent will be taken from him and given to another. He will be thrown into the outer darkness. This is what the Bible says.

He has no concept of the Kingdom of God. He has no idea that when the Lord returns he is to follow on a white war stallion, ready to face the hordes of Hell. He thinks he will spend eternity in Paradise in the spirit realm, not understanding that his task as a member of the Body of Christ is to drive all sin and darkness from the earth and to install righteous, peace, and joy on the earth.

He is not overcoming the accuser by the blood of the Lamb. He is not overcoming the accuser by the word of his testimony, because his testimony does not line up with the written word of God.

He is not overcoming the accuser by loving not his life to the death. He has been taught that God loves him too much to permit him to suffer. Christ became poor so he might be rich, he thinks. Christ suffered so he never will have to suffer, he imagines. Such is the American Christian.

He is not bearing the fruit of the moral image of Christ because he is not abiding in Christ. He is filled with the love of the world, the lusts of the flesh, and self-will. He shall be removed from the Vine, from Christ, along with those teachers who have cried to him, "rapture, rapture, rapture, grace, grace, grace, Heaven, Heaven, Heaven."

He has little in common with the heroes of faith because his only faith is a mental assent to Christian theology. He is not bearing his cross after Christ. He does not know Christ, only the sayings and ways of the churches.

The path to becoming the righteousness of God is outlined in the New Testament, beginning with Matthew and ending with the Book of Revelation. This entire text is inspired by the Holy Spirit and is addressed to Christians. None of it is "for the Jews." All of it is directed toward the one Seed of Abraham, that is, Jesus Christ and all who are part of Him, whether Jewish or Gentile by physical birth.

It is well that the human being, Christian or non-Christian, behave righteously with the moral strength that he has. God will always bless righteous behavior—even when it proceeds from the adamic nature.

Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism But accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right." (Acts 10:34,35—NIV)

To be continued.